Why focus just on attorneys? Why not make it more generic for any type of consulting that would fit this type of model? Accounting/CPA/Taxes seems like the next fit.
How do you plan on competing with Avvo, RocketLawyer, and LegalZoom (all of them also offer attorney referral services)? Or are you planning on not competing with them and serving more of a niche market?
I think focussing specifically on facilitating the initial consultation means the product can create a better experience for people looking for legal advice - scheduling, video chat, free consultations, and a bunch of other little details. We'll leave the DIY document creation to others.
Note that a lawyer referral service is defined as: "'Lawyer Referral Service' means an individual,
partnership, corporation, association, or any other
entity, or a service or agency of an entity, which
operates for the direct or indirect purpose of referring
potential clients to lawyers, whether or not the term
'referral service' is used."
I imagine other states have similar licensing requirements.
My understanding is that the company does not need to register as a referral service, in the same way that Yelp or the Yellow Pages are also not referral services. We're making a point not to recommend any particular lawyers so as not to qualify as the type of service we would need to register for.
I was just telling my doctor this morning how ZocDoc has made me substantially more likely to book an appointment because I can do it without a phone, and using an interface that was well designed (instead of what hospitals themselves would probably come up with).
