Legal Consultations Online: What Are The Benefits? (2025)

Many professionals were initially reluctant to offer online services due to regulatory, security, and ethical concerns. However, advances in technology have overcome these issues, and now telehealth consultations, online tax preparation and other forms of professional consultations are readily available.

Legal services have also entered the online landscape. Take a closer look at what kinds of online legal services are currently available and the benefits that come with them.

What Are Online Legal Consultation Services?

Today, online legal services can take the following forms:

Conducting a Legal Consultation Online

Many law firms will offer a legal consultation online rather than in person. This form of online legal services helps avoid jurisdictional limitations as well as situational. For example, a truck accident lawyer might offer to meet with a severely injured client via video conferencing so that the client does not need to travel to their office.

Evaluating Your Situation and Referring You to a Local Lawyer

Some businesses provide online legal referral services. Rather than representing the client directly, the business evaluates the client’s situation, offers general advice and refers the client to a lawyer admitted in their jurisdiction.

Online referral services that provide this legal consultation online generally don’t offer specific legal advice since only licensed lawyers can typically advise clients. For example, in California, only attorneys with an active law license can provide legal advice to clients, with a few limited exceptions.

Providing Certain Legal Services Online

In some cases, lawyers provide services completely online. This means these practitioners conduct the entire legal relationship virtually, with no need for you to meet them in person. However, lawyers often limit virtual services to the following situations:

• Clients in jurisdictions where the lawyer is licensed
• Federal matters, such as patents or immigration
• Cases where they can partner with a lawyer in the client’s jurisdiction

A lawyer who strays outside the jurisdiction where they are licensed can face criminal charges for unauthorized practice of law.

Trends in Online Legal Services

Despite these limitations, the revenue from online legal services more than doubled over the 11 years from 2013 to 2023. Currently, the online legal services industry in the U.S. is worth over $14 billion and has grown every year. This growth jumped in 2020 when many lawyers moved their practices online during the height of the pandemic.

Benefits of Virtual Legal Consultations

Online legal consultations and services benefit both the practitioner and the client in these key ways:

Improved Access to Legal Assistance

Online services allow people who do not live near a large city to bridge the access-to-justice gap. For example, a rural client might reach out to a lawyer online if they cannot find a local lawyer to handle a boating accident case.

Greater Convenience

Online communication is often more convenient for clients, particularly elderly clients or those with physical disabilities. For instance, an injured worker can contact a workers compensation lawyer online immediately after their injury rather than waiting to recover enough to meet in person.

Quicker Scheduling

Finding time for a virtual consultation is often easier because it eliminates travel. By giving clients access to legal assistance quickly, online legal services reduce the risk of missed deadlines. Thus, a client will, in theory, be less likely to miss the statute of limitations car accident laws impose if they can start their case online quickly.

Common Legal Issues Addressed Online

Some legal services are better suited as online options than others, such as transactional and federal services.

Transactional Legal Services

Transactions such as drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts are often conducted entirely through email, video calls and phone calls. In many cases, the lawyer and client never need to meet in person.

Federal Legal Services

Income tax, immigration and patent law fall under federal law. Many states permit lawyers to practice in these areas as long as they hold an active law license, even if it is not issued in their state. As a result, lawyers in these fields can often work with clients from anywhere in the country online.

Understanding the Limitations of Online Legal Advice

State laws limit who can practice law to those deemed qualified. This means that, in most situations, you cannot get legal advice from non-lawyers or out-of-state lawyers. On the other hand, most states do not require you to meet your lawyer in person. So you can have an entirely online relationship with a lawyer who practices in your state.

Key Considerations When Choosing an Online Legal Service

When selecting an online legal service, look for licensed lawyers who can practice in your jurisdiction or a referral service that can help you find such a lawyer. If you hire a non-lawyer or out-of-state lawyer, you risk having to hire a local lawyer to review and fix the work you already paid for.

Security and Privacy in Online Legal Consultations

Laws and ethical rules protect the confidentiality of attorney-client communications. However, the communication must occur in a secure environment. Thus, anything you post publicly would not be considered confidential in most states.

As a result, you should avoid disclosing any confidential information when contacting a lawyer via public channels like social media platforms. Instead, make sure to save that information for private communication via a video call, messaging system or email.

Need to Consult a Lawyer Online? Contact ConsumerShield

ConsumerShield is dedicated to helping people access legal assistance through all channels. Contact us for a free case review and a referral to a trusted lawyer in your area today.