After noticing a sharp upswing in the number of lawyers offering unbundled legal services, as well as other professionals including para-legals, coaches and even editors offering services to SRLs, NSRLP is creating a Canada-wide database that will serve two purposes – an information resource for SRLs looking for affordable assistance, and a means of connecting the many different professionals interested in working with SRLs.
The unbundling of legal services (or limited scope retainers (LSRs)) is just one adaptation that may help alleviate the access to justice barriers described in The New Litigants, a CBC “The National” documentary that explored the struggle of being a self-represented litigant in Canada, and featured the NSRLP. Lawyers offering carefully crafted services might be able to accommodate those individuals who are unable to afford full representation, but able to undertake some legal tasks themselves.
Our Twitter campaign, #whyunbundle?, reaches out to lawyers and provides information on limited scope retainers (for example this handbook published the Canadian Bar Association’s Alberta branch). Our Twitter campaign asks lawyers willing to provide – or considering providing – unbundled legal services to contact us at representingyourselfcanada.com. You will be included in a database that eventually will be embedded in the NSRLP website (which is visited by more than 30,000 people each year).
We are also very interested in hearing from para-legals offering fixed fee services to SRLs as well as other professionals with complementary skills in other disciplines – mental health, public speaking, editorial, etc – interested in working with SRLs. Please click here if you are a professional working with SRLs.
