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Amazon Lawyer Delivery

By Cindy M. Huss posted 11-14-2016 09:03

  

The New York Times reported on a technology innovation in Japan: obosan-bin or priest delivery. From the images displayed on the Amazon.co.jp page, it appears a consumer can purchase the services of a Buddhist priest for weddings and funerals or memorial services. These services have received a 3.5 star rating.

This made me start wondering about lawyers. Will lawyer services be available for purchase on sites like Amazon in the future? The State Bar’s 21st Century Practice Task Force thinks so. It identified a dysfunctional legal marketplace as a problem and came up with the following vision statement: “Transparent, accessible, and user-friendly Internet access to reliable legal information that encourages confidence in the value of legal services and provides connection to high quality, affordable legal services, plus on-the-ground resources that help those in need, extending a continuum of legal help to all who need it.” The ABA’s Commission on the Future of Legal Services has made similar statements in its reports.

There are already existing models for consumers getting legal services through the Internet. LegalZoom offers “Business Advantage Pro,” where for a monthly fee of around $30, a consumer can receive telephone consultations with an attorney (this is not available in Michigan yet). Rocket Lawyer also provides a monthly subscription with access to lawyers (around $40-$50 per month) and discounts on representation fees.

Personally, I was a little shocked, concerned, and maybe outraged when these Internet services first began. I imagine some consumers can still get themselves into a pickle with self-help computer-generated forms. But this obviously is not going to go away and will likely expand further. Technology and Internet providers will continue to shake up the practice of law in ways many of us probably could not have even imagined when we graduated from law school. It will be interesting to read the reviews on Amazon.

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