Make the most of legal advice freely available on the internet
Thanks to the internet you can do several things online that used to require a trip to a lawyer’s office, such as applying for a divorce or writing a will.
By cutting out the solicitor you can save money and time. But is the service as good as the one you would get from a solicitor, and is it as straightforward?
What do online legal services offer? According to The Law Society, the solicitors’ trade association, “people can now find just about any legal-related matter online”.
A kit to make a will can cost around £20 from a legal website, which compares well against the £250 starting fee a solicitor will charge – an alternative is the Will Maker software. Even getting divorced can be cheaper online, using a site such as Divorce Online.
If you have a monetary claim against someone (if a company or person owes you money) you may be able to claim it online using the Money Claim Online service.
This allows you to make a claim in what’s called the Small Claims Track of the civil courts (sometimes erroneously called the ‘small claims court’) for claims of less than £100,000 against no more than two people (if you are claiming against a company you will need to nominate a director or other employee to receive the summons).
As the guidance website points out, the court should be used as a last resort, and there will be a charge for using the service that will not be refunded if your claim is dismissed.
That is a good reason to use the Citizens Advice Bureau, which has a good website with plenty of information on legal matters.
Another good advice site is Community Legal Advice It has pages of advice and a tool to find local solicitors. If you prefer to speak to a solicitor in person the Law Society can help you find one.
Online services can be used to obtain forms such as a Power of Attorney document, which allows you to nominate someone to look after your affairs if you cannot. The Office of the Public Guardian has detailed guidance and the forms to download, though you cannot apply online.
