Alabama Bar Group Files Suit to Ban LegalZoom
The DeKalb County Bar Association asked a judge Friday to permanently prohibit online forms company LegalZoom from doing business in the state of Alabama for engaging in the unauthorized practice of law.
LegalZoom, founded by O.J. Simpson lawyer Robert Shapiro and partners, offers standardized legal documents such as wills and incorporation documents that can be customized to the buyer’s preference. The company has served more than 1 million customers in its 10 years online.
“Alabama’s unauthorized practice of law statutes prohibit anyone who is not a lawyer from advising or counseling another person on legal matters, and from preparing or assisting another person in preparing any document or instrument such as a will or deed in Alabama,” Fort Payne attorney Daniel Campbell, president of the county’s bar association, said in a statement published in the Birmingham News.
Prior Coverage:
ABAJournal.com: Suit Claims LegalZoom’s Document Prep is Unauthorized Practice
ABAJournal.com: Wash. AG’s Settlement with LegalZoom Bars Fee Comparisons Absent Disclosure
