The society believes that, as many civil law cases are now outside the scope of legal aid, firms could make their services more affordable to people on modest incomes by breaking them down into smaller component parts, and only undertaking some aspects of the work – with the client doing the rest.

The society cites rent disputes, drafting divorce petitions, and general advice on law and procedure in immigration cases, as the kinds of cases which could be undertaken on a partial, as opposed to full, retainer basis.

However, some solicitors who spoke to LAG at the conference were sceptical about unbundling, describing it as ‘risky’, as they believe clients will still expect lawyers to be liable for parts of cases which they have not agreed to undertake, ‘especially when things go wrong’.