Best Online Legal Services for Small Business: A Comparison
Compare the best online legal services for small businesses like LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, ZenBusiness, LegalShield, and UpCounsel. Find services for brand protection, legal advice, compliance, and more.
Choosing the best online legal services for your small business can save you time and money. Whether you're starting an LLC, need legal advice, or want to protect your brand, there's a service out there for you. This guide compares top providers like LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, ZenBusiness, LegalShield, and UpCounsel to help you make an informed decision. Each offers unique features, pricing plans, and customer support options to fit different needs. Here's a quick overview:
- LegalZoom: Great for brand protection and comprehensive legal tasks.
- Rocket Lawyer: Unlimited legal documents and direct lawyer advice.
- ZenBusiness: Affordable compliance and business formation services.
- LegalShield: Unlimited legal advice with various monthly plans.
- UpCounsel: Custom legal advice and services from experienced lawyers.
Quick Comparison
| Service | Best For | Pricing | Unique Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | Brand protection, business formation | Set prices, monthly plans | DIY legal documents, direct lawyer advice |
| Rocket Lawyer | Unlimited legal documents | Monthly/yearly plans, free trial | Document Defense, discounts for nonprofits |
| ZenBusiness | Compliance and affordability | Starts at $0 + state fees | Customizable templates, tax advice |
| LegalShield | Direct legal advice | Monthly plans, pay-per-use advice | 24/7 support, unlimited topics per call |
| UpCounsel | Finding experienced lawyers | Custom quotes | Free initial consultations, project-based pricing |
When picking the right service, consider your specific legal needs, budget, and how much ongoing support you'll require. This will help you find a service that not only fits your business needs but also offers the best value for your investment.
Range of Services
The best platforms offer lots of different legal services that small business owners might need, like:
- Starting a business (like an LLC or corporation)
- Writing and checking contracts
- Protecting ideas or brand names
- Keeping up with legal rules
- Dealing with property deals
- Getting taxes sorted
It's great when you can easily make contracts or forms that fit your business just right, thanks to a big selection of legal documents.
Pricing and Affordability
Good online legal services tell you the costs upfront and often have plans you can pay for every month. Things to look for include:
- Clear prices
- Different plans for more or less help
- Deals where you get more services for your money
- Trials that don't cost anything
- Promises to give your money back if you're not happy
Fair and flexible prices help small businesses get legal help without breaking the bank.
User Experience
A website that's easy to use means you can do some legal tasks on your own. Important bits include:
- Making documents your way without a hassle
- Easy to move around the site
- Good search features
- A mobile app
- Simple, step-by-step help for common legal stuff
A well-made website lets small business owners handle legal work without needing extra help.
Customer Support
Good support means you get help when you need it. Look for:
- Phone/chat help during the week and on weekends
- Email help
- FAQs and guides
- Promises about how fast they'll get back to you
Unique Features and Services
Some extra things can make an online legal service stand out, like:
- Access to a network of lawyers
- Tools to make your own legal documents
- Services for official business needs (like a registered agent)
- Help with registering a trademark
- Tools that work well with other small business services
Look for special features or tools that match what your business needs.
Comparative Analysis of Online Legal Services
1. LegalZoom
Service Range
LegalZoom helps small businesses with a bunch of important tasks, like:
- Setting up a business (like an LLC or a corporation)
- Services for a registered agent
- Helping protect your brand with trademark services
- Advice from lawyers online
- Help with taxes
- Checking contracts
They cover a lot of ground, from getting your business off the ground, keeping your brand safe, to getting legal advice and making sure you're following the rules.
Pricing and Affordability
LegalZoom uses set prices, so you pay a flat fee instead of by the hour. Starting an LLC costs $0 plus what the state charges. Using their registered agent service is $249 a year.
They have a plan for $39 a month (paid yearly) that lets you talk to a lawyer for 30 minutes as often as you need.
They're pretty open about how much things cost and even offer deals from time to time.
User Experience
Finding your way around the LegalZoom website is easy. They ask you questions to help make the legal documents that fit your needs.
Their app lets you handle your legal stuff from anywhere.
