Why You Should Stay Away From LegalZoom
It seems that the do-it-yourself legal process is having more and more issues. It makes a lot of sense, especially when you consider that laws are different for every state and LegalZoom offers generalized services and legal filings. Attorneys all over the country are explaining why the internet based company is not right for their client.
I recently visited LegalZoom to get a lay of the land. I found they offer a long list of legal services; estate planning, incorporation, patents, bankruptcy and even DIVORCE. They claim that you “Get top quality legal documents without paying top dollar.” They also say that “everything we do at LegalZoom is an original document. We’re not a form-filing service. Our documents are first rate.”
A Texas estate planning attorney named Rania Combs runs a completely web based law firm. She herself points out detailed problems with LegalZoom in compliance with Texas laws. LegalZoom was evidently listening and they tried to correct the problems, but she points out again that they still fall short.
When I Googled LegalZoom to see what would pop up I saw that the first few links led me straight to their website. Underneath were links of a whole different kind; links about lawsuits and warnings for me to stay away. Some of the complaints read “liars, poor customer service, idiots, stay away!” Needless to say, there were more complaints than praises.
Let’s take a look at LegalZoom’s disclaimer. How comfortable does it make you feel?
Disclaimer
LegalZoom is not a law firm, and the employees of LegalZoom are not acting as your attorney. LegalZoom's legal document service is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.
LegalZoom.com, Inc. ("LegalZoom") is a registered and bonded legal document assistant, #0104, Los Angeles County (exp. 12/13) and is located at 101 N. Brand Blvd., 11th Floor, Glendale, CA 91203. LegalZoom cannot provide legal advice and can only provide self-help services at your specific direction.
LegalZoom is not permitted to engage in the practice of law. LegalZoom is prohibited from providing any kind of advice, explanation, opinion, or recommendation to a consumer about possible legal rights, remedies, defenses, options, selection of forms or strategies.
This site is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship, and by using LegalZoom, no attorney-client relationship will be created with LegalZoom. Instead, you are representing yourself in any legal matter you undertake through LegalZoom's legal document service. Accordingly, while communications between you and LegalZoom are protected by our Privacy Policy, they are not protected by the attorney-client privilege or work product doctrine.
LegalZoom provides an online legal portal to give visitors a general understanding of the law, as well as to provide an automated software solution to individuals who choose to prepare their own legal documents. To that extent, the site publishes general information on legal issues commonly encountered.
LegalZoom's document service also includes a review of your answers for completeness, spelling and grammar, as well as internal consistency of names, addresses and the like. At no time do we review your answers for legal sufficiency, draw legal conclusions, provide legal advice or apply the law to the facts of your particular situation. LegalZoom and its services are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.
Although LegalZoom takes every reasonable effort to ensure that the information on our website and documents are up-to-date and legally sufficient, the legal information on this site is not legal advice and is not guaranteed to be correct, complete or up-to-date. Because the law changes rapidly, is different from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and is also subject to varying interpretations by different courts and certain government and administrative bodies, LegalZoom cannot guarantee that all the information on the site is completely current. The law is a personal matter, and no general information or legal tool like the kind LegalZoom provides can fit every circumstance.
Therefore, if you need legal advice for your specific problem, or if your specific problem is too complex to be addressed by our tools, you should consult a licensed attorney in your area. Visitors to our site may obtain information regarding free or low cost representation through your state bar association or local legal aid office.
This site and some of the articles on this site contain links to other resources and businesses on the Internet. Those links are provided as citations and aids to help you identify and locate other Internet resources that may be of interest, and are not intended to state or imply that LegalZoom sponsors, is affiliated or associated with, guarantees, or is legally authorized to use any trade name, registered trademark, logo, legal or official seal, or copyrighted symbol that may be reflected in the links.
LegalZoom is not responsible for any loss, injury, claim, liability, or damage related to your use of this site or any site linked to this site, whether from errors or omissions in the content of our site or any other linked sites, from the site being down or from any other use of the site. In short, your use of the site is at your own risk.
If I were starting a business, looking to grow and prosper, this would raise a huge red flag for me. The legal documents that are the foundation of your company should not be left to such uncertainty. It is critical that your corporate documents protect you and provide the protection you intended. A company admitting that they are “not guaranteed to be correct, complete or up-to-date” is not a company I want to use.
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