LegalZoom, A Review By A Nyc Divorce Lawyer
Review of LegalZoom
By Paul W. Matthews Esq.
(ny divorce lawyer)
Recently, a new client came in to the office for a nyc uncontested divorce. He told me that he already had documents with him prepared by LegalZoom but he had not figured out how to complete the divorce himself and wanted a lawyer to do it for him. I was interested to see the documents as I had read about LegalZoom in my research for a past article. LegalZoom is an online service where you enter all of your information pay online, and the service will provide you with a set of forms and a set of instructions on how to complete and file them.
LegalZoom has been in the news in the context of various lawsuits claiming that individuals and companies are engaged in the unauthorized practice of law by assisting people with routine legal matters such as uncontested divorces, simple wills, etc. practically all states have laws which outlaw the unauthorized practice of law by non-lawyers. In New York unauthorized practice of law is a misdemeanor. In one of the articles that I read LegalZoom argued that because they only provide people with forms (which are publicly available) and give no legal advice, that they were not practicing law., since simply furnishing such forms did not involve providing legal advice. However the prosecuting agency or agencies are claiming that that if the service decides which forms to supply this selection practice constitutes the use of legal expertise and judgment and not allowed.
This article and its author take no position on the issue of whether or not furnishing forms and instructions by a paralegal or non-lawyer is proper or improper for a simple uncontested divorce. However I had long been intrigued by the very broad disparity in what different people charge to do a simple uncontested divorce. I know that there are a number of attorneys who charge up to $2500, not including fees, while there are advertisements (usually by non-lawyers) for uncontested divorce for $199. So, I was pleased when the client let me scrutinize all of the forms that he had been provided by the company. These forms and instructions totaled a fairly large stack and included many forms which are not required for a simple uncontested divorce with no kids, property, where the defendant is willing to sign the papers . Apparently LegalZoom has responded to criticism by furnishing patrons with copies of every conceivable form which could possibly be required or even helpful. When I looked these over I tried to visualize how a non-lawyer would have to figure out which forms are really needed and how to fill them all out. There was, however, a set of telephone contact numbers which could provide support although at an extra charge in some circumstances.
I am skeptical about the value of such do it yourself services. When I first started handling uncontested divorces I had already been a lawyer for lots of years and furthermore I had the assistance of special software which I purchased for $300 and makes the process much easier, and still I had a lot of trouble on the first few divorces I prepared, and they took me a lot of time.
Mr. Matthews can be contacted at (347)-461-0760
His offices are conveniently situated at 305 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, NY, just a few blocks from the Supreme Court, in the City Hall area. He offers a gratis telephone consultation for uncontested divorces.
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