Prepaid online legal advice worth it??

Question

Hi Guys and Girls,

I am thinking of paying a monthly fee for online legal advice  from Rocket Lawyer or the like. They claim to provide custom legal forms and advice for like $40 a month and you get a discount on actual representation should you need it. Any thoughts on this? Is it worth the $$? Anyone else use this type of service?

Thank you in advance for your comments.

Dennis

Nathan Gesner · Answer

I am signed up with LegalShield and it easily pays for itself every year. An inexpensive attorney in my area will cost $200 an hour. LegalShield costs less than $400 and I probably use them for 6-8 hours of work every year. I've written wills, had them review contracts, sent a cease-and-desist letter to someone harassing me online, and more.

Matthew Kreitzer · Answer

As a participating attorney in services like Rocket Lawyer, Legal Shield, and several EAP plans for employers, I must say that these programs can have benefits, but you have to know when to use them and when not to. As others have stated, these plans are good for very* basic questions, and are not good for drafting documents whole cloth.

A common example of how to use these programs is to ask simple things like "Which specific type of notice should I give" or "am I entitled to attorneys' fees."

It is not a forum to get a brand new lease or a bill of sale. For those services, you are better off reaching out to an attorney directly, as membership in these services often do not cover having an attorney draft these documents for you.

A good legal protection plan probably should incorporate both strategies; a local attorney and a membership in one of these services. That way you can get the best of both worlds; attorney you know for complicated matters, general advice to save yourself attorney expenses on *very* basic issues.

However, at the end of the day, you really should just consult with a lawyer.

Dominic Bouchard · Answer

@Dennis J Marsack Agree with what was said. For landlord contract template though, Biggerpockets created a good alternative with their packages. You should check it out.

Rocket Lawyer/LegalZoom are very good indeed (we've used them) for standard forms. The downside is that they're not covering specific legal advice/need which is often what you need. (their membership fees can't cover lawyer's hourly rate)They can refer you to a lawyer in their network but the pricing will fluctuate a lot.

It's mostly the same with legal insurance - it rarely covers everything. Best bet is with a trustable attorney who will not overcharge you for smaller tasks.

Michael Plaks · Answer

@Dennis J Marsack

Based on my clients' experience, these subscription legal services like LegalZoom are useful for routine legal issues. You get cheap, impersonal, canned assistance with simple matters like basic contracts, evictions, insurance claims etc.

Anything more complicated, especially REI-related - and you will need specialists outside of what their limited scope covers.

Be careful with Rocket Lawyer specifically. Last time I dealt with them on my client's behalf - they simply outsourced it to some lawyer from their referral system. That lawyer was charging full retail for his services and could not care less about promises made by Rocket Lawyer.

Ryan Garrison · Answer

I have been using them since 2002. I pay like $20 a month. They have gotten me out of tickets, written letters for me, reviewed docs, and they also answer general legal questions when I have them - instead of paying $150 for a half hour appointment with another attorney. I obviously believe in Legal Shield (aka Pre-paid Legal), so I signed up to be an associate for them too. I still have to pay, but it allows me to sign up other people for the service.For drawing up Lease Options, Notes, Closing transactions, etc...I go to another attorney.

Michael Plante · Answer

I had legal shield for a year.

NEVER again.

Should have know it’s cheap for a reason.   When it comes to legal advice I don’t want cheap

Chris K. · Answer

@Dennis J Marsack

As a lawyer, I sometimes use services like Rocket Lawyer if I just need a form that I don't have. It's pretty convenient.

That said, almost every single form requires me to spend an hour or two to adjust it to my liking. Not sure how non-lawyers will go about doing that.

Disclaimer: While I’m an attorney licensed to practice in PA, I’m not your attorney. What I wrote above does not create an attorney/client relationship between us. I wrote the above for informational purposes. Do not rely on it for legal advice. Always consult with your attorney before you rely on the above information.

Dennis J Marsack · Answer

Thanks@Nicolette Roberson!

Dennis J Marsack · Answer

@Nathan G. Thanks! I will check them out. To me it makes sense for the small day to day stuff..

Prepaid online legal advice worth it??

Most Popular Reply