A new online service offering legal advice for as little as £4.99 has been launched, with contributions from lawyers from UK top 50 firms including Macfarlanes, Withers and Shoosmiths.

LexSnap – the brainchild of Swiss lawyer Tetiana Bersheda (pictured) – gives users access to a online library of answers to frequently asked legal questions, as well a series of video 'tutorials' on subjects such as alternative dispute resolution, immigration and wealth planning.

Answers to the frequently asked questions are priced at either £4.99 or £9.99, with package deals for multiple queries also available. The answers to the questions have been provided by lawyers at one of the site's three partner firms, which Bersheda declined to name.

Meanwhile, the video tutorials, which are free to view, have been provided by Macfarlanes immigration head James Perrott, Shoosmiths family partner Peter Morris, Withers divorce and family partner Suzanne Kingston, and Farrer & Co knowledge lawyer Sara Hunt.

Clients can also submit new questions, which are sent out to the site's network of lawyers, who then have a 48-hour window to offer a fixed fee to answer the question. LexSnap is paid a commission on new questions answered through the platform, as well as an introduction fee for referrals when the lawyer is paid by the client.

The platform also offers a lawyer recommendation service, which will aim to match the client's given budget with a suitable adviser.

Bersheda – who is also the sole partner of Swiss boutique Bersheda Avocats – said: "LexSnap is really about making people aware that if they cannot afford to go to a traditional law firm, they can get legal advice. I have seen the challenges for a client in creating a relationship with a lawyer and I thought technology could aid that.

"It is different from just Googling information, because it has been provided by professional lawyers. We only work with lawyers that are registered in England and Wales and we have created a network that will grow. We will look at the areas of expertise that we need and the geographical area they are situated in."

Perrott, who has contributed a number of video tutorials on immigration law and the consequences of Brexit, added: "The idea is that the site sets out typical situations that individuals often come up against, which require legal advice. They can therefore consult the site to obtain answers to these scenarios, which are provided by qualified legal advisers.

"If an individual goes onto the internet to look up the relevant immigration law which applies to their particular situation, what is there is often impenetrable and it is difficult to work out how the law applies to that person's case. The site is not a replacement for a lawyer, but should enable people to be better informed about their legal options before taking advice.

"It will be very interesting to see how the market responds to it because it is certainly an innovative way of delivering legal advice."