ABA and Rocket Lawyer launch on-demand legal advice pilot program
The American Bar Association and Rocket Lawyer have launched a new pilot program that provides on-demand legal advice for small businesses.
In a Thursday press release, the ABA and Rocket Lawyer announced that they have begun testing ABA Law Connect in Illinois, Pennsylvania and California. First announced in August 2014, ABA Law Connect utilizes Rocket Lawyer’s cloud-based computing system to allow small-business owners or their representatives to pay $4.95 to post a legal question online and have an ABA member-lawyer answer it (plus a follow-up question). If they wish to enter into a formal attorney-client relationship afterward, they may do so.
According to the ABA Law Connect website, the lawyers are in good standing with their state bars, have no disciplinary history and are covered by professional liability insurance.
Charley Moore, CEO of Rocket Lawyer.
The pilot’s launch comes more than a year after the ABA and Rocket Lawyer first announced their intentions of entering into a joint-venture designed at providing low-cost legal advice for small businesses while giving ABA members access to a larger base of clients.
“ABA Law Connect is an exciting opportunity for the ABA and Rocket Lawyer to assist small businesses, connecting them with ABA members, and represents one of many efforts by the ABA to improve access to legal services,” ABA President Paulette Brown said in the press release.
Meanwhile, Rocket Lawyer founder and CEO Charley Moore noted in the press release that his company had always wanted to “leverage technology in order to bring quality and affordable legal services to small businesses … ABA Law Connect will open up new channels for small businesses to get the professional counsel they need.”
