Hiring a dependable online legal service is an excellent place to start with free or inexpensive guidance before investing money in long-term legal counsel.
To help you make the wisest choice, we teamed up with our great team of attorneys and evaluated the best online legal services available.
Here's a detailed review of the top eight legal services, including their pricing, service features, pros, and cons.
Rocket Lawyer
LegalZoom
Northwest Registered Agent 8 Best Legal Services (May 2023)
1 - Rocket Lawyer (Editor's Choice)
1000+ Reviews
Around 25 million customers have received online legal services from Rocket Lawyer since its launch in 2008.
You can start your membership in Rocket Lawyer with a seven-day trial that you can cancel any time before the following billing cycle.
Rocket Lawyer offers various technical legal forms as one of the best companies in the online legal services industry. Depending on your specific needs, you can access multiple documents when you log in.
In our experience, we accessed their Lawyer On Call service for real-life legal counsel. The way it works is that Rocket Lawyer will connect you with the appropriate local attorney for a 30-minute phone consultation if your legal question cannot be resolved online.
Individuals with complicated legal issues who need more assistance may decide to keep working with that lawyer at a 40% hourly discount.
- Premium Membership ($39.99/month + state fees) : As a Rocket Lawyer monthly subscriber, you'll get access to customizable legal documents, unlimited Rocket Sign electronic signature, contact with actual attorneys, Document Defense, and 30-minute phone call consultations.
- Legal Documents (39.99 per form) : With this service, non-members can access different legal documents offered by Rocket Lawyer.
- Ask A Lawyer Service ($49.99 per question) : This feature allows non-subscribers to call attorneys from Rocket Lawyer and ask different legal questions.
- Registered Agent Service ($125 + state fees) : Rocket Lawyer will act as your own resident agent and receive service of process and legal notices on your behalf.
- Top rating online reviews
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Diverse offerings
- Great team of licensed local attorneys
- Helpful customer care team
- Costly subscription
2 - LegalZoom
1000+ Reviews
LegalZoom is an online legal company that has served over 2 million businesses since its launch. This company mainly offers three services: business formation, wills and trusts, and intellectual property.
In our experience, accessing legal documents was easy with LegalZoom because of their straightforward online forms and affordable flat-rate costs that start at only $29.
These documents permit countless modifications, and if you're unhappy with the finished product, you can contact customer support within 60 days to receive a complete refund.
This online legal service provider stands out in terms of customer support. During weekdays, phone support agents are accessible for 14 hours per day, and on weekends, they are available for 9 hours per day.
It's a bummer that LegalZoom offers limited day-to-day accounting solutions to business owners.
- Economy Package (Beginning at $79/year) : Business name check and filing, preparation and filing of articles of incorporation, lifetime customer support, and financial account authorization letter.
- Basic Package ($329/year) : Deluxe corporate document organizer, formal certificates for 20 members, and company seal.
- Express Gold Package ($349/yr) : VIP processing and quick shipment of business papers.
- Registered Agent Service ($299/year) : Unrestricted cloud storage, compliance orders, and company data protection are all included.
- Estate Plan Bundle ($249) : Besides attorney consultations, you get a living and last will, financial power of attorney, and a living trust.
- Copyright Registration ($114+ state filing fees) : This service allows small business owners to bulletproof their intellectual property so that people don't benefit from it without permission.
- Long-standing industry expertise
- A comprehensive set of legal services
- 60-day refund policy
- Excellent customer service
- Rigorous upselling
3 - Northwest Registered Agent
1000+ Reviews
Northwest Registered Agent, an online legal services company launched in 1998, has offered legal services to more than 3 million businesses across the United States.
This legal company offers free legal documents, including membership and stock certificates, operating agreements, and articles of incorporation.
Northwest Registered Agent has prompt and professional customer service available during regular business hours and is reachable via phone.
When we signed up, we received a Northwest Corporate Guide who answered all our questions about starting and running a business.
We could reach our Guide via phone, email, and the online support form, and they responded within 2 hours.
This online legal website also offers an EIN registration service for tax filing and hiring employees [1].
They can apply for a standalone EIN or combine the application with your business formation if you plan to launch an LLC, C-Corp, or S-Corp.
Still, we were disappointed with the high price points that Northwest Registered Agent offers compared to other online legal services.
- Business Formation ($39 + state fees) : Northwest charges this flat rate to form any company, whether an LLC, a corporation, or a nonprofit.
- Registered Agent Service ($125) : This plan includes annual report filing alerts, business addresses, mail forwarding and scanning, and locally scanned legal files.
