Got a minute? Get an answer.
The New York Times covers the growing area of online advice services.
One of the companies profiled that offers legal services is Ingenio. The page for legal services is here.
Potential clients can see the per-minute charge for legal services and the rating of the attorney. The ratings are in a format similar to those found on eBay.
While many of the offerings are for the needs of individual clients, some could be helpful to smaller businesses, such as this one from a patent agent.
There are also recorded listings on matters of more general interest.
This is clearly an industry in its infancy. But for smaller businesses or the solo GC, why not give it a try? People are buying luxury autos on eBay without ever driving them. Why not find out at $2.99 per minute whether an idea is patentable or whether a potential employee from India would have an immigration problem?
It’s the opposite of the DuPont Legal Model. You don’t want to just converge to a smaller number of law firms. You want a virtual community of people who can give a quick answer on subjects that don’t merit much time.
I’ve spent more money at Starbucks.