The term "unbundled legal services" or "limited scope representation" as it's sometimes called is one of the hot new buzzwords in the legal profession. Simply put, unbundled legal services means that a client hires an attorney for a specific task and pays only for those services. For example, rather than retain an attorney to prosecute a lawsuit all the way from start to finish, the attorney might be retained only to draft the complaint. Later on, the client might ask the attorney for help with a procedural matter, or for some legal research. In between, the litigation is solely under the direction and control of the client, not the lawyer.
With the costs of litigation so high these days that only where hundreds of thousands of dollars are at stake, unbundled legal services might make sense. In Utah, the rules of civil procedure specifically allow for limited scope representation, so if your attorney tells you he ethically can't only represent you in part of a case, look for another lawyer.
