Tying Together “Unbundling” of Legal Services

(Adding Landlord Tenant Disputes to the Unbundling Package)

Life is often chaotic, with unforeseen setbacks along the way. If you are injured by the fault of an other, no problem here; a lawyer, this one included, will always be happy to meet with you in a serious injury case. But what about the case that isn’t “contingent fee”?

As my cousin’s sons who write of their days escorting rafters through Class 4-5 whitewater, I see myself as a guide through the chaos.

But, what do you do if you plan to use your own kayak! And what do you do if you think you cannot afford a guide, or you bravely think you don’t need a guide? Or you might use a guide, but you want plenty of information first!

That is EXACTLY why I have devised my “robust consultation” for just $500; no strings, no more, unless you choose to. 

This is not the “free legal consultation” which is often a joke, but by its very nature is just a 15-30 minute chat, usually by phone. Don’t get me wrong, 15 minutes on the phone with me will NOT be wasted, but it’s not a “legal check-up” or “robust consultation”. I welcome such calls, and will be happy to chat, but many matters need something more “robust”.

This summer I added a ten minute video and blog article to my explanation of unbundled legal services. Here’s the link, but it will take you awhile.  https://hunterlawfirm.net/more-about-unbundling-a-500-product-that-is-worth-1000/  I suggest you skip it for now and come back if you need more.

Just try finding a lawyer in your small town or city to help you on a landlord and tenant dispute. You will, almost certainly, be sent to the magistrate’s office, whose staff “is not allowed to give you legal advice”.

So, today I took advantage of a free WV State Bar sponsored three hour seminar on Landlord and Tenant Disputes and received 66 valuable pages, statutes, case law, tips and techniques. I can share its content and so much more; a lifetime of negotiating the rocky legal twists and turns.

That gives me one more subject that I can address for the client who tries the lowest cost, most option filled, portal to getting help from a real, live, local, experienced, lawyer!! Here I am, and here below are some reasons for starting with the $500 product.

1. You have been thinking about, or your spouse is threatening, a divorce. Or your former spouse is talking about taking you back to court. What planning can you do?
2. You and your spouse have decided to divorce, but you think you have most things worked out and don’t want to hire lawyers; well, come to me in the role of mediator!
3. You just got a notice that you have to move because the landlord thinks you have a pet, or you can’t get him to repair your furnace, or you think your landlord is entering your home when you aren’t there.
4. You’ve been thinking of getting a will, want to “avoid probate”, have heard of a “living will”, don’t have a medical power of attorney, and don’t know very much about auto and home insurance. Sure you can get online and read something written by someone who isn’t from WV and isn’t accountable to  you, or you can visit a local lawyer for a small fixed fee.
5. You and your wife have been married awhile,  have teen-agers, a house, and a 401K,  and have never ever even met with a lawyer!! Your are flying in the dark without radar.
6. You and you neighbors appear to be headed into an intractable dispute and litigation is looming.
7. Your “ex” hasn’t paid child support in 14 months or visited or even sent a birthday card for two years, and your spouse is “the only father/mother the child knows”. Is Adoption an option. But what if it has been eight (8) and twelve (12) months instead?
8. You have a court ordered parenting plan, but the child’s been living with you this school year? Can you get your plan modified?
9. It’s six months post divorce and you think your spouse is going to be offered a job with NASA in Ca.! How can you impact your chances of being able to move there with your child from a prior relationship?
10. Grandfather worked hard and saved a few hundred thousand, has a farm, and a gun collection and a. He has a 60 year old “girlfriend”; your druggy cousin has been “hanging around” or his neice want him to move to Fla. to live with her and her alcoholic husband.
11. Worse, grandfather passed, and his will leaves a million bucks to your druggy cousin when you KNOW that’s not what he wanted.
12. Your are a single woman, and that creepy neighbor just won’t leave you alone.

Let’s not kid ourselves. The fight over a millions dollar inheritance or lawsuit over whether you can take $200,000 worth of timber out the right of way past your neighbor’s house, will cost a lot more than $500 IF you hire a lawyer, but two wills, a general power of attorney, and a medical power of attorney will not. Nor will the plan to prepare for the divorce, to position yourself for that adoption, or to lay the grounds for that custody modification. And, if the only weapon you have is a pocket knife, wouldn’t you rather have that than nothing when chaos comes knocking?

Burton Hunter is ACCESSIBLE; he’s easy to talk with; he’s articulate, funny, and filled with 46 years of anecdotes, examples, war stories, and “what if” scenarios. He may eventually quote a much larger retainer, but you will know why, what you are going to get, what the risks are, and what your odds are.

That’s the beauty of “unbundling”. It may solve your problem, but even if it doesn’t, all your options remain open, and you haven’t “broken the bank”.

jbh

This post was written by Burton Hunter