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| Rocket Lawyer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rocket Lawyer |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founders | Charley Evans; Shawn Broderick; William T. Harris |
| Headquarters | San Francisco |
| Area served | United States; United Kingdom; France |
| Products | Legal documents; legal advice; online legal services |
| Website | company website |
Rocket Lawyer Rocket Lawyer is an online legal technology company that provides do-it-yourself legal documents, attorney consultations, and incorporation services to individuals and businesses. Founded in 2008, the company operates in multiple jurisdictions and competes in a market alongside LegalZoom, Avvo, Clio (software), UpCounsel. It targets small businesses, startups, and consumers seeking cost-effective access to legal forms and advice.
The company was founded in 2008 during a period marked by growth in online services and startups such as Airbnb, Uber, Dropbox, Stripe, and Square (company). Early funding rounds attracted investors that have backed technology firms like Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and Founders Fund. Rocket Lawyer's expansion included launches in the United Kingdom and France, alongside strategic hires from firms such as eBay, PayPal, Yahoo!, and Microsoft. Over time the firm competed with entities including LegalZoom, Nolo (publisher), Martindale-Hubbell, and FindLaw. Corporate development moves paralleled trends seen with Intuit, H&R Block, Thomson Reuters, and LexisNexis as legal services migrated online.
Rocket Lawyer provides document generation and legal support comparable to offerings by LegalZoom, Nolo (publisher), DocuSign, HelloSign, and Adobe Sign. Core services include business formation tools similar to those offered by Incfile, Northwest Registered Agent, and Clerky (company), along with employment agreements used by startups like Y Combinator portfolio companies. The platform supplies estate planning forms akin to templates from AARP guides and guardianship documents used in matters involving Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. Litigation-related templates reference procedures common in filings before courts such as the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and county courts in jurisdictions like Los Angeles County and New York County. The service also connects users to local attorneys, echoing models from Avvo, FindLaw, and Martindale-Hubbell.
Rocket Lawyer’s subscription and pay-per-service model resembles pricing strategies used by Netflix (company) for subscriptions and Amazon Web Services for tiered service levels, and competes on cost with LegalZoom and Avvo. Pricing options historically included monthly subscriptions, one-off purchases, and attorney-on-call credits similar to consulting arrangements at firms such as DLA Piper, Baker McKenzie, and Dentons. The company negotiated enterprise contracts with organizations comparable to procurement relationships held by ADP, Intuit, and Square (company) to provide legal solutions for small business clients and startups backed by venture firms like Benchmark (venture capital firm), Greylock Partners, and Accel Partners.
Rocket Lawyer uses document automation, workflow engines, and secure storage paralleling technologies developed by DocuSign, Dropbox, Box (company), and Google Drive. The platform integrates identity verification and e-signature capabilities similar to standards adopted by DocuSign, Adobe Sign, and identity systems used at PayPal and Stripe. Underlying infrastructure choices mirror those of cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure. The product roadmap reflects broader legaltech innovations seen at companies such as Clio (software), Relativity (software), Everlaw, and Kira Systems.
Operating in regulated markets required compliance approaches akin to those navigated by Thomson Reuters, LexisNexis, and Bloomberg L.P., including attention to unauthorized practice of law rules enforced by bodies like the American Bar Association and state supreme courts including the Supreme Court of California and the New York State Court of Appeals. Regulatory scrutiny paralleled matters faced by online legal service providers like LegalZoom in hearings before state regulators and consumer protection agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general in California, New York, and Texas. Cross-border services involved legal frameworks referenced in treaties and agreements similar to those administered by the European Commission and national ministries such as the French Ministry of Justice.
Reviews of Rocket Lawyer appeared alongside evaluations of notable competitors including LegalZoom, Avvo, FindLaw, and Nolo (publisher). Critics from bar associations such as the American Bar Association and state bar organizations in California and New York raised questions about scope of services and the unauthorized practice of law, echoing earlier debates involving LegalZoom and Nolo (publisher). Consumer advocates and press outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, TechCrunch, and Wired (magazine) have covered pricing, service quality, and access-to-justice implications, similar to reporting on legaltech firms like UpCounsel and Avvo.
Rocket Lawyer entered partnerships and served clients in networks comparable to collaborations between LegalZoom and Intuit, Avvo and Martindale-Hubbell, and alliances like those of Clio (software) with bar associations. Corporate and enterprise agreements were structured similarly to client relationships maintained by ADP, Intuit, Square (company), and Stripe for small business services. Strategic alliances leveraged distribution channels reminiscent of partnerships seen with American Express, Wells Fargo, Chase (bank), and professional associations including the National Association for the Self-Employed and chambers such as the British Chambers of Commerce.
Category:Legal technology companies