|
|
Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! |  |
|
Download a template or see a lawyer?
| Guest post by: Michael Smyth |
Article Overview: You are about to enter into a business deal but you have been burned before: you know you need a legal agreement to protect your interests but you are faced with a dilemma. Do you trawl the internet for a template and fix it up yourself, or do you see a lawyer and risk a bill for $1000s? This is a dilemma faced by business owners every day and increasing numbers are looking to the internet for help. There is a good reason why.
 |
Free Download - Download a template or see a lawyer? By Michael Smyth |
Download a template or see a lawyer?
You are about to enter into a business deal but you have been burned before: you know you need a legal agreement to protect your interests but you are faced with a dilemma. Do you trawl the internet for a template and fix it up yourself, or do you see a lawyer and risk a bill for $1000s? This is a dilemma faced by business owners every day and increasing numbers are looking to the internet for help. There is a good reason why.
The internet has changed everything
Before the internet, knowledge was power. But now, knowledge can be acquired at the click of a mouse. Type a search term into Google and it will produce pages of references for you to scour for what you need. Many businesses and industries have adapted to this internet revolution. They realise that it's not what you know, but what you do with that knowledge and how you package it that matters to their customers. For example, I could learn how to build a car from searching the internet, but I will still buy from Audi, BMW etc because their product will be much better than anything I can produce. I can also diagnose my own illness from the internet, but it won't stop me going to a doctor.
Lawyers haven't figured this out yet
The majority of lawyers on the other hand haven't figured out this simple truth that knowledge of the law no longer gives them their competitive advantage. They still believe that their competitive advantage lies in their precedent library of legal documents (which probably have been copied from other lawyers anyway!). There is no doubt that their library is valuable intellectual property, but their clients want more because it is what they do with that template to tailor it for the client's specific needs that adds real value to the service delivered. But since lawyers put so much stock in the template library, they don't make these templates available to anyone: they are kept under lock and key.
But the public wants templates!
Just because lawyers keep their templates under lock and key isn't going to stop the public wanting them. So, non-lawyers have come up with the idea of selling templates on the internet very cheaply. This annoys lawyers because they perceive it devalues their profession (and at $30 a download they are probably right). But remember that the value to the client is tailoring the template to suit the client's specific needs. If the client tries to tailor the document herself and gets it wrong the damage could run into $1000s. Admittedly, some documents, for example employment agreements, are easier to tailor than others (although I have seen plenty of employers come unstuck with restraint of trade clauses). But other documents require much care, skill and experience to get right.
Now, your ‘non-lawyer internet download retailer' doesn't care whether you stuff it up and isn't going to help you get it right: that's not part of the service. Everything you download is at your own risk.
So where does this leave the business owner who needs that legal document?
Welcome to the future of legal services
This problem will only be solved when the legal profession makes this mental shift and unlocks their template libraries to the general public. Then the client can buy a template from a lawyer, have a go at tailoring it for their needs and then get the lawyer to check it and make any final amendments to make sure the client hasn't made any fatal errors. Such an approach saves the lawyer time and the client cost: it represents a middle ground between the ridiculously cheap $30 download with all its inherent dangers and the fully lawyer tailored document which costs $1000s.
Now for some good news and for some bad news. Bad news first: any wide scale change of this nature by the legal profession will be a long time coming. That's because the legal fraternity is stuck in the old mindset and they hate change. But the good news is that there is a lawyer website which is doing this already by offering an online library of legal templates plus a follow up service where you can get a real lawyer to check over any documents you put together using a template from the library. I will leave you to guess which website this is and to find the Secret Library for yourself.
Wills: Software Package vs. Lawyer
Mistakes To Avoid When Using Web Templates
Easy Way to Make a Website
Improve Usability of Your Website
Entrepreneurs – How Do You Find A Lawyer For Your Company?
Governing your Corporate Website
Customizing Joomla! Web Templates
PROPERTY LIFE LESSONS 3 – Part 1
Creating Your Website Using Web Templates
Show Responsibility with a Sustainability Report
Website Templates Streamlining an Online Business Image
Have you listed all your delivery processes? What did you learn?
Why I Cant Answer Your Email
Lesson #4: Learning by Doing is the Better Way
Writing and Publishing eBooks Made Easy #11 - Using eBooks To Get Traffic To Your Web Site
Web Hosting Templates
Running Effective & Actionable Meetings
How to Find New Customers – our highly acclaimed white paper
Going Green Paperless Books
Why You Should Use Graphic Templates
Article Tags: future, internet, lawyer, legal agreement, template
|
About the Author: Michael Smyth RSS for Michael's articles - Visit Michael's website Click here to visit Michael's website   How to get an employee to resign How to get your customers or clients to pay up THE TOP 5 HIDDEN DANGERS FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING Defamation and the risk with online forums Why you need to get your legal agreements sorted for 2011 |
Related Forum Posts
No lawyers!
- Hi, Kevin
Didn't mean to mislead you. I have no lawyer! My business isnt' the type that requires it.
I'm sure your lawyer is very good.
My reaction is simply that nobody should be worth $250 an hour. (Except sports players, of course.) I appreciate that they charge what the market will bear...I appreciate that that's capitalism....but I still don't like it....
Picking a corporate lawyer
- Hi Everyone,
I was just curious to know what's the most important criteria a small business owner should look at when choosing a corporate lawyer?
-Cost/hr?
-Location?
-Reputation/Referral?
-Experience?
-Personality?
How did you pick your lawyer? And what's a fair price to pay per hour?
Thanks
Re: Opening a Boutique
- You need immigration lawyer in Australia to answer these questions. You can google "Australian Immigration lawyer" to check the best out.
Patent
- Hi Robert,
You said say Frank is a lawyer. How well do you know him/her? I just think, if you don't know him/her very well, there is a possibility he would draft the contract for his own beneft.
Would it be better to contact an independent lawyer? Just a thought.
Regards
Beat
"Unlock People's Potentialsl!"
Re: Joomla Now Has A GetResponse Module
- Hi David,
I too tried and gave up with Joomla, I just couldn't get on with it. Unlike you I didn't stick with the original PIPS site, I created my own with Dreamweaver and a free template that I modified (now toally unlike the original template). This of course is down to personal choice.
It is good news though for Joomla users and GetReponse subscrribers that there is a module they can use. I know quite a few people who do use both.
Take care,
Carol
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
Featured Article
Toronto Real Estate & Mortgage Trend and Market – What is the Current Outlook?
by: Canada Mortgage, Mortgage Canada Rates
by: Canada Mortgage, Mortgage Canada Rates
Build Your List with Joint Venture Giveaway Events
May 2012 Top 100 Social Media Experts to Follow on Twitter
What to measure to be phenomenally successful in business
10 mistakes of media relations
Making Money Blogging Can Be Tons Of Fun 
Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Popular Articles
The Pure FUN of Learning & Using NLP
How to develop the best lateral thinking skills
Five Ways to Show Honest Appreciation
The Pure FUN of Learning & Using NLP
How to develop the best lateral thinking skills
Five Ways to Show Honest Appreciation
Suggestions
Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.
Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.