Giving Compass' Take:

• Lawyers are offering unbundled services so that clients can pick and choose what they need - and what they can afford. This is especially helpful in rural areas with a shortage of lawyers. 

• How can philanthropy support those in need of legal services? Can companies use this model to direct their corporate social responsibility efforts?

• Learn about an effort to help immigrants get legal help.

At The Law Shop in Van Meter, Iowa, attorney Amy Skogerson untied a piece of blue yarn from around a bunch of craft sticks.

Each stick had a word or short phrase stamped on it, and she read from them as she placed them on her desk: “negotiate, court representation, research law, draft documents.”

These are all examples of legal services than can be unbundled from a larger package, a method that’s gaining traction in rural areas, where there is a shortage of lawyers. Also known as a la carte or flat-fee, unbundled legal services offer clients a middle ground between having no help and hiring a lawyer for an entire case, though some attorneys question whether clients are getting what they deserve — and whether it’s a viable way to earn a living.

Nationally, 60 to 80 percent of people don’t use legal representation for things like divorces, Skogerson said. It’s a trend she and her business partner, Andrea McGinn, noticed happening locally.

The reasons vary, but include being unable, or unwilling, to pay a hefty fee, living too far away from an attorney to establish a relationship or just wanting to be self-sufficient.

Read the full article about rural lawyer shortage by Amy Mayer at Harvest Public Media.