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Find a Lawyer With the Click of a Mouse....!!!

by Seema » Thu Mar 09, 2006 6:08 pm

Find a Lawyer With the Click of a Mouse....!!!

http://www.legalserviceindia.com



For attorneys across the World, the Internet has clients surfing right to

their doors, and finding a lawyer in India too is becoming as easy as a

click of the mouse.



Numerous legal Web sites have cropped up recently, many of which serve as

virtual match-makers between attorneys searching for clients and clients

in need of help. These sites come in various forms, including simple listings,

auctions for legal counsel and referral services.



One new company, however, is taking it a step further.



On Aug30, Legalserviceindia.com, a provider of legal information on the

Internet, launched an affiliate network of law firms and solo practitioners

in India. Potential clients can now be connected to an attorney who specializes

in the area of their specific legal need just by visiting The Web site.



Legalserviceindia.com is just the latest in this recent onslaught of lawyer

listings on the Web, but unlike many other sites, Legalserviceindia.com

limits the members in its network to 100 attorneys per zip code per practice

area. This limiting of members allows clients to have access only to attorneys

who have passed Legalserviceindia.com's selective screening process, and

it gives lawyers a greater opportunity for client generation, company officials

said.



"What we're doing is targeting consumers," said Kevin Choudhury (CEO), "We're

not just a long list of lawyers."



Legalserviceindia.com, which is based in Pune, is using Delhi as a launch

market for its affiliate network of lawyers. Networks are also currently

being formed in Poona, Bangalore, Calcutta, chennai, mumbai, hyderabad.



When visiting Legalserviceindia.com, consumers can search a list of participating

law firms to see which lawyers specialize in their particular needs and

are located in their geographic area. Fourteen Delhi firms have become members,

and eighteen more are waiting to hear whether Legalserviceindia.com will

accept their applications.



"We have lawyers from all over the country e-mailing us, calling us who

want to be a part of our network," said Swapnali, senior member for Legalserviceindia.com



While the potential benefits for clients looking for help are obvious, Kevin

said that participating attorneys have a lot more to gain than simply increased

business. In addition to client generation, Kevin said lawyers benefit by

becoming part of the knowledge network of other lawyers and by gaining access

to Legalserviceindia.com's business consultants and other experts.



A Delhi lawyer Tapan Choudhury, who recently became part of the affiliate

network, these other reasons were almost as important as the client generation,

especially since members of the network all come from smaller firms. Although

he has received "a few nibbles" from clients since the June 1 launch, Tapan

said the site's other features will serve to "level the playing field a

lot for the smaller players." But the access to new clients remains the

strongest selling point to participating lawyers.



"The client generation is the most important," said Tarun Choudhury, another

participating attorney in the affiliate network. "Those other things are

nice fringe benefits."



Tapan and Tarun both said potential clients have already contacted them

since the network was launched more than four weeks ago. By paying a Rs

3000/- activation fee for a one year period , attorneys can become part

of the network and have access to a pool of potential clients created by

visitors to Legalserviceindia.com.



While the affiliate network is a relatively new creation, Legalserviceindia.com

was founded last August as a joint venture between Lawyerssearch.com and

legalservicesindia.com , Two of the biggest websites dealing in legal information.



From the time the Web site was launched last August, Legalserviceindia.com.

has grown leaps and bounds. Now, with the resources in place, the company

introduces its newest feature -- the affiliate network.



According to Vijay (Founding member), most visitors to the site do not even

reach the point where the network comes into play. Many can often solve

their own problems by searching through an on-line library of more than

1,600 articles. Vijay said that this library, which he says is the largest

of its type on the Internet, contains articles written specifically for

consumers and small businesses, not for lawyers.



Another feature of legalservicesindia.com is a document builder, which allows

users to create documents such as wills and contracts by answering several

questions.



The site also offers live one-on-one chats with lawyers, which Purnima (In

charge of German Office-Frankfurt) describes as similar to AOL's instant

messenger service. This feature, however, only allows lawyers to dispense

legal information, not legal advice.



"Some people need to go that extra step and need legal advice," Kevin added.



That is where legalservicesindia.com hopes its lawyer network enters the

picture. By perusing the list of local participating lawyers, users may

find a lawyer in their geographical area who can provide that advice.



Kevin said that the lawyer network is composed primarily of solo practitioners

and small law firms, and that becoming part of the network is a difficult

process. Simply paying Rs 3000/- per month is not enough.



"We are trying to make sure these lawyers are highly ethical," kevin said.

"We ask for three peer references and three client references, and make

sure they're in good standing with the bar."



When the affiliate network first began to form in Delhi, Kevin knew of several

potential members,



"My initial contacts were contacts I knew from my brothers who are practicing

lawyers," kevin said. "After that, a lot of lawyers have contacted us."



Kevin said that legalservicesindia.com is trying to keep involvement limited

to firms with five or fewer lawyers. This restriction, along with limiting

each practice area to 100 attorneys, makes legalservicesindia.com more exclusive

than most other legal services Web sites.



While Kevin estimated that approximately 30 to 35 Mumbai lawyers have expressed

interest in joining the network, he said he expects that number to grow

significantly in the next few years.



University of Pune a law professor said that the network should be able

to especially benefit clients who are not familiar with ways in which to

find a lawyer.



"It's better than consulting young people or going in blind," said Vijay,

who consults legalservicesindia.com on ethical matters. "That's a problem

a lot of young people have."



Kevin said that legalservicesindia.com has received dozens of inquiries

per day From all over the country and that the response in the first few

weeks has exceeded his expectations by far. Kevin said he sees a great potential

for growth.



"The idea is a good one," said Avneet a law graduate (Chennai). "There will

undoubtedly be competition."



And in many ways, there already is. While legalservicesindia.com is the

only service to offer a lawyer network of this magnitude, a number of companies

have starting using Web sites as ways to attract clients.



In addition, Tapan Choudhury a Lawyer said that site, located at legalservicesindia.com,

will soon expand its lawyer directory, although no definitive plans have

been made for it.



"The Internet will play an increasing role for people who know what type

of lawyer they want or just need a little guidance," Tapan said, adding

that many people will still need someone on the phone to walk them through

the process.



While those consumers may be out there, Tapan said that more and more people

are looking to the Internet to buy groceries, clothing and tickets for events.

Looking on-line for lawyers seems like a natural development in the evolving

technological era.



And the success of legalservicesindia.com's network and other new services

may help to determine the future in the way lawyers interact with clients.



"The Internet is no longer the way of the future," Tarun said. "It's the

here and now." [/url]
User avatar
Seema
Registered User
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:50 pm

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