Frequently Asked Questions:  General

Q. What are the advantages of operating in a virtual law firm environment?

A.  Savvy lawyers will migrate to doing legal business over the Internet for a variety of reasons: enhance the quality of the client experience by providing more transparency and convenience; increase their appeal to a "connected" generation; and tap into the "latent market" for legal services by having the capability of offering unbundled legal services online.

You will see that there are many advantages to working with clients through a secure virtual law firm platform like DirectLaw. Sending documents to clients by mail of Fedex is more costly and time consuming. Telling a client a date for a hearing over the phone or in person and not following up to remind them can often result in a missed appointment or a missed hearing. Forcing some communications with clients into their secure MyLegalAffairs web space reduces telephone tag  and unplanned phone calls which are often not profitable. Selling legal services online converts your web site into a revenue producer and as a way of capturing clients looking for legal services on the Internet.

Being able to relate to your clients over the phone, in the office, and now on the Internet through a sophisticated "client portal" provides an "always on" presence for your firm that brings clients closer to you. Being able to sign into the personalize MyLegalAffairs space creates a client loyalty and brands your firm as one that is both innovative and client centric.

For an expansion of these concepts, download our white papers on e-Lawyering for Competitive Advantage - How to Earn Legal Fees While You Sleep and Web-Enabled Document Automation as a Disruptive Technology by clicking here.

Q. What is eLawyering or a Virtual Law Practice?

A.  eLawyering is a synonym for virtual lawyering. Both terms mean delivering legal service online. For more information about the eLawyering concept review the resources within this web site and also the eLawyering web site of the American Bar Association.

Some law firms call themselves "virtual law firms" because they have eliminated the overhead of a physical office or offices but don't provide any mechanism for offering legal services online. We would not consider this a true "virtual law firm."  The true hallmark of a virtual law firm is one that uses digital applications to provide service to clients and increase the productivity of the law firm and which provides a secure portal for their clients which require a user name and password for access. An example of a digital legal application is web-enabled document automation. While these so-called virtual law firms may be saving the cost of a brick and mortar infrastructure, resulting in lower fees to clients, their attorneys still work the same old way which is to bill for their time. Web-enabled digital applications, on the other hand, substitute for the time of an attorney and are truly disruptive as this time-saving feature can result in more radical cost savings and translate into dramatically lower legal fees.

Q. What kind of economic results can I expect from subscribing to the DirectLaw™ Virtual Law Firm Platform?

A.  The DirectLaw platform should not be considered solely for potential revenue generation.  Instead, you should consider our platform for all of its interactive and collaborative functionality, in addition to the fact that it provides a way to create a revenue stream via your web site. 

We offer two levels of service:  

• DirectLaw ClientSpace™ Basic which includes all of our core functionality, except the document automation functions. Therefore, you do not have the capability of generating additional revenue from the sale of legal documents bundled with legal advice, but you can sell online legal advice and document review services.  With DirectLaw ClientSpace™ Basic,  you will be able to provide effective and convenient communications with clients over the Internet, in addition to traditional face-to-face meetings and telephone contact. You will be able to sell online legal advice and coaching services. This should result in acquiring clients who want their lawyers to be technologically savvy and who understand how to use Internet technology to make the client experience more convenient and efficient.
   

• For those firms subscribing to DirectLaw ClientSpace™ Complete, the addition of automated documents bundled with legal advice creates a new stream of revenue -- both from new clients who are attracted to this idea -- and from existing clients who are also attracted to the concept of a fixed-price service model.  There are many examples of successful non-lawyer, web-based companies selling legal forms without legal advice, proving the existence of huge latent demand for unbundled legal services that are sold for a fixed price.

Converting demand into actual sales will depend on many factors we cannot control, such as your reputation in the your community and your expertise as an attorney, as well as the amount of funds you are able to commit to marketing/advertising your services both online and offline.

One way of calculating your return on investment (ROI), is to consider that if you are subscribing to DirectLaw ClientSpace™ Complete ($199/month) and sell just one set of no-fault divorce documents for $300 in any given month, you have covered your DirectLaw™ subscription fee for that month.

Keep in mind that time is on your side, and immediate results are the exception, not the norm.  Even in the "virtual world", it takes time to build a reputation just like it did when you started your brick and mortar practice.  If you have an existing web site that gets a good bit of traffic and also ranks well in search engine placement, you will likely see results sooner.  Remember that your web site needs to convey the value proposition -- affordable, convenient and online legal services that are offered by a licensed attorney.  The idea of interacting with law firms/attorneys online via a "client space" is a relatively new concept to the general public.  The more your web site can do to help visitors understand how it works and why they can benefit from it, the greater success you will have.

Q. How will I market my virtual law firm to online clients?  Do you provide marketing assistance?

A.  The primary way to market your services will be through Google, Yahoo and other search engines such as Bing.  You will need to make an investment in pay-per-click advertising programs. Selective offline advertising will also drive traffic to your web site.  We also suggest embracing social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and others and integrating a blog with your web site.  If you have a physical presence/office, you will want to use the web site to attract clients who are within commuting distance of your law firm, as well as clients who live throughout your state. The Internet will increase the reach of your law firm.