LegalZoom tries to make legal stuff easy to understand, keeping things simple.
Customer Support
You can get in touch with LegalZoom from early in the morning until the evening during the week, and shorter hours on the weekend. They're all based in the US.
You can call, email, or chat with them online. They also have a lot of helpful info online that you can look up on your own.
Unique Features
- You can make your own legal documents with their help
- Talk to real lawyers for advice
- They can be your registered agent in any state
- They're really good at helping protect your ideas or brand
- Works well with other tools for small businesses
LegalZoom is especially good for protecting your brand and ideas. They also make it easy to get direct advice from lawyers, which is a big plus.
2. Rocket Lawyer
Service Range
Rocket Lawyer helps small businesses with a bunch of legal stuff, like:
- Starting a business (like LLCs or corporations)
- Making and checking contracts
- Services for trademarks and protecting your ideas
- Guides on following legal rules
- Documents for buying or selling property
- Personal documents, like wills and giving someone the power to make decisions for you
They have lots of templates for legal documents and you can also talk to lawyers if you need more help.
Pricing and Affordability
Rocket Lawyer has two main price plans:
- Monthly plan: $39.99 a month
- Yearly plan: $19.99 a month, paid once a year
The yearly plan includes help with starting your business, a discount on registered agent services, and more legal help.
Both plans let you use as many documents as you want and talk to a lawyer for 30 minutes. Rocket Lawyer also lets you try their service for free for 7 days without needing a credit card.
If you don't need legal help often, the monthly cost might seem a lot. But if you use it a lot, the unlimited help and documents can be really useful.
User Experience
Rocket Lawyer tries to make their website easy to use. They guide you through making documents so they fit what you need. They also have lots of legal info and FAQs if you want to find answers yourself.
Some people think the website looks old compared to others. But it's easy to find what you need and use the templates.
Customer Support
You can get help through phone, email, and live chat during the week. People usually say the support team is quick and knows their stuff. But there's not much help available on weekends.
A big plus is that you can get direct advice from lawyers with any plan, which is really helpful.
Unique Features
Rocket Lawyer has some special things, like:
- Document Defense: They'll help make sure any document you make with them is legally strong.
- Non-profit formation: They offer cheaper services for starting a non-profit, which can save a lot of money.
- Family planning documents: This includes wills and documents that let someone make decisions for you if you can't. This is really important for small business owners.
Even though it's a bit pricey, getting unlimited advice from lawyers, lots of documents, and help with starting your business makes Rocket Lawyer a good choice for small businesses. They also make legal stuff easier for people who aren't lawyers.
3. ZenBusiness
Service Range
ZenBusiness helps you with a lot of things you need to do to start and run a small business, like:
- Business formation: You can start an LLC, corporation, or other types of businesses. They also give you templates for operating agreements.
- Compliance services: They take care of the paperwork you need to keep your business in good standing and offer a registered agent service.
- Tax services: Tax pros can give you advice on how to handle your business taxes.
- Funding services: They can guide you on how to get money to grow your business.
So, ZenBusiness can help you from the very start, all the way through to growing your business, taking care of legal and tax stuff along the way.
Pricing and Affordability
ZenBusiness is clear about how much things cost. They have three main packages:
- Starter: $0 + state fees
- Pro: $199/year + state fees
- Premium: $340/year + state fees
The Pro plan covers starting your business, yearly compliance, and more. The Premium plan adds stuff like help with banking, registering a website name, and building a website.
While you can choose what services you pay for, buying several can add up. However, the Pro plan is a good deal for the basics most small businesses need.
User Experience
ZenBusiness makes it easy to use their website. You can keep all your important papers online, get reminders for legal stuff you need to do, and handle your legal duties all in one spot.
They explain things in simple language and have templates you can customize, making it easy to create documents.
Customer Support
You can reach them by email, phone, or live chat during work hours. Their support team is all in the U.S.
Customers like how quick, knowledgeable, and clear the support team is.
Unique Features
Some special things about ZenBusiness include:
- Customizable operating agreements
- Banking resolution templates
- Website builder and domain registration
- Access to tax professionals
- Easy-to-use legal compliance management
If you're looking for a straightforward, affordable way to take care of your small business's legal and tax needs, ZenBusiness has a lot of tools and advice to help.
