Panel seeks unbundled rule.

Saying it was beyond their scope to write it, a special committee is recommending to the Supreme Court that it direct the appropriate rules committee to draft a rule allowing unbundled legal services, including representation in court.

The Special Committee on Unbundled Legal Services held its last meeting September 6 during the Bar's General Meeting to hash out what its final recommendation should be to the Bar Board of Governors later this month.

Unbundled services have generally been defined as allowing attorneys to perform specific tasks for pro se litigants, such as advising about court procedures, drafting specific documents, or appearing at a specific hearing, without taking on all aspects of a case. Another cited example would have a pro se litigant hiring an attorney on child support and representation issues in a divorce but handling other matters, such as property issues, alone.

While committee members generally agreed that attorneys should be able to provide limited and specific help to clients, much of the discussion centered on whether that limited help should include appearing in courts.

Committee members decided that it should.

"This is a concept that will aid in the access to justice, particularly in the family law area," said committee member Sally Kest.

Committee member Richard West, a member of the Family Law Section executive council, made the motion that the committee recommend that the Supreme Court instruct the Family Law Rules Committee to draft a rule specifically allowing the delivery of limited and specific services.

"Conceptually what I'm trying to do is let the Supreme Court put the pressure where the pressure should be," he said.

Members noted that the Family Law Section has endorsed and suggested a family law rule for unbundled services. They also said the court's Family Law Rules Committee has taken the position a rule isn't needed for out-of-court appearances, and a rule would be too problematic for court appearances. Committee members and Bar Counsel Tony Boggs, however, said allowing limited appearances in court would require changing the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. The Supreme Court's Family Law Steering Committee has said it is an important issue that should be explored, but not their role to propose a rule change.

West and Jeannie Etter, another Family Law Section member, both...