Published: July 17, 2008 At this time of economic uncertainty, some local lawyers are bartering their legal expertise in exchange for goods and services instead of cash.

Last month, a self-styled “experienced” divorce attorney named Paula posted an ad on Craigslist offering to swap her legal know-how for renovation work by local contractors. The number listed in the ad was the same as that for the law offices of Newton sole practitioner Paula E. Berg, who declined to comment when contacted by Lawyers Weekly. 

“I am an experienced divorce attorney looking to sub out the various pieces of a rental unit renovation,” the ad states. “I am willing to barter my legal services with you if you are in need of anything in the Family Court such as a divorce, modification, change in visitation, change in child support of alimony, change in custody or pre-nuptual  agreements.” 

In return for her services, according to the ad, Paula would accept “demolition, trimming, plumbing, electrical, blueboard, bathroom and kitchen replacement, plastering and painting.” 

Attorneys who barter may be rare in Massachusetts, but apparently they are not unheard of. New England Trade, a membership-based barter company with offices in Malden and Hyannis, counts 16 lawyers among its 1,000 members. 

“We’ve got some who have done $30,000 to $40,000 of business, and some who have done $4,000 to $6,000 of business,” says Ken Meharg, New England Trade’s CEO. 

New England Trade’s member attorneys offer their legal services to other members in exchange for “trade dollars,” which can be spent at any other member’s business, Meharg says, noting that among the most popular items bought with trade dollars are meals at member restaurants and tickets to sporting events.

“The lawyers can turn a couple of cases into Red Sox tickets,” Meharg explains. “What we are is an economy of goods and services. Attorneys and accountants are pretty important people in a businessman’s life. They can also be pretty costly. So if you’re going to spend $1,000 cash, why don’t you spend $1,000 trade instead?”  

New England Trade’s lawyers work in many practice areas, and the services they offer to the network vary widely, according to Meharg. 

There’s a little bit of everything,” he says. “We have a law firm in Acton that specializes in real estate closings, and there was one lawyer who got two kids back from an ex-wife of one of our members.”