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Do you need a lawyer but are intimidated by the legal process? Are you concerned that professional legal services may be financially out of reach? Perhaps English is not your native language and you are having trouble finding a qualified attorney with whom you can effectively communicate. Don’t worry, if you answered yes to any of these questions you are not alone.
We built Legal Bistro because we were inspired by the contribution that Lending Tree made to the process for finding a mortgage lender. Lending Tree used the power of the Internet to bring online competition in the mortgage application process. Equally important is that Lending Tree’s website has helped consumers to better understand the process of applying for a home loan. We hope that Legal Bistro can achieve similar results in the legal services market.
When Lawyers Compete, You Win!
The single biggest reason why consumers love our service is because Legal Bistro facilitates lawyers competing online to serve the client. Our Company motto is that When Lawyers Compete, the Client Wins! Frankly, we believe that both lawyers and consumers win when the competitive playing field has been leveled.
You might be surprised to learn that while the Top 100 Law Firms earn more than forty percent (40%) of the legal services revenue generated in the United States, small law firms (less than 10 employees) comprise more than ninety percent (91%) of the market. The following are some interesting statistics for the composition of the legal services market in North America.
North American Firm Size Statistics 2010 (Sources: Zap Data (a division of Dunn & Bradstreet))
- There are approximately 1,320 law firms in North America with 100 employees or more (~40+ attorneys). Of those, 366 firms have 250 employees or more (~100+ attorneys).
- Firms with 100 employees or more account for roughly 0.4% of the entire U.S. law firm market.
- 68% of all U.S. firms have 2 to 4 employees, 3% higher than in 2007.
- 91% of all U.S. firms and legal service providers have less than 10 employees (approximately 4 attorneys).
- According to the ABA Market Research Department, there are 1,180,386 licensed lawyers’ in the U.S., and roughly 1.5 million legal professionals total including legal administrators, paralegals, IT, etc.
So what do these statistics mean for you? The legal services business is not very different than other businesses. Law firms (small and large) can experience peaks and valleys in their work load. While a large and well established law firm has experts in many different fields of law, a small law firm or a sole practitioner may be the best fit for your legal needs. Smaller does not necessarily mean that you will receive a lesser quality of legal services.
Would you hire a contractor to work on your house without first getting several quotes and advice on how to do your job from several other contractors? While it may seem very logical to interview several candidates for home improvement projects, many people do not follow the same approach when seeking legal services.
You Remain Anonymous Throughout the Entire Process
Cases on Legal Bistro are posted anonymously. We respect your Privacy and do not reveal any of your contact information or identity unless you request us to do so. You may confidently post your case; browse lawyer profiles; save lawyer profiles to your favorites; invite a lawyer to either register on the site or bid on your case; and post a question about your case all without ever revealing your identity.
If you decide that you want us to have a particular lawyer contact you to discuss your case, you then must direct us which contact information we may send to the lawyer. Legal Bistro provides you with the following options:
- Confidential Disclosure
- Partially Confidential
- Full Disclosure
The above three information groups range from only providing the lawyer with your email address to our providing full name, address, phone numbers, best time to call, etc. The decision regarding what contact information to provide is solely up to you.
NO OBLIGATIONS/SERVICE IS 100% FREE FOR CONSUMERS
You are under no obligation to hire any lawyer on our site. We make our money when lawyers who are interested in potentially handling your case submit a bid so that their profile may be shown to you. When you decide to have a particular lawyer contact you to discuss their case, the lawyer’s account is then charged for the full amount of their bid.
From the lawyer’s point of view, they are able to review your case facts before deciding whether or not to submit a bid. When the lawyer submits a bid, we notify you so that you are aware of their interest in handling your case. We believe that this approach saves a great deal of time for both you and the lawyers as only interested parties will take the next steps towards communication.
Lawyers know when they submit a bid that you are under no obligation to retain them for your case.They are also aware that you will be speaking with other lawyers about your case. In other words, they know that they will be competing for your business.
Our service is 100% free for you. There are no hidden strings or charges to use our service. Your case is what enables us to charge lawyers for our service. By bringing together many qualified and interested lawyers to review your case in a very cost effective manner over the Internet, both you and the interested lawyers will benefit.
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