November 04, 2017

A Discussion with the Founder of Unbundled Legal Services, Forrest “Woody” Mosten: Exploring the History and Exciting Future of Unbundling

55 minutes

Episode 43: A Discussion with the Founder of Unbundled Legal Services, Forrest “Woody” Mosten: Exploring the History and Exciting Future of Unbundling

Considered to be the founder of the “Unbundled” concept, Forrest “Woody” Mosten has spent the last 20+ years advocating for the awareness and ethical acceptance of unbundled legal services. Today Woody joins us to share the background and history of unbundled legal services, and how it is positioned to have a tremendous impact on access to justice in the future. He gives us a fundamental understanding of what the core unbundled services offerings are, including examples of what he offers in his own practice. We share a ton of resources, websites, books, and training that help educate attorneys on how to ethically and effectively deliver unbundled services in their practice.

To read a complete transcript of this interview, click here

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The story of the genesis of unbundled legal services, including how Woody came up with the name and how the first ethics opinions were released by the ABA

How Woody uses popsicle sticks to teach unbundled services to his students

Woody’s 7 core unbundled service options, and how to implement each of them in your own practice

Why he considers “Advising Client” to be the fundamental unbundled service that often goes overlooked and underutilized in the average lawyer’s practice

How Woody defines the difference between “Discovery” and “Gathering Facts”, and how you can start to think about offering each as separate discrete tasks

Why unbundled was once considered to be a standalone service separate from litigation, but has now become a valuable service option for both uncontested and contested legal matters

How to offer “Negotiation” as an unbundled service, and the different ways you can assist your clients by handling this aspect of their case

How drafting documents can encompass a lot more than just preparing court forms and documents

The value of offering to write letters for your clients, either as a ghostwriter or on your law firm letterhead

How judges influenced Woody to change his mind about the value of attorneys offering to make a limited appearance for their clients

A breakdown of organizations and committees that provide valuable information for lawyers and have been instrumental in the growth and acceptance of unbundled legal services

The topics Woody covers in his most recent book “Unbundled Legal Services: A Family Lawyer's Guide”

How unbundled legal services helps attorneys build a more profitable practice

Some of the barriers that still need to be overcome in order for unbundled legal services to be offered by a greater number of attorneys

Details on the first national training for unbundled legal services taught by Woody coming up during March in Chicago

An invitation for a “Round Two” discussion with Woody on law schools, incubators, and how to educate and inspire our next generation of attorneys to offer unbundled legal services in their practice

And much more…

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

The Neutral Zone

#unbundlenow (Twitter)

Dave Gross’s Podcast (Limited appearances)

Thomas King’s Podcast (Offering unbundled and limited appearances in traditional courts)

Unbundling Resource Center - ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services

Forrest Mosten's Article - Unbundled Services to Enhance Peacemaking for Divorcing Families

IAALS - Materials from Better Access Through Unbundling Conference

Forrest Mosten’s Website

Forrest Mosten’s Newest Book: Unbundled Legal Services: A Family Lawyer's Guide

AFCC (Association of Family and Conciliation Courts)

Building a Successful Unbundling Practice Training - March 5-6th, 2018 in Chicago, IL

Blog post with resources mentioned and a complete transcription of this interview

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