4. LegalShield
Service Range
LegalShield focuses on giving you access to lawyers for advice on any business issue you might have. Unlike some other services, they don't help you fill out legal documents yourself, start your business, or make sure you're following all the rules. But, they're really good at giving you lawyer advice.
Unlike Rocket Lawyer, where you can only talk about one thing each time you call, LegalShield lets you talk about as many things as you want. The only limit is how often you can call for advice in a month.
Pricing and Affordability
For $49 a month, you can call for advice 10 times a year (but no more than 3 times in a month). If you need more, there's a $99 per month plan for 20 calls a year (up to 5 times a month), and a $169 per month plan for 40 calls a year (up to 10 times a month).
Each call costs about $58.80. That's about the same as Rocket Lawyer's price if you're not a member, which might feel pricey if you're paying every month but only get to call a few times. With Rocket Lawyer, paying for each call after the first one might be cheaper.
User Experience
- Signing up is easy and getting lawyer advice is straightforward.
- They have a mobile app.
- Your payment is taken out of your account every month.
- You have to pick a payment plan to start making calls.
Customer Support
- You can get help anytime, day or night, through phone, email, or the app.
- You're talking to lawyers for advice, not just customer service people.
- They have FAQs and guides to help you.
Unique Features
- You can talk about as many topics as you need when you call.
- The service is focused on helping businesses with legal advice.
- You can buy more calls at a lower price if you need them.
LegalShield is great for getting lots of legal advice, and the option to buy more calls at a discount is nice. But having to pay every month even if you don't call much, and not being able to do more without a lawyer, means it's not the top choice for everyone.
5. UpCounsel
Service Range
UpCounsel is a website that helps businesses find lawyers for all sorts of things. They can help with:
- Starting a business
- Making your business official (like an LLC)
- Writing and checking contracts
- Advice on protecting your ideas
- Help with moving to another country for work
- Buying or selling property
- Hiring and contracts for workers
- Figuring out taxes
- Solving disagreements
- Getting money to grow your business
Basically, UpCounsel can help with nearly anything a business might need from a lawyer, from the start-up phase to expanding.
Pricing and Affordability
UpCounsel doesn't tell you prices right away. You tell them what you need and your budget, and lawyers will offer their services at different prices. They say their prices are good compared to others.
You can talk to lawyers for free at first to see if you like them. After you pick a lawyer, UpCounsel adds a small fee (5%) to the bill for using their service.
User Experience
UpCounsel makes it easy to deal with legal stuff online. They have:
- A simple way to ask for legal help
- Tools to keep track of your legal tasks
- A place to share and sign documents online
- Safe storage for your legal papers
Their website is designed to make legal work less of a headache.
Customer Support
UpCounsel has support all the time through email and live chat. They can help with questions about using the site, finding lawyers, and your legal projects.
Unique Features
- You can find experienced lawyers at good prices
- Choose a lawyer based on what you need and can afford
- Free talks with lawyers before you decide
- Lawyers give you prices based on your project and budget
- Online tools make working together easier
UpCounsel is great for small businesses that need legal help without spending too much. It gives you a way to find and work with lawyers on your terms.
Pros and Cons
This part looks at the good and bad sides of the top online legal services for small businesses.
