Nick Gladd, a lawyer of 16 years who represented manufacturers from the auto industry in liability cases, said he's spent a fair share of social gatherings answering "quick legal questions" from friends and family. After years of answering these questions, Gladd said he came up with LegalSpark, a startup recently launched in Atlanta that connects customers and law professionals for a 20-minute phone call.
"That happened many times over my career," he said. "That need is what we were trying to fill here."
Much like how an Uber driver selects riders to pick up, lawyers signed up with LegalSpark will receive a notification when someone is looking for legal advice within their practice and choose when they want to provide legal advice. LegalSpark will connect the customer with a lawyer from an anonymous phone number for 20 minutes for a flat rate of $50.
LegalSpark won't record or listen in on the conversation, Gladd said, due to attorney/client privilege.
"We pride ourselves in protecting privacy and confidentiality," he said. "The numbers are masked; we’re integrated with a phone masking company, so (your) personal number isn’t revealed."
So far, the app has 50 certified lawyers ready to chat with Georgians, Gladd said, from practices including family law, divorce, real estate, business, immigration and more. All lawyers will be vetted and the company will be sure they are in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia before their profiles are uploaded to LegalSpark, he said.
"The lawyers love us because it’s no cost to them," he said.
With LegalSpark, the public will be able to access legal advice at non-traditional times without the hassle of booking appointments or driving to see legal counsel, Gladd said. His app isn't in competition with lawyers, he said, but provides convenient access to them and possibly connects them with more clients.
"We provide the connection," he said. "We are one and done, out of the picture. If a further relationship buds between the two, that’s an excellent result."
Access to free or cheap legal counsel has been a challenge not only for Georgia, but a majority of states. One of the founding principles of LegalSpark, Gladd said, is expanding access to the legal industry, which has been an "intimidating process" for decades.
"There’s a lack of convenience...Most importantly, there’s an unknown cost and certainly the impression is that lawyers have a very high hourly rate," he said. "This breaks down those barriers. You can get it at the time and place that you decide. You can be at your home, you can be at your car, you can be anywhere."
