Wizilegal - A New SaaS Virtual Law Firm Provider Focuses Its Target
Wizilegal, a relatively new company based in San Diego is offering a virtual law firm service to solos and small law firms. The company recently relaunched its web site with a focus on enabling law firms to compete against LegalZoom. Like DirectLaw, Wizilegal offers web-enabled document automation that enables law firms to offer legal documents and forms through a law firm's web site. It is good to see new competition come into this market space because it is healthy sign that the "virtual law firm" concept is receiving wider acceptance among solos and small law firms.
We have previously defined the "virtual law firm" as a law firm that has a secure "client portal" integrated with its web site that is accessible by a client only with the use of a secure user name and password. From this "client portal", the law firm is able to offer various legal services online.
A number of companies have emerged during the past two years that offer a "client portal" that can be branded with the law firm's logo and integrated seamlessly with the law firm's web site. Typically, the client portal is provided as a SaaS on a subscription basis. These companies include DirectLaw, Total Attorney's Virtual Law Office Technology, Clio's Web-based Practice Management Software, and now Wizilegal. These companies are to be distinguished from web-based practice management software companies like RocketMatter , that offer just "back-office" practice management tools, but no "client portal." application.
Here is a quick summary of key features of the Wizilegal offering:
- A web-enabled document authoring solution that is claimed to be very easy to use. (But no pre-automated legal documents or forms are included in their package). The document automaton function incorporates intelligent rule-based document assembly and can be applied to both text documents and .PDF forms. Interactive questionnaires appear within the web browser. I have not worked with this system, so I can't tell how easy it is to build out complex documents and forms. We welcome comments from users of Wizilegal about ease of use of the authoring system.
- The capability of offering document downloads and reviews;
- Integrated payment processing through PayPal. (but not through MC, VISA, or American Express);
- The capacity to create a law-firm branded client portal;
- Law firms can set up their own system almost immediately using the the company's web tools.
- Pricing is based on a $49.00 set up fee, plus $65.00 a month with no long term contract. In addition for every document created by a client there is a $4.00 per document charge. There is no document charge for documents created internally, but for each administrative log-on there is a separate $55.00 administrative fee.
As competition increases in the virtual law firm provider space, it will be interesting to see how much market share Wizilegal will be able to capture with its approach. It will also be interesting to see whether a new cadre of web-enabled "virtual law firms" offering a true legal services will be able to have an impact on LegalZoom's growth rate. With LegalZoom's superior capital resources and national branding power, it may be hard for individual law firms operating online to capture mind share. Out of date ethical rules that govern the legal profession don't help the competitive position of law firms when they go up against new non-law firm players like LegalZoom. So the playing field is not level and the legal profession operates from a disadvantage.
It doesn't help when Robert Shapiro of OJ fame, is proclaiming every few hours on many cableTV channels that "The Law is on Your SIde". What does that mean anyway?