| Service | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | <ul><li>Offers many services for businesses</li><li>Clear pricing</li><li>User-friendly website and app</li><li>Reliable customer support</li><li>Tools for legal documents and getting advice</li></ul> | <ul><li>Can become expensive for lots of legal help</li><li>Customer support not available late on weekends</li></ul> |
| Rocket Lawyer | <ul><li>You can make as many legal documents as you need</li><li>Easy to talk to lawyers</li><li>Document Defense makes your documents stronger</li><li>Discount services for nonprofits</li></ul> | <ul><li>The monthly fee is high</li><li>The website could use a refresh</li><li>Support not available late on weekends</li></ul> |
| ZenBusiness | <ul><li>Good prices</li><li>Services cover everything from starting to running a business</li><li>Compliance tools are easy to use</li><li>Support team is quick and knows their stuff</li></ul> | <ul><li>Paying for services separately can increase costs</li><li>Offers fewer legal services compared to others</li></ul> |
| LegalShield | <ul><li>Unlimited calls for legal advice</li><li>24/7 support</li><li>Discounts on extra calls</li></ul> | <ul><li>You pay monthly, even if you don't use it</li><li>Doesn't help with making legal documents</li><li>Extra calls can be expensive</li></ul> |
| UpCounsel | <ul><li>Lots of legal services available</li><li>You can pick lawyers based on what you need and your budget</li><li>Free talks with lawyers before you choose</li><li>Nice website features and support</li></ul> | <ul><li>Lawyer fees not shown upfront</li><li>Extra 5% fee on lawyer's bill</li><li>Less direct help with legal documents</li></ul> |
Key Takeaways
- LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer are good for making legal documents. ZenBusiness is all about helping with compliance. LegalShield is best for talking directly to lawyers, and UpCounsel helps you find the right lawyer easily.
- LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, and ZenBusiness focus on needs like starting an LLC. UpCounsel offers specialized lawyers but not as many tools for doing things yourself.
- Rocket Lawyer costs more monthly. ZenBusiness has straightforward, lower prices. LegalZoom and UpCounsel let you pay just for what you need.
- All of them have good customer support, but LegalShield offers 24/7 access to lawyers. LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer have less support on weekends.
The big pluses of using online legal services are saving money compared to traditional lawyers while getting the legal documents, advice, and services businesses need. The downsides include less support after hours and not as many services like direct legal advice without extra costs. But, these top services try to make legal help easy, useful, and affordable.
sbb-itb-ea3f94f
Considerations for Small Businesses
When picking an online legal service, small businesses should think about a few important things:
Specific Legal Needs
- What exact legal help do you need regularly? This might include setting up your business, dealing with contracts, following rules, trademarks, taxes, and so on.
- Do you also need personal legal help, like making a will or dealing with family matters?
- How often do you think you'll need to talk to a lawyer or have them look at documents?
- Would you rather use legal templates you can fill out yourself or talk directly to lawyers?
Choose a service that fits what your business needs and how often you'll use it.
Budget Constraints
- How much can you spend on legal help? Do you like the idea of a monthly fee, or do you prefer to pay for each service as you use it?
- Look at how much things cost - monthly plans compared to paying for each service. Think about how much you'll use it to figure out the cost.
- Search for options that don't break the bank, like LegalShield, or special offers.
- Think about how much money you might save compared to going to a traditional law firm.
Pick something you can afford that matches how much you expect to spend on legal stuff.
Ongoing Support Needs
- Do you need a service that's there for you over time for advice and checking documents?
- Or do you just need to make legal forms every now and then?
- How fast do you need help when an issue comes up?
- Is it important to you to have customer support available a lot?
If you're looking for constant legal support, go with a provider like LegalZoom or Rocket Lawyer. For just making legal forms now and then, something like LegalNature might be a good fit.
By focusing on what you really need and how much you can spend, you can find the right legal help for your small business. Comparing what you get for your money is key to getting the best deal.
Conclusion
Picking the right online legal help for your small business matters a lot. There are many choices out there, so think about what you really need and how much you want to spend to find the best option.
Here are some simple tips to help you decide:
- Figure out what legal help you need most, like help with starting your business, making contracts, following rules, protecting your brand, or getting advice. Companies like LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer offer a wide range of services.
- Look at how they charge. Some charge a monthly fee for unlimited help, which can save you money if you use them a lot. Others let you pay only for what you need, which might be better if you only need help sometimes.
- Think about how much ongoing support you need. Do you need to talk to lawyers all the time, or just need help making legal documents now and then? Choose a service that fits your needs, like 24/7 access with LegalShield or DIY documents with LegalNature.
- Customer service is important, especially if you need help after hours or on weekends.
- Special services might be a big deal for your business, like help with trademarks (LegalZoom) or setting up a nonprofit (Rocket Lawyer).
