Need a lawyer? Try crowdsourcing one
TO RESOLVE a legal dispute, the first thing many do is try to hire a lawyer. Too often, that is easier said than done. Now, an online service offers crowdsourcing to hire a lawyer, an effort that if broadly adopted could make it easier for people trying to cope with turmoil like divorce and personal injury.
Matt Panzino started looking for a lawyer when his former employer accused him of violating a noncompete provision.
Panzino, 41, had moved to Phoenix earlier this year with a new job when his former employer threatened legal action in Chicago.
Friends told him about Legal Services Link, an online service that connects those needing legal services with lawyers willing to render them.
“Within a matter of a day or two,” Panzino said, “I had four or five different attorneys who responded, describing their professional qualifications and background.” He ultimately settled with the help of one.
State bars have so many requests for lawyer aid that some are seeking to move beyond offering referral lists and considering online platforms.
The State Bar of Arizona is exploring such technology, citing a huge demand for lawyers in situations like fighting for child custody or pursuing redress for an injury.
“There is a huge gap between those who need legal services and those who can get them,” said John F Phelps, the chief executive of the State Bar of Arizona, the nonprofit group that regulates lawyers.
To hasten delivery of legal services, the association is taking several measures, including partnering with Legal Services Link to better help those who either represent themselves or go without legal advice.
Matthew W Horn, who founded Legal Services Link, said he hoped the result would be “to help all clients, even those of no means, connect with the perfect service provider for them”.