- Law on Call ($9) : This service allows Utah residents to access legal advice from attorneys via phone.
- EIN Filing ($50) : If you don't have the time to go through the application steps, you can pay Northwest to do the legwork.
- Solid client data privacy
- Professional customer service team
- No hidden charges
- Top A+ customer ratings on better business bureau
- Expensive add-ons
4 - IncFile
IncFile is an online legal service that specializes in business formation.
IncFile provides top-tier services at prices that are unmatched in the sector. Their most basic bundle costs customers $0 (plus state fees).
IncFile provides registered agent and LLC creation services and accounting and compliance services, including drafting operating agreements, filing annual reports, and registering for EINs for your business entity.
Thanks to their user-friendly design, you can purchase IncFile's services online. Guided snippets display on the screen when filling out the form, and a live chat box allows you to communicate with a representative.
After our registration for IncFile legal services, a tax professional provided a free, one-hour consultation to address our legal issues.
The fact that Incfile only offers a few services is their sole drawback. For example, they don't provide legal documents or legal consulting plans.
Additionally, their customer service hours are limited and unavailable on weekends.
- Silver Package ($0 + state fees) : This bundle has filing certificates of formation, business name searches, business bank accounts, access to online legal documents, and free resident agent service for the first year.
- Gold Plan ($149 + state fees) : Has Silver plan features, plus banking resolution, tax consultations, ongoing legal support, EIN registration, Operating Agreement, and legal document express shipping.
- Platinum Plan ($299 + state fees) : Apart from gold plan features, the platinum package also offers Business contracts, business domain, hosting, personal documents, fast FedEx delivery, and a business formation kit.
- Registered Agent Service ($119) : Each package includes a free resident agent service in the first year. After that, it may be renewed for $119.
- Affordable legal coverage
- Company filings are stored in digital formats
- Automatic lifetime compliance notifications
- No option to retain a lawyer
- Restricted intellectual property legal services
5 - ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness is an online legal service that has formed over 100,000 businesses since its launch in 2015.
Suppose you're an entrepreneur and seeking legal counsel.
In that case, ZenBusiness may help you plan by providing tools for analyzing your industry, estimating expenses, creating your brand, and determining the best business structure.
ZenBusiness' user-friendly platform makes it simple to launch a new business. It provides quick processing and Worry-Free Compliance to alleviate the burden of setting up a company and keep you on schedule.
Like most online legal services, ZenBusiness also offers high-quality auditing services. We appreciate how they handled our bookkeeping, payroll duties, invoices, and day-to-day accounting solutions effectively.
Unfortunately, ZenBusiness doesn't include registered agent services in its service features. It's only available as an add-on which is quite expensive as well.
- Starter Plan ($0 + state fees) : This basic plan includes regular processing speed, expense tracking, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
- Pro Plan ($199+ state fees) : Has starter plan features plus operating agreement, rush processing, and worry-free compliance.
- Premium Plan ($299+ state fees) : Has pro plan features plus business domain registration and hosting, email address, and customizable corporate website.
- Registered Agent Services ($199) : This is the cost of hiring a registered agent without the other services.
- Worry-free compliance
- Streamlined user platform
- Faster processing
- Plans lack resident agent services
- Doesn't offer company seals
6 - Harbor Compliance
Harbor Compliance is an online legal service founded in 2012 and has provided compliance solutions to over 20,000 businesses, organizations, and NGOs.
This online legal service offers a demo account we signed up for to test their services before subscribing to the paid options.
Its same-day processing is a good option if you need legal counsel as quickly as possible.
Harbor Compliance has an individual formation package with all the basics of forming a business, including name searches and verifications.
However, this service is relatively expensive, costing $399. Unlike its competitors, Harbor Compliance does not provide more affordable packages or the option of customizing services.
- Full Formation Service ($399) : This comprehensive LLC business formation service includes filing articles of organization, name search, operating agreement, and free 1-year registered agent service.
- Registered Agent Service ($99) : It's free for the first year and then renews for this amount annually.
- Personalized customer service
- Same-day legal processing
- Free registered agent service for a year
- Outdated website service
- It is expensive
7 - FileNow
Since 2018, FileNow has provided legal services to assist in creating many businesses with its professional team of attorneys, tax specialists, and entrepreneurs.
It features a company formation wizard that allows you to decide the type of entity to form after answering a few basic questions on the platform.
This service offers same-day processing, so all your documents will be handled in less than 24 hours.
