As the world is going online, legal firms, too, are following suit. Online legal services are a cheaper alternative to actual legal firms and are also more accessible to all. Online legal services are for those firms that do not require extensive legal coverage. These services, because of their cheap rates and easy accessibility cannot provide all the services provided by traditional attorneys and thus have their own disadvantages.
Many online business firms are recently opting for online legal firms because of their low rates. If you have also been enticed by the inexpensive rates of online legal firms, you must carefully weigh both the pros and cons of the step. Online legal firms are unable to file the contracts as effectively as offline ones and this might negatively affect your business later on.
Hence, this post will list the primary pros and cons of opting How for online services and this will help you make an informed decision when you choose to opt for these online firms. Read on if you wish to find out more.
How do we describe Online Legal Services?
Online legal services are those through which you can explain your legal needs to an attorney online and can discuss your needs with the legal services within minutes. These websites mostly offer business-centric legal services including copyright and patent filing. Most of these online services function on the basis of a subscription, where you pay every month to obtain the services of your online attorney. Some online attorneys also accept pay-per-service where you pay your attorney every time you use their services.
Pros of Using Online Legal Services
The following are some of the pros of using online legal services for firms.
Inexpensive
Online Legal Firms are great alternatives for small businesses who cannot afford to spend a fortune on their legal services but at the same time want to keep themselves protected from all legal aspects. These firms provide a lot of services including LLC filing and since most small businesses do not have a lot of legal needs, they can mostly make do with online legal services.
Flexible
Anything online is way more accessible and online legal services are living proof of that. Online legal services work more in accordance with their clients than brick-and-mortar legal firms and this might be what some small businesses are looking for. These online services meet the demands of their clients almost immediately because clients can book appointments online and get immediate advice.
Great Resources For Those Who Want to Make Their Own Legal Documents
Online legal firms are excellent sources for firms who want to prepare their own defences. They provide enough sources and materials that answers the basic questions. These services provide guidance to their clients in the form of customer service questions and they also offer superior filing templates and a great interface.
Cons of Using Online Legal Services
On the other hand, the following are the cons.
Not Legitimate Sources of Legal Advice
The sites of LegalZoom and other websites offering online legal services have a disclaimer that they aren’t legitimate sources of legal advice. It says that the employees of LegalZoom do not substitute law firms and their advice should not be equated with those of real-life attorneys. They also specifically state that online legal services are not permitted to practice law and should not under any circumstances provide legal advice. Hence it is very important to understand that hiring these services do not mean that your business will get the advantages of a client-attorney relationship.
They Are Not Replacements for Traditional Legal Firms
Online legal services are hardly a replacement for traditional law firms. They are only services to provide you temporary legal help for minor issues. These are not comparable to the service provided by traditional law firms. Hence, to sum it up, it is always better to go to an established legal team if you want effective solutions to your company’s complicated legal matters.
Like online businesses, these legal firms, too, work for some and don’t work out for others; it depends on the demands of particular businesses. Many businesses do not have a lot of legal needs and it is more convenient for them to invest in these services because they provide a rough solution to your problems which will require your business to further work on it. On the other hand, large businesses with greater legal needs would prefer investing in traditional law firms that provide excellent client-attorney privileges.
Not Exactly The Future of Legal Services
Since these services are not exactly qualified to provide legal advice because they are not legal authorities in any way, most businesses looking for a serious solution to their legal problems are not able to employ these services. The future of legal services should be a mix of these two- something that provides a cheaper and more flexible alternative coupled with firms that are authorized to provide actual legal advice.
Bottom Line
Online legal firms are excellent alternatives for small business owners who have moderate knowledge about the legal procedures and only require a little assistance from services like these to make their own legal documents. These legal services provide an outline to help you file your own documents or file for copyrights or LLCs.
However, as this article shows, they aren’t really a great option for large firms with significant legal needs. Traditional law firms are the best services to employ if your business is looking for attorneys to file your documents. Hence, if you are looking for the best team of traditional lawyers to handle your legal needs, https://openlegal.nl/ is your best option. They are a team of attorneys in Netherlands and you can contact them for expert advice for the legal needs of your company.