Taking your time to really think about these things will help you pick the online legal service that's right for your business. This can help you save a lot of money compared to going to a traditional law firm, while still making sure you're covered legally.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What makes online legal services different from traditional ones for small businesses?
Here are the main differences:
- Cost: Online services usually cost less because they charge a set price, not by the hour. This helps small businesses save money.
- Convenience: You can use online services any time, from anywhere. They offer easy-to-use tools and help whenever you need it, without having to meet in person.
- Doing it yourself: Many online services let you create your own legal documents using templates. They also have resources to help you answer common legal questions on your own.
- Support: Some online services offer unlimited talks with lawyers for a monthly fee. But, they can't do everything a traditional lawyer can, like represent you in court.
How can small businesses make sure online legal services are right for their area?
- Make sure the service has lawyers who can work in your state.
- Use a service that stays current with local business rules for setting up and running your business.
- Understand the rules about working with lawyers from different places.
- Have a lawyer check any important documents for extra safety.
- Look into the service's background and expertise.
How can small business owners get the most out of online legal services?
Here are some tips:
- Try out different services for free before you decide.
- If you need a lot of legal help, consider signing up for a plan to save money.
- Keep track of important legal deadlines to avoid missing any paperwork.
- Start with ready-made contracts for simple stuff, but get a lawyer to look at more complicated things.
- Read reviews to choose the best service for your needs.
- Check your legal needs and plan every 6 to 12 months to see if you need to make changes.
Can online legal services match the advice and help of a traditional law firm?
Not really. Traditional law firms are still better for in-depth advice, going to court, and handling complex legal issues. Online services are great for quick legal documents and advice. But for the big stuff, it's best to stick with a traditional lawyer.
What risks do small businesses take by using online legal services?
Some risks include:
- Getting legal documents that aren't quite right.
- Getting advice that might not fit your whole situation.
- Breaking local rules because the service didn't know all the details.
- Thinking you're fully covered when there might be gaps.
- Not being able to fix things if the service makes a mistake.
Even with these risks, many online services work hard to make sure their advice and documents are accurate and helpful.
Related Questions
What is the best online legal service for wills?
When it comes to making wills online, here are some good picks:
- Nolo's Quicken WillMaker & Trust: This one helps you create wills and estate plans that are legally sound, with lots of customization options. It's often recommended as the top choice.
- Trust & Will: This service is great if you want to do it yourself but might need some legal advice. It's affordable and straightforward.
- LegalZoom: You can make your own will and estate plan here. Plus, you can get a lawyer to look over your documents. It's a bit pricier but very user-friendly.
- Rocket Lawyer: Offers DIY legal documents for wills and estate planning at a good price.
- U.S. LegalWills: Focuses just on wills and lets you update your will for free anytime. Offers a lot of ways to customize.
Choosing the right one depends on what you need and how much you want to spend, but these options make creating a will easier and more affordable.
Is LegalZoom cheaper than a lawyer?
LegalZoom might cost more if you need a lot of legal help compared to directly hiring a lawyer for business advice or contract work. However, for simple legal tasks, LegalZoom can be less expensive than a lawyer's hourly rate.
What is the best site for legal documents?
Here are some top picks for getting legal documents:
- Rocket Lawyer: Has a big collection of legal forms and contracts for both business and personal use. Offers unlimited access to its documents.
- LegalZoom: Great for common legal forms, with easy-to-use templates.
- ZenBusiness: Good for business documents, helping with contracts and compliance.
- Bizee: Aims to make business paperwork easier and more affordable.
- Nolo: Known for its legal guides, Nolo also lets you create basic legal documents.
The best choice depends on what you need, how much help you want, and your budget.
What is the best site to get legal advice?
For legal advice, check out these sites:
- Rocket Lawyer: Offers unlimited talks with lawyers with its membership plans.
- Avvo: Lets you talk to lawyers for the advice you need, paying only for the time you use.
- LegalZoom: Adds lawyer advice to its document services for an extra fee.
- LawTrades: Matches you with specialized lawyers, offering free quotes.
- Priori Legal: Uses AI to find the right lawyer for you and helps with paperwork.
The best site for you will depend on how much you can spend and what kind of legal help you're looking for.
