Should You Use LegalZoom or RocketLawyer for Low Cost Legal Services?

Robert Shapiro may have gained national fame for representing OJ Simpson, but he's becoming a household fixture with LegalZoom, the online legal document services company he co-founded.

In fact, legal document services look to be a growing business: just last month, lawyers.com announced it was going into direct competition with LegalZoom with its new venture, RocketLawyer.Com.

Everyone knows that lawyers are expensive. Cost is one of the main reasons that people procrastinate about finalizing a will, or changing it ... and for better or worse, legal fees are a big factor in divorce and separation decisions.

At LegalZoom and RocketLawyer, you avoid the expense of a private attorney as long as your legal needs are not too complicated or individualized. Need a basic will, power of attorney, or name change? LegalZoom and RocketLawyer can help you. Same goes for incorporation documentation, basic real estate leases or deed transfers, and copyright filings. RocketLawyer even offers lots of forms -- and letters -- for free at its site.

But Should You Trust LegalZoom or RocketLawyer?

Maybe. First of all, LegalZoom and RocketLawyer are skirting the periphery of a new trend in the legal marketplace, called elawyering. Recognized by the American Bar Association and other professional organizations, some attorneys are practicing online and reaching their clients via the internet. These lawyers practice akin to "virtual law offices," and both endeavors are still somewhat new to practitioner and public alike, with lots of kinks still being worked out, jurisdictionally and otherwise.

It's important to remember, however, that LegalZoom and RocketLawyer aren't acting as legal counsel. LegalZoom has a disclaimer that it is not providing legal advice (RocketLawyer does, too, but it's not as impressive), and any lawyer worth his or her salt is going to explain that every situation is unique, and in need of an expert's review. Still, that may or may not be totally true for some situations.

Some county courthouses allow do-it-yourself divorces and deed transfers. There are legal transactions that are cookie-cutter for the most part -- and these legal document service companies focus upon these areas.

If you have a simple legal transaction, then LegalZoom (or RocketLawyer) is a bargain. The key question is: as a layman, how do you know for sure?

Legal documents are tested when they are needed. You won't know the quality of your legal deed, will, or incorporation documentation until they are put to the test. If you feel secure that you're not dealing with any special issues, then LegalZoom or RocketLawyer should hopefully pass that test for you.

How Cheap is It?

Very, very cheap. Will packages at LegalZoom range from standard ($69.00) to vault ($119.00) (these were "special prices" when I checked the site). No lawyer I know (and I'm still a practicing attorney, although I limit my practice to the local Children's Court) would give you even one hour's time for these prices -- and it takes more than an hour to complete even a basic will. A divorce package (property but no children) is offered for $299 ... again, a lawyer's hourly rate will far exceed this in even the cleanest divorce.

Along with several freebies, RocketLawyer even offers a free basic will --you can't get a better deal than that, right?

The Real Risk Is a Big One

The real risk for any of these documents is their validity under your jurisdiction. The laws of Texas are not the same as Louisiana, Washington, or Vermont. Additionally, state laws are constantly changing as society progresses, etc. LegalZoom and RocketLawyer cannot -- and do not -- claim to meet these variations in legal standards. They're not offering legal advice.

Bottom Line

These prices are great, and these products may serve your situation well. However, you're taking a risk by using these document services - and it could be with a big downside.

• What if the will isn't deemed valid after you're gone?
• What if the incorporation documents aren't respected in your future civil suit, are your personal assets at risk?
• God forbid, what if the divorce documents aren't valid?

With LegalZoom or RocketLawyer, you have to hope that you get far more than you pay for.

Reviews:

LegalSpring.Com
Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog

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Free Legal Help

MagicJack - Unlimited Phone Service for $20/Yr

Perhaps you've seen the television commercial, promising a 30-day 100% free trial of MagicJack if you call within the next thirty minutes? (The same offer is available at their website.) Is it too good to be true?

First, what is MagicJack?

MagicJack is a gizmo that plugs into your computer's USB port. After you install the hardware, its software automatically loads onto your PC (Mac-friendly versions available, too). Then, you plug your landline phone jack into the gizmo, and voila! You can telephone nationally or internationally at the rate MagicJack charges, not your local phone service.

And the MagicJack rate is very low.

What's the cost?

First year, $39.95; after that, subscription is $19.95/year for caller id; voice mail; call waiting; conference calling; unlimited domestic and international use. These are ANNUAL fees, not monthly ones.

What are the biggest pros and cons? There's lots of negatives to MagicJack.

