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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    5,460

    Low-cost lawyers?

    I've already made a rough-draft of my TOS myself, but of course, I need a lawyer to look at it.. is there any way to get one to read it over for a low fee since it's already written, or would I have to:
    a) Pay a lawyer full price.
    b) Use my upstream provider's TOS.

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    The South
    Posts
    5,408
    c) all of the above?

    You should go ahead and pay a lawyer to look it over, last time I had a lawyer read a document for me it costed me $55, it was a power of attorney and a couple other matters so my dad could handle some stuff for me while I was in California.

    You should ALSO use your upstream provider's TOS, not "use" it but I would definitely LINK to it. "we use <so and so> for our upstream and this is THEIR TOS which WE are bound to and as a result so are our customers <link>" something like that (of course pretty it up).
    Gary Harris - the artist formerly known as Dixiesys
    resident grumpy redneck

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    5,460
    I see, that's a good idea.. I was assuming that a lawyer would be upwards of $100, and the upstream's would have to be pretty much identical, as if you're bound to the terms, so are your clients, and how much different could they really be..

    Thanks

  4. #4
    As an attorney, I can tell you that writing the document yourself first and then wanting a fee discount "because you've already done all the work" isn't a very good strategy for saving money.

    I don't work in this area, but I charge people the same (or more) if they've "already done the work themselves" versus letting me work with document templates I'm already familiar with and have put time & effort into perfecting.

    It's easier for an attorney who works in the subject area to use a document he or she has already drafted and modify it slightly to fit your case than it is for them to spend a long time reading your document and then comparing it to a checklist to see if you've hit all of the important points and make sure that you haven't done anything stupid.

    Think about it this way - is it easier for you to duplicate a known-working configuration, or for you to analyze someone else's setup, and then tell them (without trying it on a computer) whether or not it's going to be successful?

    Paying for a legal document isn't like paying for a web template - when you pay an attorney to draft something for you, you've got them on the hook for malpractice liability if you follow their advice and get hosed, and you may (depending on the fee agreement and which state you're in) have a right to expect them to warn you in the future if circumstances change such that you ought to modify the existing document. You also get to call them and ask questions (not necessarily for free).

    If you don't want those additional things, then it makes more sense to just copy someone else's TOS and figure that you're saving money up front but maybe someday you'll have to pay because the one-size-fits-all solution didn't fit you very well.

    Or, if you do want those things, you ought to be prepared to pay for them. If you want to go after your attorney's malpractice carrier if things get screwed up, you need to be paying your attorney enough that they can afford malpractice insurance.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    1,435
    You might try consulting your local yellow pages and calling some with an inquiry of the amount they would charge to perform such a matter.

    Regards,
    Waylon

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    West Michigan, USA
    Posts
    9,687
    gbroiles - where are you located?

    --Tina
    ||| 99.999% Uptime SLA!!!
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    www.AEIandYou.com - - (WP Friendly - Premium Reseller Hosting and Cheap Dedicated Servers)

  7. #7
    If you are looking for a cheap lawyer - look up Leonard J. Crabbs

  8. #8
    Another option is prepaidlegal.com . I'm seriously considering this... it's a monthly fee to have legal services, and they will do some many documents per month as part of the flat amount. I think for a small business, it is under $40/month. I'm not affiliated with these guys, just considering using them.
    Mike Collins
    PDAPhoneHome - Get Converged! : NorthEastFoto - Take a Picture!

  9. #9
    Greetings:

    Your local area chamber of commerce should be able to direct you to an attorney who can fit your needs.

    Thank you.
    ---
    Peter M. Abraham
    LinkedIn Profile

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    98
    That is what my parents have for the whole family.
    I never knew I could use them for my business though.

    Will talk to dad tonight then
    Thanks for the tip mccollin
    Dimitry

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    7,954
    A prepaid legal service is a good idea for any small business or indivdual. You are allocated some documents/phone calls per year. You also recieve a discount on additional services. The company I am enrolled in uses local law firms so I can and meet with someone in my area.

