The old saying “you get what you pay for” has proven to be all too true once again. Those in need of critically important legal services are being provided with the option of not hiring a lawyer.
ALLLAW.com offers a two-page crash course on Will requirements. On LegalZoom.com, you can get a Will drafted for as little as $69, form a business entity for $149 or register a trademark for just $20 more. LegalZoom states, “you can put an attorney to work for less than you spend on coffee every month.” However the customer is then given an inconspicuous warning through a “Terms of Use Disclaimer,” stating no attorney-client privilege or work product protection exists with the use of its products and “LEGALZOOM MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT THE SITE, APPLICATIONS OR THE MATERIALS WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS.” LegalZoom does offer the “$50,000 Peace of Mind Guarantee for Wills” that states, “if a court finds the will invalid because it was drafted on the Internet, the company will pay you $50,000.” Anyone even considering using such services should, at the very least, ask: (1) Is what I am going to leave to others after I pass away worth more than $50,000.00; and (2) Is $50,000.00 going to buy “peace of mind” for my loved ones who are left with a situation where there is no valid Will? Or where the Will clearly has not anticipated a family situation that should have been apparent if a lawyer met with the client? There are legitimate concerns that good legal services are not cheap. Traditional legal services do require a greater investment than the options provided on the Internet. However, we recognize and discuss what is important with our clients by inquiring about their circumstances, values and needs. We then provide and produce legal work specifically tailored to meet these needs. Internet sites neither arrange face-to-face meetings to discuss client issues, nor ensure that the information customers disclose remains confidential, a cornerstone of the attorney-client relationship. Instead they require customers to disclaim the existence of an attorney-client relationship and to agree to limited liability if the customers or their heirs have any future issues. The problem with these sites is the elimination of personal, face-to-face counsel provided by a properly trained and educated attorney, which we provide to our clients every day. What these companies truly offer is the option for a customer to act as their own attorney. This prospect brings to mind another old saying that usually proves to be true: “A person who is his own attorney has a fool for a client.” We are grateful that our clients are not fools.