1. First of all, your computer has to be up and running to use MagicJack. Turn off your computer, and your MagicJack phone shuts off, too. (Compare this to Vonage, which connects into your modem, allowing you to have phone service as long as your internet service provider is active.)
2. Another negative for some is the MagicJack requirement to dial the area code for every call - although this is only true for some parts of the country.
3. A third problem with MagicJack is quality of transmission - in my surfing of the web, I found bloggers and pro reviewers reporting periodic fuzzy calls, low volume, and voice mail issues. Everyone weighed these against the cost of the service, and found the quality issues tolerable given the cost benefits MagicJack offers.
4. Finally, there's a privacy issue. Selling this service this cheap has many wondering how MagicJack can make a profit. Well, the company plans on getting revenue through advertising, and that's going to happen through ads that MagicJack will sell, and which will be displayed on your computer as part of the MagicJack operational software. The gimmick to draw advertisers? MagicJack reserves the right to monitor the numbers you dial so it can coordinate ads with advertisers. Yep -- they'll be monitoring your phone calls for commercial purposes and you're giving up some privacy in order to get cheap phone service.

What are the Pros?

1. It's easy to install.
2. It's cheap.
3. You can call domestic or international for the flat fee.
4. It seems to have the best use as a landline used for families whose main phone use is at work, or on cell phones. Lots of the complaints I read were from folk who were trying to use MagicJack for business, or for their sole phone line.

Who are its competitors?

MagicJack is one of several voice-over-internet-protocols (VoIP) services being marketed today for cheap phone service. Others include Vonage (which is the big dog in the pack here), Optimum Voice, At&T CallVantage, TimeWarnerCable, Comcast, Average, and Skype. All these services compete with MagicJack for VoIP customers.

Who's winning? In a recent PCMag survey, Optimum Voice came in first as the VoIP customer favorite, followed by Vonage.

Reviews:

US News & World Report (June 6, 2008)

Laptop Mag

VOIPReview.Org

BroadbandDSL.com

FierceVOIP.com

For more information:

Skype - Is It For U?

VoIP -What About Those $25 Vonage Ads?

Stevia Goes MainStream - No Cal, All Natural Sweetener: Is It the New Splenda?

Well, it's about time. For those of us who have been using Stevia for years, we've wondered if this day would ever come. Thanks to Cargill, it has.

Stevia will be hitting the commercial store shelves this month, marketed under the name brand of "truvia." (I believe they're only selling it in packets, but I could be wrong.) Look for it packaged as SweetLeaf.

Next year, expect to see lots of marketing, with Coca-Cola having the exclusive rights to use Truvia in its beverages since it shared the Truvia development expense with Cargill. Pepsi's already in the fight - it's announced its version of stevia, PureVia, and will begin selling SoBe Life drinks sweetened with PureVia in several South American countries this week.

What's Stevia?
Stevia is a natural sweetener that has been used for years and years, which has no calories to it. It is derived from the Stevia plant, you can grow it yourself if you want to do so, and its leaves are several times sweeter than sugar.

The Japanese as well as countries in South America and Europe have seen store products sweetened with Stevia for many years. In fact, Diet Coke sweetened with stevia has been available in Japan for awhile now (check out Mark McManus 's rant about why we can't get it here in the States).

It's been a long, political path for Stevia to gain FDA acceptance here in the US ... and yes, there have been fingers pointed at both the sugar industry as well as the companies responsible for artificial sweeteners like Equal and Splenda.

Health Benefits - It's Good for You
While more and more reports are revealing concerns with the use of artificial sweeteners (particularly aspartame right now), worldwide studies have shown stevia to be beneficial to physical and mental health. Stevia has been shown to help with high blood pressure, glucose levels for diabetes, and depression. Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Michael Murray are big fans.

Want a soft drink sweetened with stevia right now?
Try Zevia. They'll even send you a variety six pack for free, as long as you pay shipping and handling.

Want to Buy It Now? My Favorite Brand and My Favorite Uses: Tea and Limeade.
Personally, I love stevia. I buy the KAL brand, loose powder form (it comes with its own measuring spoon inside). You can find it at health food stores like Wild Oats and Whole Foods (if KAL's not sold out ... it's the most popular stevia product at my store).

My life is better with stevia in it. Ten shakes for a gallon of iced tea. And, there's just not a better limeade around than one lime, a "stevia spoon" of stevia, water, and lots of ice.

I recommend KAL's stevia product because I do not find it to have the licorice aftertaste other brands sometimes have; plus, I think KAL gives you more bang for your buck than other brands. My KAL bottle simply lasts longer than the competition, and I use stevia all the time.