How good are Internet legal drafting services?

Envato Elements The Internet has revolutionized the way we conduct business and obtain services. Want food delivered? There’s an app for that. Want to have a doctor’s visit in your living room? Use telehealth. Need a lift? Rideshare companies have you covered. But what about legal services? While plenty of online companies offer “low prices” to draft your will or form your LLC, do you get your money’s worth, or are you better off hiring an attorney? Your information is not protected The first thing you should be aware of when using an online legal drafting company is that these businesses are not law firms, even if they use licensed attorneys to provide limited assistance. As a result, the information you share with these companies is not protected under attorney-client privilege (the fine print at the bottom of LegalZoom’s website says exactly that). Because of this, your personal information can, and most likely will be, “shared” with third parties. Conversely, a licensed attorney is prohibited from sharing any of your information with third parties. An attorney violating attorney-client privilege can be subject to disciplinary action and even disbarment. Additionally, if the attorney sells your information for profit, you can sue the attorney for civil damages. However, none of these options and protections are available when you use online legal drafting companies. Boilerplate vs. specifically tailored documents It is no secret that most legal documents contain standard “boilerplate” language. This standard language is easy enough to reproduce and rarely changes. Because of this, online legal drafting companies are more cost-efficient than attorneys when you are seeking only a basic legal document. However, you are better off hiring an attorney if you have any specific and tailored conditions or terms you want within a will or operating agreement. Attorneys will work with you to flesh out your wishes and draft a document that precisely fits your needs. Conversely, online drafting services generally only provide you with specific pre-selected options. Understanding your document Although legal documents are significantly easier to read than those drafted more than 50 years ago, they can still be hard for non-lawyers to understand and follow. If you use an attorney, they will take the time to walk you through your document and answer any questions to ensure your understanding. On the other hand, online legal drafting services provide minimal support in this area, and even then, at an extra cost. You must know exactly what your document states, especially if it contains certain obligations or duties you must perform. If you fail to do so, you risk being sued and incurring all of the legal costs associated with a lawsuit. Hiring an attorney will help you fully understand your document and outline what you need to do, if anything. Up-to-date law Because they are not law firms, online legal drafting services often fail to incorporate up-to-date and state-specific law. In my practice, clients have approached me to enforce or amend a document prepared by an online document service. In most circumstances, these documents lacked necessary Idaho-specific language or contained unnecessary and irrelevant provisions, requiring revisions or complete replacement. Thus, any money saved by getting the document online was overshadowed by the cost of fixing it. Ultimately, a good rule of thumb is that the more complicated the document is, the better off you will be in hiring an attorney to ensure up-to-date compliance with Idaho law. Final Takeaways Online legal drafting companies provide a low-cost alternative to attorneys when creating basic legal documents. So long as your needs are simple, these companies can save you money. However, the more complicated your document gets, the more money you risk spending on fixes and enforcement than it would have cost you to hire an attorney in the first place. Cost issues aside, you must also determine whether you care about your personal information being sent to third parties. Again, attorney-client privilege does not protect any information you send to online legal drafting companies. Ultimately, online legal drafting companies are a good choice in certain circumstances. However, if you are concerned that your needs require specific language, you are better off hiring an attorney. W. Forrest Fischer is an attorney with Moulton Law Office in Driggs. He can be reached at (208) 354-2345 or by email at office@tetonvalleylaw.com. This column provides general information and is not to be considered legal advice. Readers with specific legal questions should consult an attorney. The Idaho State Bar Association provides a lawyer referral service, through their website at https://isb.idaho.gov/.The post How good are Internet legal drafting services? appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com