Last Updated on January 27, 2021 by Guest
Online legal documents are becoming the new norm in the changed post-pandemic world. The move to the digital has started a long time ago and new solutions started to appear quite often. However, the recent crisis pushed the move of every conceivable service online at an unprecedented pace. Therefore, not only can you now do your taxes using a web solution but there are dozens of other things you can do as well. There are now multiple companies competing in the online will space as well as services making documents for landlords and many others. Startups of today can benefit greatly from using these services. You might also look at them for inspiration. This industry is growing fast but it still has plenty of room for ambitious projects.
The Rise of Online Legal Documents: Why Is It Going So Fast?
While there is no doubt that legal guidance is essential for startups, it’s a fact that legal services are expensive. This is where online legal documents come into play. They do not replace legal counsel. But they do allow you to save time and money by handling all your basic needs with standardized documents.
These documents might not be a “one size fits all” solution. However, due to the rising demand, the industry is evolving rapidly. These solutions are becoming more sophisticated and capable of serving a wider range of situations.
A few years ago we have all seen this kind of popularity rise with online accounting and tax services. Today using online bookkeeping and doing taxes through a web app has become the norm and now legal documents follow. The main reason for this push is, no doubt, the COVID-19 crisis that has changed people’s behaviors and lives in profound ways. The shift for the digital was the most notable among them.
It has been happening gradually over the last decades. However, forced lockdowns made it impossible for people to complete many routine tasks. One of them is definitely meeting with legal experts.
Online legal documents tried to fill in the void left by mobility restrictions and they shot out. Consumers have finally realized that not only are these services more convenient, they are also reliable. Hence, the dam was broken and it’s certain that preference for online legal forms will continue to grow. It will do so even more as the awareness of this service keeps increasing.
Top Companies Pushing the Online Legal Documents Industry Forward
Leading Developers of Online Wills
The cause for this might be sad, but it’s still a fact that online wills have become extremely popular in the last year. This type of online legal documents service hasn’t had an easy start. To put it simply, wills just weren’t popular enough. According to a 2017 survey, only about 40% of US adults have done any real preparation for estate planning.
However, the situation has changed quite a bit now that’s why online wills have shot up in demand. This pushed the niche to new heights and it’s one of the fastest-growing now. Top companies competing in this space are US LegalWills, NOLO, Total Legal, Trust & Will, USLegal, eForms, LegalZoom, and LawDepot.
Note that some of them specialize in online wills only. But others, like NOLO, offer a wide range of online legal documents. Startup owners might be best served by using the second type of service. These companies usually offer versatile service packages that should be able to meet your various needs. This makes using the service simpler and more cost-efficient.
Top Companies for Intellectual Property Assignment Agreements
Startups that are looking into the possibilities of using online legal documents definitely need to research intellectual property (IP) agreements first. These documents are essential for your business’ protection and they can also be rather standardized.
The last decades were a hot time for tech development. Therefore, companies offering online documents and forms relating to the protection of IP have become very popular earlier compared to online wills. As such, you can find some forms for this kind of agreements at almost every law firm or online legal platform like Lawyered, Eloquens, FindLaw, Ascendle, etc.
But be warned that intellectual property rights are much more convoluted than basic estate management. Therefore, you don’t really benefit much from the fact that there are more eForms for IP agreements compared to online wills. You should always consult a legal expert about the suitability of any standard form for your specific startup.
Best Online Solutions for NDAs
Online NDAs tie in with the intellectual property documents. That’s why they have also become quite popular in the last few years. These agreements’ forms are more straightforward. Therefore, you might be able to trust them more than other online IP-related documents.
The best sources of online NDAs today are LegalZoom, eForms, and SignNow.
Best Online Documents for Landlords
Landlords are people who, probably, benefit from online legal documents most of all. Therefore, if you plan to get your startup involved in real estate, you are in luck. The leaders for property-related legal documents are definitely NOLO and top online legal service providers like RocketLawyer.
These providers offer versatile documents from tenant agreements to specific contracts for a variety of services. As a business owner, you should consider the versatility of these service providers as they can usually help meet many of your legal needs.
Bottom Line: The Future Belongs to Online Legal Documents
Any business that wants to survive and succeed during these difficult times must use every opportunity to diversify its assets and expand. Various online legal documents providers can help you with that by simplifying your route to making changes. They can also help you save quite a bit of money on necessary legal services. This industry is growing and evolving fast. Therefore, a savvy startup owner should keep an eye on it to watch for new solutions that can benefit you. It’s usually best to work with a company that can meet all your startup’s needs from online wills for employees to NDAs for business associates.