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Recent apps such as Uber Eats and Amazon have opened the door to a myriad of goods and services designed to allow consumers to have things that use to require leaving home to be brought to their doorstep. It marks a revolution in the way that services and merchandise are consumed and delivered. These changes are not limited to the retail and food services industries. Many have come to find that there are unexpected benefits and convenience that come with conducting legal business online. As a result, online Legal Services has experienced robust growth over the five years, as online legal documentation, lawyer networking, and other generic legal services have become more accessible.
According to the Pew Research Center, more than three-fourths of all consumers seeking legal help currently use online resources to aid their search.
Instead of making an appointment to see an attorney, lawyer services are brought to the home. As with most things, there are both positive and negative aspects that should be carefully considered before using online legal services.
Pros and Cons of Online Legal Options
There are two major types of online lawyer services available to consumers. They consist of “brick-and-mortar” law firms who have many and their services and consultations available to clients remotely (via phone or internet) and lawyers who conduct their activities completely via the internet.
Completely online legal service providers tend to price their services lower than brick-and-mortar law firms. Consequently, as the use of online resources has dramatically increased in recent years, price-sensitive consumers have increasingly used the internet to find the lowest priced alternatives to traditional lawyers. However, completely online lawyers are often impersonal and you may get what you pay for. This personal touch is exactly what is necessary for complex and personal legal issues. There is no one size fits all solution to any legal problem. From guardianship to religious upbringing to distribution of assets, every single person’s situation is different. As a result, a traditional lawyer with extensive online services for convenience is often recommended.
Strong demand for online legal services is projected to continue as better technology enables a wider range of forms and legal actions to be completed online. However, it would be a mistake to understate the importance of having a personal relationship and connection with your attorney.
An experience brick and mortar attorney with extensive online services can provide many of the same benefits and convenience of completely online legal services but with a personal connection to each client:
Ease of scheduling.
- In most cases, one can do all of the things they normally do in person without leaving the comfort of their home or office.
More transparency and a clearer record of activities, times, and dates.
- Moreover, with modern technology attorneys can easily share documents and work on them collaboratively, while automatically tracking revisions greatly cutting down on miscommunication.
Ease of billing.
- The client can record their hours which makes bills less confusing.
A reduction in paperwork.
- Services such as E-signing allows everyone involved to avoid printing documents, paying to have them delivered to multiple parties for signatures, and then having to store the documents and make multiple copies. When a law practice has effective services online, it’s all in one place—easily accessible to them and their clients from any computer with an internet connection, at any time.
The future of online legal services
The global legal services market size is anticipated to reach USD 1,045.24 billion by 2025 according to a new report by Radiant Insights, Inc. The growing use of the latest technologies in offering legal services coupled with a strong emphasis on ensuring transparency in the relationship with clients is expected to be the primary driver of growth in this market.
Furthermore, social networking holds great potential to transform the way legal services are delivered. As a result, many law professionals are adopting various social media tools to accomplish a myriad of legal tasks.
Contact our Monmouth County Legal Team and Effectively Leverage Technology While Maintaining a Personal Relationship with the Firm
At Chamlin, Uliano & Walsh, we have always been on the cutting edge when it comes to offering the convenience of online services to our clients across West Long Branch, Red Bank, Colts Neck, Asbury Park, and across Monmouth County.
Our approach gives our clients the personal connection and service they have come to expect from us in addition to the comforts and conveniences that modern technology and the internet provide.
To speak to one of our experienced attorneys please contact us online or by phone at 732-440-3950.