Paris, France, Sepember 7, 2016 - Legal help in Europe will soon cost less and be easier to navigate. Today, Rocket Lawyer and Editions Lefebvre Sarrut (ELS), a leading European legal publishing company, announce their joint venture to launch Rocket Lawyer Europe.
Rocket Lawyer pioneered the electronic delivery of legal documentation, uniquely combined with advice from local lawyers, in the United States and the United Kingdom. With over 14 million small business, individual and family account holders, Rocket Lawyer has rapidly emerged as one of the most widely used legal services in the world. The proprietary and patented Rocket Lawyer technology platform facilitates the efficient creation of legal documentation and delivery of legal advice from lawyers in compliance with local laws, in any language.
ELS brings more than 170 years of expertise serving European lawyers, government agencies and businesses as a major publisher of legal information. In addition to contributing high quality local content and other resources to the joint venture, ELS joins Google Ventures, Salfort Privatbank (Switzerland) Morgan Stanley Ventures, August Capital (Silicon Valley), IGC (Sweden), Industry Ventures and Robert Smith (Vista Equity Partners) as Rocket Lawyer major investors.
Rocket Lawyer Europe will launch first in France, Spain and the Netherlands, and will rapidly expand throughout Europe thereafter.
What's the Problem?
There is an "access to justice gap". While large corporations and wealthy individuals can afford the cost of legal representation, and the poor may qualify for legal aid, most small businesses and many individuals find quality legal help to be out of reach, mostly due to cost and complexity. For example, according to a 2014 Rocket Lawyer survey, 55% of small businesses delay obtaining legal services or try to handle legal matters themselves; cost, complexity and confusion are cited as the leading contributors to the problem.
"Legal protection whether in the form of valid legal documents or the advice of a great lawyer should be a basic human right," said Charley Moore, Founder and CEO of Rocket Lawyer. "Our mission is to make high quality legal services affordable and simple for everyone, regardless of where they live or how much money they have to spend." He continued: "We are proud of the commitment ELS is making to deliver European lawyers modern digital tools to bring the benefits of affordable legal services to all."
"Editions Lefebvre Sarrut is proud to team up with Rocket Lawyer and bring its innovative technology to Europe," said Dominique Illien, CEO of Editions Lefebvre Sarrut. "Beyond technology, Rocket Lawyer and ELS share the values of quality and accessibility that make our partnership a great fit. Our new European service is good news for consumers and lawyers alike. Consumers will now be able to access legal help at a cost they can afford. At the same time, lawyers will have a new and efficient way to reach clients that they otherwise would have been unable to serve. Ultimately, Rocket Lawyer is increasing opportunities for lawyers to reach more clients."
How does Rocket Lawyer work?
Rocket Lawyer Europe will launch in France in 2016 and serve additional European countries rapidly thereafter. The affordable legal service will provide the following features:
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Free Legal information in the form of understandable, plain language guides from expert lawyers
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Legal advice from local lawyers, delivered either in question and answer (Q&A) format, or by realtime consultation
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Discounted legal fees from a network of lawyers for representation on any legal matter
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Legal documentation, powered by the patented Rocket Lawyer Q&A™ platform that only requires users to answer simple questions to create customized legal documents that can be reviewed by lawyers and signed electronically
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Everything can be shared with anyone and securely stored electronically for use anytime with on any device
Rocket Lawyer is actively seeking the best European lawyers to join the On Call Network to provide expert advice and representation online.
Meet the team
Christophe Chevalley serves as General Manager of Rocket Lawyer Europe. Previously, he was Marketing Director for two ELS companies, Dalloz and Editions Legislatives. Christophe has more than 20 years experience in Marketing and Legal publishing both in France and throughout Europe. He jokes that he was raised in a law firm because both of his parents are lawyers.
Blandine Jugé is the European Project Manager for Rocket Lawyer Europe. Blandine previously worked at CarriereJuridiques, where she helped to develop a French legal company in Luxembourg and Belgium. Her professional thesis focused on the digitalization of Law in France and throughout Europe. She is the primary contact for media inquiries in France.
