Online legal service is becoming increasingly more popular and readily available. With this growth, we are seeing more and more companies emerging. So, when it comes time to hiring an online legal service, how do you know which to choose?
Keep reading to view our in-depth review and comparison of LegalShield vs. Rocket Lawyer, two of the industry’s leaders. We will look at each individually, and then compare the two to see which ranks higher to the other.
What are LegalShield and Rocket Lawyer?
Before we look further into some of the services they offer, it’s essential to understand what the two companies are.
LegalShield
LegalShield is an online legal service provider known for being one of the industry’s veterans. They provide legal assistance to individuals or small businesses. Initially founded in 1972, today Legal Shield has approximately 1.7 million members.
Their attorneys’ network covers all 50 of the United States, including nearly 900 attorneys from 39 different law firms. Being one of the more established companies in the industry, LegalShield boasts an average of 22 years of legal experience from each of their attorneys.
Rocket Lawyer
Similar to LegalShield, Rocket Lawyer is an online legal service provider that assists individuals and small businesses. The Rocket Lawyer website not online provides legal advice but also helps to connect individuals with attorneys directly.
Rocket Lawyer is one of the newer online legal service providers, having been founded in 2008. Despite their lack of tenure, per se, they are one of the fastest-growing legal services in the industry with over 20 million users.
LegalShield vs. Rocket Lawyer: Services
Now that you have a little history of the two companies let’s take a more in-depth look at some of the services each provide.
LegalShield
LegalShield offers a wide variety of legal services that include:
- General legal consultation
- Specific legal consult
- Review of legal documents or contracts
- Debt collection assistance
- Correspondence on your behalf
- Trial defense service
- Business formation
Not only does LegalShield offer assistance with these legal matters, but they also have a separate website built entirely to assisting you in the formation of a new business.
Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer also offers a wide range of legal assistance services including:
- Legal document creation, including contracts
- Review of legal documents
- Create LLC, corporate, or nonprofit
- Provide phone legal advice from a lawyer
Rather than being locked into a monthly fee, Rocket Lawyer offers the ability to pay for services with a one-time payment.
Verdict: LegalShield and Rocket Lawyer both provide a wide variety of legal services and support.
Based on your needs, LegalShield and Rocket Lawyer provide a list of options to help you. LegalShield offers superior services for small businesses, while Rocket Lawyer provides for both businesses and individuals.
LegalShield vs. Rocket Lawyer: Pricing
Depending on your legal needs, the two service providers have different payment structures available. LegalShield offers plans based on a monthly fee, while Rocket Lawyer has monthly fees or flat-rate fees for their services.
LegalShield
LegalShield requires a monthly membership fee that is fixed for all legal coverage they provide. There are different payment tiers available, based upon your need for legal assistance.
| Plan | Cost (per month) | What’s Included (per year) |
| Small Biz 10 (<10 employees) | $39 |
|
| Small Biz 50 (<50 employees) | $89 |
|
| Small Biz 100 (<100 employees) | $149 |
|
| Home Business Supplement | + $9.95 |
|
| Trial Defense Supplement | + $9.95 |
|
| Business Formation Services | $145 + State fees | |
| Registered Agent | $120/year |
Rocket Lawyer
Rocket Lawyer has two different payment options based on your needs. They have both a monthly membership fee of $39.99 that includes various services or offer flat-rate prices for one time services.
| Service | Cost (with membership) | Cost (without membership) |
| Create custom legal forms | Included | $39.99/document |
| 30-min phone session with a practicing lawyer | Included | $59.99/consult |
| Online Q&A with a lawyer | Included | $49.99/question |
| Document defense | Included | $9.99/document |
| Discount to hire network attorney | 40% off the standard rate | N/A |
| Form an LLC, corp, or nonprofit | First formation free (you pay government filing fees) | $99.99 (you pay government filing fees) |
| Registered agent service | 25% off discount | $149.99/year |
Verdict: Rocket Lawyer offers a more flexible payment option based on your legal needs
LegalShield and Rocket Lawyer both offer comparable monthly membership fees ($39 and $39.99, respectively). Rocket Lawyer proves to be superior because they also offer a flat-rate for anyone who might require one-time assistance.
LegalShield vs. Rocket Lawyer: Pros
While it is essential to understand the pricing models and general services, it is also good to identify the companies and what they excel in.
LegalShield
Home Business
The home business supplement is not easy to come by in terms of online legal providers. LegalShield stands above most others offering this service, especially at the low supplemental rate of $9.95 per month. The home business supplement offers freelancers and other consultants the opportunity to protect themselves with their business plans.
