NJ Says No: Court Decision Renews Online Legal Services Debate
A recent decision from three New Jersey Supreme Court committees raised concerns over legal service plans from Avvo, LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer.
July 11, 2017 at 02:07 PM
9 minute read
Online legal service providers are no strangers to controversy . Renewing debate around the ethics of these plans, three committees of the New Jersey Supreme Court issued a joint opinion barring the state's attorneys from participating in legal service programs offered by Avvo Inc., LegalZoom.com Inc. and Rocket Lawyer Inc.
The opinion, issued by the New Jersey Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics, Committee on Attorney Advertising and the Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law, determined that two Avvo services constituted improper fee-splitting. LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer offered permissible service plans, the opinion found, but were not properly registered with the court in keeping with the state's rules of professional conduct. Both companies have since registered their legal service plans with the Administrative Office of the Courts and resumed operation of their plans.
The Lawyer's Place
The June 21 opinion was in response to a request from the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) for a formal opinion on the ethics of lawyer participation in services offered specifically by the three companies. Robert Hille, president of the NJSBA, said that the bar was prompted to request a formal opinion by members' questions about whether they could ethically participate in the programs.
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