For an additional fee, we will assist you with search engine optimization of your web site, as well as managing your pay-per-click advertising programs. We will make available to you the same technique and marketing technologies that we use in marketing our own direct-to-consumer legal forms web sites.

Q. How can I use my existing law practice to leverage my presence on the web and build my virtual law office?

A.  For law firms that have a physical office, a virtual law office can increase the firm's reach from your local community to serving clients throughout your state.  Existing clients can use the capabilities of the virtual law office platform as an alternative and in addition to face-to-face office meetings. Word of mouth from existing clients will result in the acquisition of new clients. Referral by word of mouth and personal recommendation is still the most powerful form of marketing.  Existing clients will spread the message that this is a law firm that understands how to use Internet technology to offer new pricing, service and delivery components and save their clients both time and money.  We believe that, ultimately, this will have a very powerful effect.

Q What is the term of the agreement with DirectLaw™?

A. We do not impose a long-term contract.  The minimum term of our Subscription Programs is one month (30-day minimum) for law firms with under four (4) attorneys. If your firm has more than four (4) attorneys, contact us for terms and a quote.  If you wish to enter into a one year agreement (12 months), there is a 10% discount from our stated pricing. If you pay for your entire year in advance, you'll realize a 20% savings.  All subscription programs include a free listing MyLawyer.com, our consumer portal.

Q. Is there a trial version of the DirectLaw™ Virtual Law Firm Platform?

A.  Yes.  Please click on the Free Trial link at www.DirectLaw.com . This is the way for you to see if this concept works for your firm without making any real investment. The Free Trial period is 30 days. At the end of the one month free trial, if you do not upgrade to a Subscription Program, your login access will be automatically terminated and your free trial account deleted from the data base.

Q.  Will DirectLaw™ staff have access to my client data?

A.  DirectLaw™ support staff will not access your law firm's data unless you specifically request that we access a client record due to technical issues. When we access your data under the terms of the Hosting Agreement, we are functioning as if we were your own law firm staff.  All client data within a Rapidocs® document is encrypted.

Q. How is the monthly subscription paid to DirectLaw?

A.   DirectLaw will obtain credit card details from you during the implementation process.  This information is used to process payment of your monthly subscription fees.  Credit card billing for is automatically done on every thirty days. The thirty day period begins one day after you sign up for a subscription program. If you sign up on June 1, your next bill is due on July 2.  Your initial payment (paid at sign up) is applied to the first month's billing.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:   Credit Card Expirations or Decline Notices

If your credit card is declined, or we are unable to process your monthly charge/fee for any reason, we immediately notify you via e-mail so you may resolve the problem.

Our billing system is designed to attempt to process any outstanding charges during the current billing cycle until they are successfully processed.  Any amounts not charged during the current billing cycle will be automatically added to the next monthly billing cycle.  If the issue with a declined charge is not resolved by the end of the 2nd billing cycle, your platform will be automatically deactivated at the end of that billing cycle.

If your account is terminated/deactivated and your platform is shut down, you will continue to be responsible for payment of the balance of the term of your contract.  DirectLaw will send the amount payable for the balance of the term of your Agreement to a collections attorney to collect this debt. 

If your account is deactivated for non-payment, you can restore it by paying the balance of the months due on your hosting agreement (contract) in advance.

Q. What is the process for getting paid for legal fees charged to clients through the DirectLaw™ Virtual Law Firm Platform?

A.  Sales generated when a client purchases a legal service/document are processed by Chase Paymentech, one of the largest credit card processors in the world. Chase charges a 2.8% processing fee which is deducted from the amount received from your client. We simply pass this fee on to your law firm, without a mark-up.

Subscribers: If you are a subscriber to DirectLaw™ subscription Plan, payments from fees collected from clients are direct deposited into your bank account every Monday, based on the prior two (2) weeks' sales. Payments are processed by Bank of America electronically. We can deposit funds either into your general operating account or your trust account. You can list both accounts for deposit. In order to activate direct deposit, your direct deposit information must be on file.  You must complete this Direct Deposit Form and send via our secure fax at 888-592-9907.  After your payment information has been sent to Bank of America, we destroy this form and do not retain your bank account information.

DirectLaw Free Version Subscribers:   You may also use the e-commerce function to bill your clients through the virtual law firm platform. You can charge a fixed fee for legal advice and legal document review services and also give your traditional/in-office a way to pay legal invoices online via credit card. You can set your fixed-fee prices in the Customize Store tab of your Attorney Dashboard. The process is similar to the payment process for DirectLaw™ Subscribers:   Payments from fees collected from clients are direct deposited into your bank account every other week, based on the prior two weeks collections.

Q.. What happens to client data if I do not renew the DirectLaw™ Virtual Law Firm Platform?

