Online Legal…

Traditionally, when you needed legal help, you would consult with your lawyer, face-to-face, and the legal service would be delivered on an hourly basis. Lawyers were the interface between clients and the law in this model.

With the emergence of the Internet, it is possible for client’s to gain access to advanced online legal facilities. These facilities contain knowledge of lawyers that is no longer accessed exclusively by consultation with human advisers. These facilities not only generate legal documents, or allow for compliance self assessments to be conducted online, but they also provide legal updates and guidance. This legal guidance is often complementary rather than substitutional. However, in certain instances it can remove the lawyer from the supply chain altogether. These services are often charged, but at a far lower cost than an hourly rate. On closer analysis, that of course is what makes them so attractive to clients.

There is a big difference between the “legal guidance” we have been writing about and “legal information” and “legal advice“. Whilst the concepts appear to be the same, they are very different.

• “Legal information” is any information on a legal issue that is made available: for example on SAFLII or on many law firm web sites.
• With “Legal guidance“, attorneys take the legal information and apply their knowledge, skill and expertise to a generic legal issue, thereby adding enormous value.
• “Legal advice” applies where the same knowledge, skill and expertise is applied, but the difference is that it is applied to a client’s specific legal issue and translates into bespoke assistance.

(Read more here)

Many law firms are reluctant to provide “legal guidance” as they see it as akin to “giving away the family jewels”; “we are not publishers”; “we only do high end work”; “no online system could be as good as a human lawyer”; “client’s want a professional and not some sort of IT-based service”.  Lawyers don’t need to hide their information in order to be valuable. In fact, a lawyers greatest value to any organisation is providing them with information and then enabling them to understand how this information can be applied and utilised in a beneficial manner.

Online Legal

Online Legal provide Legal Guidance. Michalsons Attorneys provide Legal Advice.

Online Legal is an online service which provides legal guidance and documents to individuals and organisations. The aim is to assist them educate themselves on ICT laws and facilitate their compliance with various ICT laws - thereby having the peace of mind that they are always in the know.

With our legal guidance, we do not merely reproduce the latest technology law news, we produce fresh, original and helpful guidance that is applicable to a South African audience.  In addition, King 3 also states that the board and each individual director should be aware of the laws, regulations, rules and standards applicable to the company. Many directors feel that this is an impossible task.  They are really busy and have a million things to do each day. Online Legal gives them the online legal guidance on ICT laws they require. Many of our users find that Online Legal reduces their overall legal bill, because they can often find the solution to their problem on Online Legal rather than having to involve one of the attorneys, which is always more costly.  Currently Online Legal is charging R495 per subscriber per month.

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