By Legal Futures’ Associates Advantage Consulting
Lawyer 365 is an innovative platform and mobile app to help people get free initial legal advice and find local lawyers. Here is a quick review.
What is Lawyer 365?
Lawyer 365 is a legal app dedicated to finding local lawyers all offering free initial legal consultations. It has a large database of qualified lawyers and it’s becoming very popular in the UK and some claim that it is likely to become a major “disruptor” of the legal sector.
The app offers free initial legal advice consultations on criminal law, immigration law, family law, business law, employment law, intellectual property law, wills and probate, property and conveyancing, contract disputes and personally injury.
How does Lawyer 365 work?
Lawyer 365 app offers two search options for users, a lawyer matchmaking-style service and simplified search based on location.
Search option 1 – “Find a lawyer”
The first option is for those who already know the specific type of legal advice they require such as family or immigration lawyer or if you want to get a conveyancing quote. First you select the type of legal service and then some basic case details on your specific matter before entering your postcode. You will then be matched with a number of lawyers in your area that you can see by phone or video almost immediately- for free.
Search option 2 – “Location” based lawyer search
Alternatively, you can search for a local lawyer or legal professional based on your location. Results can be displayed as a list or on a map and you can filter by the type of advice such as immigration, family, crime, wills, probate, business, employment, property, contracts or personal injury. There are some further options if you want a video or telephone appointment, you can also specify the exact 30-minute appointment slot based on a real-time calendar matching service, or you can select if you want advice from someone with specialist qualifications or accreditations.
Users can also search for specific legal advisers or specific law firms (rather than search the whole market for random lawyers) or alternatively they can link themselves to a specific law firm meaning they will be directed primarily to a team of solicitors in that law firm.
One other important option is the ability to choose a lawyer who has testimonials and ratings by real clients. Users can leave testimonials on lawyer profiles and this helps provide a sense of what they are like to work with.
You can click on each law firm’s profile to see the legal services they offer, its staff, their qualifications. Their profiles will also indicate if they have a verified profile which includes a check against the regulators authorised practitioners database, such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
You can message your preferred lawyer through Lawyer 365 app or request a callback at the time you choose. Each law firm is given a response rating out of five stars which indicates how good they are at responding to enquiries. This can be a valuable indicator when choosing a solicitor to work with as it can be frustrating having to chase up enquiries or having to wait long periods for a reply.
One thing to mention is that Lawyer 365 search function automatically defaults to those “featured” law firms that have paid a fee to them. In order to reveal the full list, you need to tick a box labelled “Show all lawyers available now.”
Lawyer 365 video consultations
Lawyers on the platform can help with almost everything over a video consultation in the same way a traditional lawyer can face to face. Seeing a lawyer on Lawyer 365 app is just like seeing a traditional solicitor, but much more comfortable and convenient. Users do not have to download the app, however this will depend on what device they are using to consult. If they are using a laptop or a computer, then they can have their digital consultation via the web page. If they are using a mobile phone to consult though, they will need to download the app to have the best experience.
The platform and all consultations are completely private and confidential, just as they would be in an office, with SSL technology encrypting and protecting all information transmitted through the platform.
Although users can have a free 30-minute consultation, 90% of clients find that a 15-minute consultation is all they need to resolve their issue. That’s why the appointments are available in 15-minute blocks.
Is Lawyer 365 free?
Lawyer 365 is free for its users. You can make as many searches as you like and book as many initial video consultations with as many lawyers as you like at no cost. The only time you will have to pay fees is if you engage a lawyer for your case and start working with them but that will always be agreed upfront and made transparent to you.
How does Lawyer 365 make money?
Lawyer 365 is funded through the law firms and solicitors who upload profiles to its database. Lawyers can get a free subscription that just includes their basic details, or they can pay to be able to accept and respond to enquiries and track analytics such as seeing how often they appear in searches. Law practices can also pay extra to have their firm appear more prominently in results for certain locations, including featured listings.
Can I trust Lawyer 365?
Lawyer 365 is the latest legal platform in the UK, but they have already built up a respectable and reliable brand used and loved by many people. All solicitors signing up to Lawyer 365 must provide their Solicitors Regulation Authority number to show they are regulated. Lawyer 365 also ensures you get the best lawyers by ensuring that the users can search the whole of market. It will not allow lawyers to be listed who have been sanctioned by the SRA.
Lawyer 365 pros and cons?
Pros of using Lawyer 365
User friendly
Search results are displayed either as a list or in map form so you can easily see how close a lawyer is to you. There are also useful filters so you can choose by features such as legal service type.
Response ratings
It is no use contacting a lawyer who doesn’t check their enquiries. Lawyer 365 gives each solicitor a response rating out of 5 so you know how likely you are to get a response.
Lots of detail
You can learn a lot about the firm of your choice before even making contact or booking an appointment. Each profile will feature headshots and details of staff members, their qualifications, type of advice and how they work.
Cons of using Lawyer 365
Can’t see fees or hourly rates in advance
Knowing how much you might be charged after the free initial consultation if the case proceeds can be an important factor in choosing a lawyer initially but lawyers cannot display their fees in advance, which can make it hard to decide. However, Lawyer 365 initial 30-mins consultation is always free for its users. You can make as many searches as you like and book as many consultations with as many lawyers as you like at no cost. The only time you will have to pay fees is if you formally engage a lawyer for your case and start working with them, but any fees will always be agreed with you upfront and made transparent.
Some lawyers pay to be more prominent
Don’t just opt for the first lawyer you see on the list as they may be paying to be displayed more prominently than others. It is important to click on each profile and actually read about them rather than just choosing who you see first.
Lack of client reviews
Lawyer 365 doesn’t make it mandatory to include client reviews on profiles so not all include this, which can make it hard to choose a solicitor if you don’t know about the experience of others.
Conclusion
Although recently launched and hailed as the “next big thing’ in law, Lawyer 365 has already built a tried and tested method for many people to easily find lawyers and get a free legal consultation from the comfort of their home – through an app. Remember local isn’t always better as many lawyers will be happy to deal with you using Lawyer 365’s video consultation technology but the search engine is an effective and accessible way to find the best lawyer for you in one easy to use app.
