Hodnicki on Alternative Legal Service Providers

In Beyond the Death of Big Law, I noted Larry Ribstein's view that

1. the legal services monoply enjoyed by lawyers in the United States is breaking down and
2. the market for Bar-admitted lawyers, and for graduates of law schools, will be shrinking.

Over on the Law Librarian Blog, Joe Hodnicki has a couple of interesting posts on on this topic in a series, Providing Routine Legal Services to the "Masses" in the 21st Century:

• Part One: Internet-Based Legal Document Prep Services
• Part Two: A Prescription for Allowing Main Street-Based Services Provided by Licensed Legal Assistance Practitioners

One interesting aspect of the posts is his discussion of how law librarians have to point patrons to resources in the collection, but cannot advise patrons about how to use them.