Photo: Shutterstock Alternative legal services providers (ALSPs) have taken hits from state bar associations in recent months, battling allegations that the ways they operate violate rules of professional conduct (RPCs). Lawyer ratings have led to complications for ALSPs in the past. In August 2017, the New York State Bar Association issued an opinion declaring Avvo's practice of offering to find clients a lawyer with a money-back guarantee in violation of New York Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 7.2(a), which states: “ A lawyer shall not compensate or give anything of value to a person or organization to recommend or obtain employment by a client, or as a reward for having made a recommendation resulting in employment by a client...” Likewise, both LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer received complaints from several state bar associations over perceived violations of ethics rules involving fee-splitting and referrals . Yet unlike other ALSPs, Gillespie doesn't have plans for expansion into new service areas. “ Every other one of my competitors—literally every single one, Rocket Lawyer to Avvo to Legal Zoom—have a plethora of different legal services. It's find a lawyer, do this, do that, and for somebody who maybe doesn't have an education past high school, that is just overwhelming to them. And most of the time, they have a court paper in their hands they don't understand. So Text A Lawyer removes the option—you don't pick a lawyer. You don't pick anything except a state and legal category.”