A.  You can export "answer files" from any Rapidocs® template at any time and also download assembled documents to your local work station.  We are also able to download all of your client contact data and send it to you as an Excel spreadsheet or in MS Access database format, either by e-mail or on a CD.  You will always have access to your client data, whether you renew your agreement with us or choose to terminate.

Q. Is it difficult to learn how to manage the DirectLaw™ Virtual Law Firm Platform? Can you take me through the process step by step?

A. The Administrative Area for your virtual law firm is very easy to learn.  We provide telephone support, e-mail support and telephone training, plus we provide a User Guide for reference. Our own paralegal staff has been using a similar administrative interface for many years, so we know how easy it is to use.  If you need paralegal assistance, we will make our staff available as an outsourced resource to your law firm for an hourly rate. Thus, the entire process of managing, preparing and transmitting completed documents to clients can be outsourced to our experienced staff, or we can train your staff to handle these functions.

We use GotoMeeting.com, a web-based software services, that enables us to set up an online training session and take you through each screen and menu choice. In addition we have added instructional online videos to the Attorney Dashboard to assist you and your staff in learning how to use the Platform.

Q. How much customization of your service is possible?

A. You can upload your logo and change the color of the header of your Virtual Law Firm Platform, so that it looks like it is seamlessly integrated with your front-end web site. You can completely customize your store and determine which legal service you would like to offer online. For example, you can choose to exclude legal advice online, or exclude legal document review. You can choose which documents bundled with legal advice you want to offer, determine the prices for each document, and create coupons or discounts if you wish. F. The choice is yours. You also have the option of enabling your prospects to try out a questionnaire for free before they register as a client, or you can structure the work flow so that they are required to register first, and then pay for a legal service.

You can create a link from your home page to a particular document or legal service, or you can link to the entire legal services page which shows the complete menu of legal services that you firm offers.

Q. How long does it take to set up my virtual law firm platform?

A. When you sign up for a Subscription your virtual law firm platform is immediately created. You can brand your Platform with your graphics in a few minutes. At the time you signup for your program you will receive an email with a link to insert on your home page which enables a client to get to a log-in Registration page and an additional link that enables you to access your Attorney Dashboard. You will receive a log in user name and a password, which you can change at any time by going to the Account tab within the Attorney Dashboard.

You will be able to set up an account for a client and send the client a user name and password which they can change within their own Account Tab.

Q. What can I expect in terms of customer service and support?

A. We have been operating as as Internet company since 1998 serving retail customers, institutional clients, and law firms and are proud of the customer team that we have created. We provide unlimited telephone and email support and unlimited training on the DirectLaw platform. Call us Monday through Friday 9:00 to 6:00 P.M. EST toll free at (800) 481-1025 - Ext 101 and one of the members of our team will respond immediately or within the hour. We monitor after hours and week-end requests for support, and if it is an emergency we will respond to you as quickly as possible. The fastest way to get results is to use our Customer Support Portal or to send an email to support email address at support@directlaw.com

Q. Can I use my own legal forms and documents with the DirectLaw™ Virtual Law Firm platform?

A. DirectLaw Complete comes with libraries of automated legal forms in Rapidocs. You also receive a copy of Rapidocs Solo which enables you to automate your own legal forms and documents. We will publish your documents that you automate in Rapidocs to your virtual law firm platform at no cost to you. There is also a way to publish an online questionnaire to your platform that enables you to collect data for creating a legal form or legal document that is not automated, and to charge for this service through the DirectLaw shopping cart. If you have already invested in automating legal forms and documents using HotDocs®, you will be able to publish these templates to your virtual law firm platform, but there are additional charges. See this page for details on publication of HotDocs® templates.

Q. Are you a credible company? Who is on your staff? How do I know you won't go out of business tomorrow?

A. Epoq US and its affiliate company in the UK, Epoq Group Limited are private companies founded by lawyers for lawyers to provide affordable online legal solutions to consumers and small business. The companies were originally funded with venture capital during the early stage to support the development of the Rapidocs document automation technology. Epoq US, the parent company of DirectLaw, has been in business since 2000, --- a long time for a web-based legal software services company. Our affiliate company in the UK, Epoq Group Limited has been in business since 1994.  We have won awards for our legal solutions in recognition of our continuing contribution to change, and have achieved extensive press coverage over the years.  By pushing the boundaries of delivery technology, Epoq has helped pioneer radical changes to the legal industry. Epoq's ongoing investment in legal services has led to the evolution of an unrivalled set of technologies, processes and relationships, enabling us to deliver on our original vision and realize the benefits of using the Internet as a platform for the delivery of legal services.

Between the US and the UK we have over 35 full-time professionals dedicated to this enterprise. Key members of our US management team and described here, and our UK management team, here.

We are committed to the values of enabling a responsive and innovative legal profession that provides legal access to all; the success of our law firm clients in terms of client acquisition and client retention, excellent customer service, a creative and supportive work environment for all of our employees, and a reasonable financial return to our shareholders for our efforts. Most of our employees have been with us ten years or more.