Five Reasons Why LegalZoom Isn’t Better Than a Florida Lawyer

We can say this much about LegalZoom – they have a strong marketing game. After years of bombarding the public with advertisements, LegalZoom has managed to position themselves as an authority and a trusted name in legal services. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. LegalZoom is not an attorney and, by law, cannot give legal advice to its customers. For all their talk about providing peace of mind, LegalZoom is little more than a glorified template service.

Many aspiring entrepreneurs go with LegalZoom because money is tight and such do-it-yourself legal services claim to be a cheaper alternative to lawyers. However, this claim is misleading. Let’s break down the reasons why.

LegalZoom Offers Little of Value

We’ve already mentioned that LegalZoom’s products do not provide nearly as much value as they would like for you to believe. The fact of the matter is that you are perfectly capable of doing everything that LegalZoom offers to do for you and more. Aside from offering cookie-cutter templates, most of what LegalZoom does for you during the business formation process comes down to filing things with the Secretary of State. Sometimes they even charge a higher filing fee than the state itself! However cheap LegalZoom might seem, they are typically charging you more for less when compared against an attorney.

LegalZoom’s Documents Can Be Harder to Enforce

You should, at the very least, be able to expect your contracts and other legal documents to hold up in court. Sadly, LegalZoom could easily let you down in that area, too. Good documents facilitate clear understanding between parties and ensure that all of the business’s operations are compliant with the law. LegalZoom’s documents are hopelessly generic and can’t account for all the factors that a lawyer knows to look for.

Take a non-compete agreement, for example. In Florida, this is easy to enforce, but other states consider such agreements to be invalid. A lawyer can ensure that all your legal documents are perfectly valid and enforceable. A contract lawyer can save you money in the long run, too.

Your Business Has Unique Needs

The attorney-client relationship is one that LegalZoom could never hope to replicate. Lawyers know how to draft their documents to the advantage of their clients’ specific needs. This is obviously far beyond the scope of online templates. An attorney will make it a point to learn as much about you and your business as possible so that they can help you reach your goals. They know what language will best support you and can include vital, money-saving and liability-limiting clauses that aren’t included in LegalZoom’s stock boilerplate terms.

LegalZoom Can’t Provide the Same Coverage

Another thing about those templates – don’t fool yourself into thinking that LegalZoom’s documents are in any way ironclad. Legal documents drafted by an attorney cover all the necessary bases and have contingency plans in case of emergencies, such as a breach of contract. LegalZoom, as a largely DIY service, is simply incapable of providing such comprehensive coverage. This leaves you vulnerable to fines and lawsuits down the road.

Notorious Customer Service

If there’s one thing LegalZoom’s marketing hasn’t been able to convince the public, it’s that their customer service is anything other than subpar. A quick glance at online reviews shows this to be one of the most common complaints customers have about their services, right up there with their flimsy contracts and dubious automatic renewals.

Now, this isn’t entirely LegalZoom’s fault. As a massive corporation dealing with thousands of clients, they could hardly be expected to pay all that much attention to each and every individual.  Once your business has been formed, they leave you to handle the rest on your own. Unfortunately, it’s after formation that things tend to get messy. That’s the true value of a good lawyer – continued support for your business, no matter what happens.

Don’t gamble on your business by forming with LegalZoom. They offer nothing that you cannot do on your own on a lazy afternoon. If you want help and real liability protection, hire a local lawyer. A good lawyer can be one of the best allies that you will ever have.

Looking to start a business or grow your current business? Contact FL Patel Law today by visiting our website or calling 727-279-5037.