In our experience, all our legal documents were processed electronically; hence, tracking, downloading, and editing them as needed was easier.
FileNow also offers a 100% money-back guarantee within 30 days if you're dissatisfied with their legal services.
The only downside to this legal service is its few add-on services; it doesn't offer tax services or annual reporting.
- Starter ($49 +state fees) : Includes filing articles of organization, unlimited phone & email assistance, e-delivery of state papers, online order status tracking, and unlimited name search.
- Premium ($ 199+ state fees) : Includes starter plan features plus company alerts, business tax consultation, business banking account, and a free year of registered agent.
- EIN ($75) : With this plan, they'll apply for a tax ID on behalf of your company.
- Operating agreement ($50) : Filenow will draft an operating agreement for your company to govern its internal and external transactions [2].
- Transparent pricing
- Live 24/7 customer care
- Authentic refund policy
- No tax services
- No annual reporting services
8 - LegalShield
LegalShield, founded in 1972, is an online legal service offering its clients a low-cost monthly legal representation.
The individual monthly legal plan from LegalShield offers free legal document evaluations and consultations with licensed attorneys.
We also had access to services for estate planning and creating mortgage documents.
LegalShield will offer you, counsel, in cases involving traffic infractions, family law, and tax audits, among other things.
You will also receive a 25% discount on a firm's usual hourly costs if you require legal counsel for additional reasons. And You are also automatically covered for the expense of your spouse and dependent children.
Although using a monthly subscription model, LegalShield does not need a long-term commitment. You can cancel anytime and receive a proportionate refund for unused days.
Nevertheless, it would help if you understood that some benefits don't apply to pre-existing conditions.
For instance, if you enroll in LegalShield the day after receiving a ticket, you won't be able to take advantage of the plan's benefits for traffic violations.
- Individuals and Families Legal Plan ($24.95/ month) : This individual plan includes phone consultations, 24/7 emergency access, document review, tax audit services, traffic assistance, estate planning, driver's license assistance, and more.
- Small Business Legal Plan (starts at $49/ month) : This plan offers designated consultations, tax audit services, collection letters, and business research advice.
- Start A Business ($149 + state fees) : This service plan offers everything you need to start a business entity, for example, name search and registration, LLC formation, EIN registration, and more.
- Trial Defense ($9.95 / month) : If summoned to a court trial, you get pre-trial counsel and advice.
- Monthly plans are affordable
- Access to 24/7 support live chat features
- User-friendly scheduling app
- Costly additional services
- No free trial
Our Selection Process
Here's an in-depth description of our selection process to help you understand how we independently evaluated each of the legal services in our list.
1. Service Features
We looked at each online legal service and selected the best package features.
We chose these eight legal services that provide practical and crucial service elements for all kinds of business structures, such as access to attorneys for legal advice, comprehensive legal representation, quick and straightforward compliance, and valuable tax audit alternatives.
2. Turnaround Time
During our review, we searched for a legal service with a speedy turnaround, ideally less than 5 business days.
Also, we placed orders with several suppliers and compared those that provided express delivery to different states.
To finish your business formation and compliance processes as soon as possible, you, as a business owner, want to pick a legal service provider with the quickest turnaround.
3. Customer Service
We ensured these online legal services offer superior expertise, meticulous attention to detail, and prompt responses.
We verified this by contacting several support teams by phone, email, and chat and evaluating how quickly and competently they answered us.
4. Pricing
To decide which legal service or package offers the most value for the money, we evaluated the various pricing techniques when reviewing online legal service providers in the US.
After registering for several packages, we assessed the ones we believed to be the most reasonably priced while still offering the fundamental legal representation that company owners want to stay compliant with.
Which Best Online Legal Service Should You Hire?
By working with an online legal service, you may reap the benefits of attorney representation and sound counsel while limiting your overall cost structures.
After reviewing different best legal services, Rocket Lawyer is our number one recommendation.
This affordable online legal service offers the highest caliber legal expertise and respectable counsel.
Rocket Lawyer provides comprehensive legal services whether you need to start a business, get a lease agreement template, or a prenuptial agreement.
Additionally, combining Rocket Lawyer's offshore workforce with your in-house legal team will allow you to complete projects on schedule and avoid costly legal mistakes in your business.
Our #1 Recommendation
Rocket Lawyer
- Top rating online reviews
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Diverse offerings
- Great team of licensed local attorneys
- Helpful customer care team
- Get the BEST PRICE until the end of May
- Costly subscription
