Startups and other early-stage businesses often can't afford to pay the high prices that attorneys charge, but they still need occasional legal assistance in getting their business off the ground.
To help connect startups and small businesses with available lawyers, a new startup in Chicago has created an on-demand platform for getting legal help, and at a fraction of the cost.
Get20, a startup based in 1871, just launched an on-demand consultation app to help small companies reach attorneys. The startup charges a subscription fee--$40 per month--for companies to use the service, which gets them unlimited consultation calls with attorneys, 3 document reviews a month, and 3 document creations a month.
Companies can request an attorney in the app, get matched up, and receive advice within 1 business day. Users can rate attorneys, similar to Uber, and choose from the highest rated ones.
Founder Suvro Goswami says "hundreds" of startups are using the app--mostly from 1871--and companies are getting legal help on things like NDAs, founder agreements, and other early-stage business issues.
Attorneys on the platform earn a percentage of the subscription fee, and are encouraged to use it during their down time, Goswami said. During a lunch brake, for example, a lawyer could use Get20 to chat with startup and earn a few bucks. But the biggest benefit to attorneys will likely be lead generation, Goswami said, as they'll form relationships with startups who could turn into full-time clients as the company grows.
For the startup, the benefits are obvious. Cheap legal help, and access to information that's otherwise hard to find.
"We want to make it so you never use Google to answer your legal questions again," Goswami said.
To get people using the platform, Get20 launched a partnership with 1871 that lets 1871 members access on-demand mentors, for free, using the app. Startups request calls with mentors, and they're notified via text when the mentors are available. So far 1871 CEO Howard Tullman and Fieldglass Founder Jai Shekhawat have used the platform to connect with 1871 companies.
While Get20 has started with legal help and mentorship, the startup thinks its technology could work in a range of professional service industries, like HR, accounting, and IT consulting.
"What we really want to do is make this a way for professional services to maximize their dead time," Goswami said, adding that the app looks to be a "1-stop-shop for business owners on any professional service questions or needs."
