Legal proceedings are complex matters where the stakes can be high. Therefore, seeking out legal services can have a large impact on the result of court cases. Many firms even specialize in particular types of law, such as estate planning, family law, or bankruptcy. As previously mentioned, court cases can be complex, which can make it difficult to figure out which lawyer may be best equipped to handle a case.
In recent years, many lawyers have started turning to the Internet to give potential clients a more in-depth understanding of how they operate and how they can help their clients. According to the American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Survey report, 52 percent of attorneys in solo practices and 82 percent of those in offices now have an online presence. Here are just a few reasons why this matters:
- Main source of information for most: The first place most people go when looking for information is to an Internet search engine. Whether it be looking for a restaurant or seeking out legal advice, Google has become a main source of information. Not only can clients find the sites quickly, but websites can hold massive amounts of information at clients’ disposal.
- Clients know they’re in the right place: As stated previously, one of the major advantages of online resources for legal services is that clients know they’re in the right place right off the bat. Most legal websites will explain their specialty on the front page, which will then be followed by more detailed information of how they can help their clients.
- Contact information: The age of the phone book is rapidly coming to an end. Rather than flipping through page after page of phone numbers and addresses, people now want to find contact information with the press of a few keys. The faster that potential clients can find this information, the more likely they are to consult legal services.
Just like any other subject, the key to understanding it is to conduct research. Between 44 percent to 49 percent of Harris poll respondents reported being very to somewhat likely to consult websites that offer legal questions answered by lawyers. The Internet has now widely been accepted as the most effective method to do so, and legal assistance is no exception.