Of all of the amazing changes and conveniences that the internet age has brought us, one of the more powerful and pervasive is what has been called the “democratization of information.” Just as with the invention of the printing press and the spread of literacy, the internet has put information and knowledge that used to be either hard to obtain or was the exclusive province of the highly educated in the hands of anyone with a computer, tablet, or even a smartphone. Even more amazing, the advent of artificial intelligence has made it possible for people with no legal education or expertise to get answers to many of their legal questions, although the accuracy of those answers may be questionable.
Information is Pervasive and Easy to Find
Knowledge, information, and opinions about legal issues are not immune to this phenomenon. When you have a question about a particular legal matter or want to learn more about a particular issue, you can do a Google search to see what you could find out online. Beyond that, you can now use resources such as ChatGPT or other artificial intelligence platforms to simply ask a question and have your computer spit back the answer. If and when you decide to look for a lawyer to assist you, even if you received a referral from a friend or colleague, my hunch is you still Googled the lawyer’s name, looked at their LinkedIn profile, or combed their website.
There is nothing wrong with any of that, of course. Arming yourself with information is a good thing. However, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, particularly when it relates to something as complicated and potentially life changing as complex legal matters. This is even more true when that “knowledge” comes from the Internet or artificial intelligence sources, awash as it is with dubious, unverified, or misleading facts and advice.
You Do Not Know What You Do Not Know
Unfortunately, I have seen too many people who thought that they could save a few dollars by relying on the internet or do-it-yourself legal sites to help them with a legal matter, only to wind up in my office with even larger and more costly problems because they thought they could save money by handling the matter on their own without speaking with a qualified lawyer. This is particularly true when individuals or businesses try to engage in complex transactions, business entity formations, estate planning, or other legal issues using form documents they find at an office supply store or on the do-it-yourself legal sites that have become so prolific.
The standard forms found in these forums do not account for the specifics of your individual factual situation, may not be properly tailored to the laws of your state, and may not be sufficient to address facts or contingencies of which you may not even be aware that could put you at risk. In addition, by their own admission, these do-it-yourself internet sites do NOT provide legal advice or any assurance that the forms and information are accurate, legally sufficient for your particular circumstances, or even current and up to date. Just as problematic, most of these sites do only what you tell them to do. They do not give advice as to what you might need, they do not know your business or your circumstances, and they do not know what you do not know. Thus, getting exactly what you need is not something these sites will be able to do. And in the case of estate planning, by the time you find out about these problems, you will likely be dead, and it will be too late to fix!
The disclaimers on these web sites are filled with caveats. Among those caveats typically found, and prominently displayed, are that (1) the site provider is not a law firm; (2) the site provider and its employees are not acting as your attorney; (3) the service provided is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney; (4) no attorney-client relationship is created by use of the site; (5) communications with the site are not protected by the attorney-client privilege or any otherwise applicable work-product doctrine; (6) the work created on the site is not reviewed for legal sufficiency, no legal conclusions are drawn, no legal advice is provided, and the law is not applied to the facts of your particular situation by the operators of the site; (7) the legal information or the documents obtained on the site are not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up to date; and (8) general information or legal tools such as those found on the site visited cannot fit every circumstance.
I have also seen too many people who think legal research can be done effectively by non-lawyers on the internet, then try to tell me they know what the law is, and I should rely on their research in my representation of them. Unfortunately, they are rarely correct. I have learned my research skills from three years of law school and nearly 40 years of practice. When you hire me, you hire that expertise and experience. Finding, understanding, interpreting, and applying legal research to the unique facts of your matter is harder than most people think. One of my favorite clients once gave me a coffee cup that I keep in my office for clients to see. It says: “Please Do Not Confuse Your Google Search With My Law Degree.” One of my favorite sayings! I once had a client who forwarded to me an “opinion” that he thought solved his problem completely. It turned out to be an article written more than 20 years ago that talked about the possibility of a law being enacted in the future (which never came to be), and had absolutely no relevance to his issue today.
These do-it-yourself websites, forms found in an office supply store, and research efforts by non-lawyers, cannot substitute for the advice, counsel, and guidance of an experienced lawyer. Rather than risk your important legal matter, that can significantly affect your lifestyle or business if done improperly, seek the advice of a competent and qualified lawyer with experience and expertise in similar matters.
Not Just Your Laptop
The Cohen Law Firm in Westlake Village serves the unique needs of business owners. From formation to restructuring, and in an ever-changing legal, regulatory and economic landscape, businesses must constantly evolve to survive. To talk about your business’s goals and challenges or to make an appointment, please call the Cohen Law Firm today at (805) 267-7147 or send an e-mail.
This article has been prepared by Cohen Law Firm for informational purposes only and does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. The information is not provided in the course of an attorney-client relationship and is not intended to substitute for legal advice from an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.