Debt Collection
LegalShield uniquely offers specific services for debt collection. When you pay for your LegalShield membership, your lawyer will send letters on your behalf to any companies who have not yet paid you. We found this service beneficial to small businesses as unpaid invoices are a primary cash flow shortfall.
Trial Defense
You can potentially save thousands of dollars through the trial defense services provided by LegalShield. They offer the prep work and defense if ever your business gets taken to court.
Consistent Quality
Although they can’t necessarily guarantee that you’ll work with the same attorney each time, Legal Shield will ensure you work with the same law firm. That way, you can develop a relationship with the firm and your business. This relationship development allows you to take comfort in the consistency of work provided to you.
Mobile App
Suppose you are ever in need of legal assistance while on the go, LegalShield has an iOS and Android mobile app available to you. Ask questions directly from your phone, rather than having to wait until you are at your desktop or laptop computer.
Rocket Lawyer
Online Legal Advice
Rocket Lawyer offers assistance not only from phone consultations but also through online Q&A. Rocket Lawyer is staffed with a team of “on-call” attorneys, available in a range of varying specialties, who are hired to answer questions from customers.
Form Building
Specific to Rocket Lawyer, they have an intuitive form builder that helps you create legal documents, including contracts. As you begin by answering questions about your business, a series of pop up boxes will help walk you through the different laws in your state.
Document Defense
Rocket Lawyer’s Document Defense pairs nicely with the intuitive form builder to help you develop solid formed documents. If for whatever reason, another company does not accept any of the documents Rocket Lawyer produces, they will come to your aid and draft a demand letter on your behalf.
Customer Service
Known for its exceptional customer service, Rocket Lawyer has help available via phone, email, and live chat. Reviews state that customer service doesn’t try to upsell you on any additional services, and genuinely try to offer assistance as they are able. What’s even better, if you aren’t happy with Rocket Lawyer, they have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Free Trial
If you aren’t sure about committing to a monthly membership fee, Rocket Lawyers offers a seven day free trial period. During this trial period, you are under zero obligation to purchase a membership.
Verdict: Rocket Lawyer has exceptional customer service backing all of their services
While both companies have a lot to offer in terms of their unique offerings, one thing that puts Rocket Lawyer in the lead is their customer service. Not only do they have a team of customer service agents readily available, but they also back all of their services with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
LegalShield vs. Rocket Lawyer: Cons
Both legal service companies have various services they excel in, but it is also essential to look at some of their pitfalls, according to user reviews.
LegalShield
Slow Website
The website for LegalShield isn’t the most user friendly and can be tricky to navigate through. The one upside is that you can bypass the website by reaching out directly to your lawyers via phone or their website once you purchase your membership.
Limitations
Because LegalShield only offers monthly subscriptions, except for a few supplemental additions, there are some limitations to their legal offerings. If you exceed any of the plan’s constraints, you will end up paying additional costs.
Weak Customer Service
One of the primary complaints about LegalShield is the lack of customer service. Between spotty contact, to difficulty addressing issues, they could step it up in this department.
Rocket Lawyer
Price
Between the two, Rocket Lawyer has the more expensive monthly membership fee, albeit minimally.
Verdict: Rocket Lawyer has fewer pitfalls
Although they are both industry leaders, there are always areas in which companies may fall short. Between the two, Rocket Lawyer has one minor pitfall being the cost. It is just minimally most costly than LegalShield.
So, Which is Better – LegalShield or Rocket Lawyer?
Now that is a lot of information to go over. So the most important thing to go through – what is the better legal service between LegalShield vs. Rocket Lawyer?
As expected, choosing the proper online legal service for you will depend on what services you will specifically need. You will find that LegalShield is better for businesses, and Rocket Lawyer tends to be better for an individual. Otherwise, seek out the providers given the following features:
Choose LegalShield for:
- Small businesses
- Home business supplemental services
- Convenient mobile app
Choose Rocket Lawyer for:
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Flat-rate fee services
- Intuitive form builder
LegalShield and Rocket Lawyer are both online legal service providers but have varying specialties and markets to which they serve best.
If you find that both providers offer services that you require, we believe that Rocket Lawyer is the better of the two. Above all of their unique features, they have an unmatched customer service level, which includes a seven day free trial period, a 30-day money-back guarantee and on-call customer service available via phone, email, or online chat.
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Emily is a professionally trained freelance writer who covers a wide range of topics but specializes in business, law and hospitality content. With over a decade of professional writing experience in the hospitality industry, Emily comes from a strong background in the field backed with a BS from the world-renowned William F. Harrah College of Hospitality at UNLV. When she is not spending her time freelance writing, Emily enjoys growing her social media skills and spending time with her rescue puppy. Find out more about Emily’s extensive background or reach out directly at www.linkedin.com/in/Emily-Kho.
