Legal Whom?
The Perry Mason box set, however, should get you right up to speed.
A disturbing trend has emerged in recent years. A lot of people, in order to save a few hundred dollars, have started bargain shopping for legal services the same way they would for toilet paper or other household items. From online “self-help” websites like Legal Zoom, to “document preparation services” you can visit in person, to fill-in-the-blank “kits” you can buy at an office supply store (seriously), there are apparently plenty of people out there who would put their whole future and that of their children at risk to save a relatively modest amount of money. Let me put this bluntly: no matter how many episodes of Matlock you’ve seen, there’s still a decent chance you’re going to screw this up by trying to do it yourself.
It doesn’t take much searching to find plenty of examples of documents being drafted incorrectly, sometimes with very serious consequences. Yes, sometimes attorneys make mistakes. But you know what you get if I draft your document incorrectly? You get to file a claim with my malpractice insurance company and ask them for a big check to make it right.
If you use Legal Zoom to draft your documents and they aren’t done right, you can forget about filing a claim with anyone. You see, Legal Zoom has a disclaimer which says it’s not their fault. What’s not their fault? Nothing is their fault. Here’s one special part of their disclaimer:
“The information on this site is not legal advice and is not guaranteed to be correct, complete or up-to-date.”
Well, that makes me feel secure. It’s almost like the site was co-founded by a member of the O.J. Simpson defense team. Oh wait, it was. Here’s another gem from the disclaimer:
“LegalZoom is not responsible for any loss, injury, claim, liability, or damage related to your use of this site, whether from errors or omissions in the content of our site, from the site being down or from any other use of the site.”
I also co-founded shoedazzle.com with Kim Kardashian so you’re in good hands.
Translation: “Even if there’s a mistake on our site, we’re not responsible for any of the consequences caused by that mistake, even though we took your money in return for our product. Sorry, not our problem. Good luck with the mess we helped create.”
The disclaimer ends with this sentence that sums it all up:
“In short, your use of the site is at your own risk.”
Translation: “Thanks for the money, you’re on your own, buddy.”
As an actual attorney, I’m not allowed to tell clients that their use of my services is at their own risk. It’s at my risk, too, because I have a law license I use to feed my family. If I make mistakes, the State Bar can take that license away from me and put me out of business. How careful will the Legal Zoom folks be when they have absolutely nothing to lose if they make a mistake?
Even if you’ve seen “A Few Good Men” or “My Cousin Vinny” ten times, do you really want to bet your future on your legal knowledge with nobody to stand behind you if you make a mistake? Or would you rather make that bet with the assistance of a trained and experienced attorney with his livelihood on the line and insurance to cover the rare mistake? Do-it-yourself is great for building a mailbox or birdhouse, not for complicated legal documents. Before you decide lawyers are too expensive, call around and see how much something is really going to cost you. Chances are, it’s probably pretty cheap compared to the dire consequences that could result from going it alone.
The Garner Lawyer 