Middle class americans reach out to lawyers in India via internet for legal aid

[OhioChick]

Source: Economic Times of India

5 Oct, 2013, 01.00AM IST

BANGALORE: As legal help becomes exorbitantly expensive in the United States, an increasing number of middle-class Americans are reaching out over the internet to lawyers in India for advice and assistance.

A growing community of Indian lawyers is finding a business opportunity in helping Americans prepare legal documents. Compared with the $150-300 ( 9,150-18,450) per hour that US lawyers typically charge, enterprising Indian counterparts with online shops are offering their services for as little as $7-20 ( 400-1,200) an hour.

"This is proving to be lucrative as requests from US clients are increasing," says advocate Mitul Desai who runs a six-member, Ahmedabad-based outfit called Mitul Desai & Associates. Desai and his team of lawyers draft legal petitions, conduct legal research and dig out precedents for cases, ranging from child custody claims and divorce petitions to property disputes.

Firms like Vivek N Mapara & Associates charge about $75 for a simple non-disclosure agreement while an American lawyer would charge $200 for the same, says Vivek Mapara, who said his business has doubled over the past two years. "More than 65% of our business comes from such small projects-mainly individual requests from foreign clients as well as small firms," said Mapara. "Each of these small legal-related research projects is in the $200-500 range," explained Mapara.




Read more: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-company/corporate-trends/middle-class-americans-reach-out-to-lawyers-in-india-via-internet-for-legal-aid/articleshow/23540519.cms

[leftyohiolib]

1. i bet once this catches on -some layer will get congress to stopit. like getting drugs from cananda

[tofuandbeer]

2. Gotta start doing this for CEO's.

[JDPriestly]

3. Watch out. You can't complain to the bar association about the malpractice of a lawyer from India.

You can't sue a lawyer in India for violation of American law or for malpractice.

You could buy a big problem.

Small legal-related research projects are not what American lawyers live on. Your Indian lawyer cannot appear in a state court in the US. And may not know the applicable law in your state.

I would not ask someone who has not passed the bar examination IN MY STATE for advice on a legal issue myself.

When you pay a lawyer, you pay for that professional's education and experience. You also pay his office staff and malpractice insurance. Watch out.

[srican69]

4. LPO (Legal Process Outsourcing) has been done by law firms and companies for many years now.

Early on, fresh law graduates would do the grunt work racking up billing hours for the law firm while getting a start in a lucrative career ..

this model is long been upended by LPO

[geek tragedy]

5. Relying on legal advice given over the Internet by an unaccountable, unlicensed

person living on another continent--what could go wrong?

[Skittles]

6. no thanks

from my experience, it would not be worth the "savings"