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October 20, 2009

Legal River – Finding a Lawyer with the Click of a Mouse

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Legal River is an online marketplace that connects small business owners with the right lawyer to meet their needs. Without picking up the phone or paying a dime, users can input details about their type of business, along with their legal issue, and receive e-mail responses from qualified attorneys who are willing to take on the assignment. While there are countless online directories designed to allow users to search for the names and phone numbers of local lawyers, Legal River is unique in its ability to provide actual responses to a user’s query from the attorneys themselves.

After inputting your contact information and legal question, Legal River allows you to sit back and wait for the responses from local attorneys to start pouring in. The online platform makes it easy to compare responses and evaluate each individual attorney’s credentials, experience, and rates from the comfort of your own home or office. From there, users are encouraged to select an attorney, and follow up on the case through e-mail or phone.

Legal River’s expansive network of attorneys makes the site infinitely useful to business owners in nearly any industry—from technology entrepreneurs interested in patenting a new product to residential contractors looking for advice during a contract dispute. The website’s clean interface makes it easy to navigate, while its side-by-side comparisons take the guess work out of finding a lawyer. We would definitely recommend the site to any businesses owner in need of legal representation.

Practical Uses:

  • Find an attorney who specializes in your niche field
  • Select an attorney to create employee handbooks or terms of service guidelines
  • Save time by posting a legal query online, rather than spending hours calling local offices
  • Stay confidential thanks to Legal River’s online interface

Insider Tips:

  • Provide a detailed description of your issue for the best chances of success
  • Read prior client feedback for an attorney before selecting him or her for your case
  • Take the time to check out each attorney’s individual website, which is linked to in their responses

What we liked:

  • The site is easy to navigate and simple to use
  • Expansive roster of participating attorneys
  • Eliminates the need to call multiple attorneys to find the best rate
  • Ability to anonymously post queries online
  • The service is free

What we didn’t like:

  • Responses from attorneys could take a day or more to receive

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: June 2009
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Washington D.C.
  • Founded by: Reed Alexander Atkin, A. Zachary Girod, and Ben Hatten
  • Web site: http://www.legalriver.com

Costs:

  • Free

Comments

  1. Peter

    Nice list of resources

  2. Smith

    Another way to find an attorney with the click of a mouse, is via legalclick. A definite addition to your list of online resources, this app allows attorneys to list their services for a fixed fee, and all transactions including signatures takes place online. No more unforeseen billable hours, no more hours of red tape, instead, seamless transactions between client and attorney take place.

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