  12. #12
    I think that PrePaidLegal.com hooks you up with someone in your area, but I'm not positive. Their small business plan is different from their personal plan.
    Mike Collins
    PDAPhoneHome - Get Converged! : NorthEastFoto - Take a Picture!

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    794
    A prepaid legal solution may be beneficial for small businesses, however, there is nothing like having a local lawyer look at everything and make sure it's all sound. It's the best way to go, but it's not the only way. Good luck.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    1,100
    Originally posted by 93.3
    A prepaid legal solution may be beneficial for small businesses, however, there is nothing like having a local lawyer look at everything and make sure it's all sound. It's the best way to go, but it's not the only way. Good luck.
    I believe PrePaidLegal will set you up with a local lawyer.... I have yet to use their services (thinking about it), however, I am pretty sure that is what they do.
    HostGator.com - A worldwide leader in Shared, Reseller, VPS and Dedicated Server Hosting.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    794
    Oh, I must have misunderstood, I thought that they had their own lawyers working for you. Sorry.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Europe
    Posts
    135
    Originally posted by freakysid
    If you are looking for a cheap lawyer - look up Leonard J. Crabbs

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    794
    LOL...didn't even bother clicking on the link until now, I'll defineately consider him to be my lawyer.

  18. #18
    Originally posted by Taylor
    I believe PrePaidLegal will set you up with a local lawyer.... I have yet to use their services (thinking about it), however, I am pretty sure that is what they do.

    Thats correct - they assign local lawyers..

    we use prepaid legal - great for checking/writing contracts - initiating legal action or defending us from legal action - you get a certain number of hours work free every month, then you get billed at a reduced rate -

    Overall, it has been worth the money...
    www.cartika.com
    www.clusterlogics.com - You simply cannot run a hosting company without this software. Backups, Disaster Recovery, Big Data, Virtualization. 20 years of building software that solves your problems

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    794
    Anyone know a good Canadian solution similar to that?

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Yuba City, CA
    Posts
    358
    This topic is something I'm familiar with as I'm still a Pre-Paid Legal rep, and client as well...

    Pre-Paid Legal is available in much of Canada, not sure if its all provinces, I can't remember, but I know several of them for sure...

    PPL has one main provider firm in each state, so the lawyer might not be in your city, but they will be in your state. Most of the services you get from PPL are easily provided by toll free phone, or mailing/faxing documents (some might allow email too).

    In those cases where you need a local lawyer, such as to represent you in a traffic ticket court appearance, they will hire a local attorney from your area for that.

    I've had good results with my PPL service, its been helpful on several occasions when I had disputes with another party that were not getting resolved. Having a lawyer step in and write a letter does wonders for these situations.

    If anyone needs more clarification on something, I might be able to answer your question.

    David

  21. #21
    Hi David,

    I would advertise your ability to resell prepaid legal on these forums. I think you would get alot of interest. We have been approached to also provide these services, but honestly, we've got enough on our plate.

    As of last month, it was available in most of Cananda with plans to make it available across Canada (may already be done). If I recall, even if it isnt available in your province, you can still utilize it, you would just need to correspond with an attourney from a neighbouring province.

    Hope this helps.
    www.cartika.com
    www.clusterlogics.com - You simply cannot run a hosting company without this software. Backups, Disaster Recovery, Big Data, Virtualization. 20 years of building software that solves your problems

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Yuba City, CA
    Posts
    358
    I'll see about posting it in the Advertising forums, with a link to my site, probably not a bad idea.

    David

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    794
    I don't see where it says on their site, know if they have it in Alberta?

  24. #24
    Hi 93.3 - yup, they sure do

    Hey, I do alot of work in Alberta - are you an oilers or a flames fan ?
    www.cartika.com
    www.clusterlogics.com - You simply cannot run a hosting company without this software. Backups, Disaster Recovery, Big Data, Virtualization. 20 years of building software that solves your problems

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    5,460
    A month later, but very interesting information!

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