CPA Practice Advisor - 22

APPS WE LOVE

By Gail Perry, CPA, Editor-in-Chief

Legal Services
WHEN WE THINK of lawyers and legal issues, our minds might still go to law
firms and the formality of the court system, but, like most things today, the legal
services profession is being disrupted with apps and do-it-yourself solutions. If
you are in need of legal services, before you pay a retainer and sign on for hefty
hourly fees, you might want to eyeball this list to see if your needs can be met
less expensively and more expediently.
Backed by excellent reviews, One Touch Law
promises to connect users with "the best lawyers
available," and the first 15 minute consultation
either by video or phone is free. Lawyers can sign
up if they want to work the phone lines, and those
in need of legal services can search the database
and review lawyer profiles and estimated fees
before selecting an available lawyer.
When we think of matchmaking, our minds
probably go to apps like Tinder and OkCupid, but
there are matchmaking apps for finding lawyers
too! Legal Services Link matches attorneys with
those seeking legal needs. Users post their needs
at no charge and lawyers on the system contact
you through the app or via email. Users can
review the responses and choose a lawyer.
Pondering a divorce? If so, you might be
wondering about the cost of child support
and alimony. The Divorce/Alimony Calculator
app asks a few simple questions and then its
calculator goes to work, giving you estimates of
how to divide assets and debts, child support,
and potential payments to a soon-to-be-former
spouse. You can also connect with lawyers in
your geographical area through the app.
The company, Pre-Paid Legal Services, has
created several apps serving a variety of legal
purposes. The leader of the pack is LegalShield,
an app that allows you to connect with your law
firm, upload documents and pictures, access
24-7 emergency legal assistance, and it also
provides instant guidance if you get in a legal
jam. Also from this company, there is Forms by
LegalShield, an app that enables you to use templates to create, sign, and send contracts. Created
just last year, IDShield identity protection services provides identity monitoring, consultation,
credit scores, and identity restoration services.
More and more accountants are using DocuSign to collect esignatures from clients. You can

JUNE 2019 ■

import and prepare documents on your device,
send the documents to clients for esignatures,
receive notifications when the documents have
been signed, send reminders, and view an audit
trail showing when documents were signed.
Documents signed through DocuSign are legally
binding.

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Are you a victim of inappropriate behavior,
bullying, harassment, hazing, etc.? The new STOPit app provides you with a messenger tool where
you can anonymously report any of these types of
concerns to an employer or school administrator.
Keep an eye on this one. In theory it's clever and
timely, but so far reviews are sub-par, indicating
many people are using the app to make false
claims that cause more problems than they solve.
The developers haven't found a way to prevent
the false claims and recommend that every
claim be investigated carefully before any action
is taken. But in this world of divisiveness and
hatred, an app like this is taking an interesting
approach at solving a major problem. ■

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