Online Attorney Resources
Most people these days like to research their options for things before they pursue them. With information at our fingertips the way it is these days, it is no surprise there are innumerable online legal and attorney resources readily available.
There are sites dedicated to free or reduced fee legal aide. Many of these sites offer information to you under the topics that are both common and uncommon. They can guide you through things like how to get a low cost divorce and the local laws are in your community. There are many fact-based websites with the FAQs you could want to know about nearly every step of the legal process. This doesn’t mean you can ‘do it yourself’ for every legal need, but the information can help prepare you for the legal path you are pursuing.
If you have questions about the laws or legal process for your local community you can state or county website for many of the answers you need. Check out the community blog sites or other online forums to help guide you and provide references if you are seeking a lawyer. It is hard to trust everything you read about online reviews, so if you can also balance those with recommendations by friends or colleagues, too. You can also check with your state bar to see if there have been complaints filed against an attorney you are considering hiring, and this is a highly recommended point to consider.
As attorneys understand the access to information the public has, they also understand that to set themselves apart and to draw in new clients they often need to provide some services at little to no cost. Often you can get an online or in person consultation. Some of the ways they do this is by signing up with company employee assistance programs. Attorneys are then matched up with company employees in the area who need assistance. However, the online version of that is they will sign up to be available to answer questions or provide online consultations at little to no cost. Once the client has some basis for their issue and whether more legal services are required, they can assess the information they received from the online attorney to see if they wish to retain them to resolve their issue.
Another service that is available online is almost a legal insurance plan. Clients can pay a nominal monthly fee for online question and answer sessions or even more in depth legal guidance. These legal plans or services are generally for the smaller issues. So if you need more complex legal retainers you will more than likely need to transition to a local attorney to help you resolve that issue. But the online monthly service can certainly help you with referrals for the type of attorney you need or specific attorneys that might be best matched to your issue.
And, just like with generic questions that can be asked on some websites, there are legal sites set up to answer or guide you to an answer for any legal question or issue you may have. Log on to those sites and type your question. The top responses to those questions will display, as well as the comments by other people seeking advice or guidance. Bottom line, there is a plethora of information at your fingertips with just a little time for research.
Written by Kellie Bertels, an attorney at Bandre, Hunt and Snider in Jefferson City, MO. Bandre, Hunt and Snider are the best attorneys Jefferson City MO have to offer.