Unbundled Family Law Services

For those who are going through either a divorce, legal separation, or paternity action, the legal process can seem daunting. Often times, a person can become overwhelmed by the unfamiliar rules and deadlines associated with their Court case. When initiating those proceedings, or being served with the Petition by the other party, the need to hire an experienced San Jose family law lawyer often becomes high-priority. However, for some people, they may become even more overwhelmed by the thought of hiring a lawyer when trying to factor in who to hire and estimating how much it will cost. Fortunately, at Mello & Pickering, LLP, our team of experienced family law attorneys offer unbundled family law services to families who need assistance with their divorce, legal separation, or paternity actions.

Some might ask what exactly unbundled family law services entails. Simply put, it means hiring an attorney to help you with limited aspects or issues in your case. Another term that attorneys might use to describe such an arrangement is “Limited Scope Representation”. For example, you might have someone going through a divorce who has an upcoming child support hearing, and is looking for an experienced San Jose family law lawyer. This person might not feel that they need an attorney for all issues in their case (such as property division, spousal support, and/or recouping some of their attorney’s fees and costs from the other party), but they know that they don’t feel comfortable representing themselves in Court at their upcoming hearing on child support. That person would greatly benefit from hiring an attorney on a limited scope basis for purposes of the child support hearing only. It gives that person the peace of mind of having a knowledgeable attorney represent their best interests at the hearing, even though they don’t need representation on the other issues in their case.

Unbundled family law services were created as a means to mitigate the high cost of legal fees associated in a given case, and make hiring a family law attorney more accessible to people with varying financial circumstances. In addition, it allows you, the client, to drive your own case forward as a self-represented party while still obtaining legal advice and services as needed. This is not limited to having an attorney appear with you in Court on a certain issue. For example, if you need assistance with navigating complex issues such as division of pension plans, stock options, and business interests, or quantifying reimbursement claims, you can hire an attorney as your consultant to answer your questions related to the law as it applies to those particular issues. You may also hire an attorney for unbundled family law services to assist you with drafting legal documents, negotiating with an opposing counsel, or (as mentioned above) even having an attorney represent you in Court on a particular issue.

Here at Mello & Pickering, LLP, our skilled team of attorneys can represent you on any particular issue you request that might arise in your family law case. In doing so, we can help you minimize your litigation costs by giving you assistance on only the issues you specify. Our San Jose family law lawyers have vast experience working with clients with varying complex family law issues. For more information about different options for the scope of work to be done when hiring Mello & Pickering, LLP as your attorney, please review our posted article, “Consulting vs. Retaining”. You can also call our office for your free consultation to further discuss your options. With our combined 40 years of experience in family law, we can help ensure that your best interests are protected.