Issue Date: June 3, 2001
Where on the Web
Let your computer be your lawyer
When Robert and Jessie Rosa of Coventry, Conn., celebrated the birth of triplets last year, one serious thought occurred to them amid all the excitement: They needed a will. "We had to make sure things were in place in case anything happened to us," says Robert Rosa, 31, a health care consultant. "But with triplets, we didn't have time to get out of the house to see a lawyer." Instead, Rosa found MyCounsel.com, a fee-for-service Web site that hooked him up with a local lawyer and a living will for a fixed price of $300.
Why turn to the Web for life-altering legal advice? Convenience, speed, instant referrals and savings. (Rosa figures he saved $300 by using MyCounsel instead of an hourly-rate lawyer.) "People want to feel empowered," says Nathan Gilliland, a founder of MyCounsel.com. "They want more control and more information."
But while do-it-yourselfers may be tempted to take the law into their own hands -- going online for info on an employment contract or an imminent divorce -- it's important to know when to consult a professional. As an online lawyer, Martha Keller cautions people to distinguish between one-size-fits-all advice and personalized help. "The fill-in-the-blank things just don't cover every situation," she says.
If you go online for legal help, keep in mind ...
For answers to specific questions, try LawOpinion.com, where lawyers respond to queries for $39.95 a pop.
Use a site with a prescreened network of lawyers, like MyCounsel.com, or look up credentials at Lawyers.com.
For a comprehensive compendium of info, try FindLaw.com.
By Contributing Editor Rula Razek, editor of the Internet Cool Guide books
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