A new Chicago startup is working to simplify the way people find attorneys when they need legal help, while giving lawyers the tools they need to work independently.
Founded just last year, LawCo is an online and app-based platform that matches people with attorneys on-demand, which currently only operates in Cook County.
The startup’s founder, Lauren Glennon, who is an independent real estate attorney that’s been practicing law for 16 years, said she realized there was a need for LawCo after being in court herself one day. Two years ago, when she was at a Cook County courthouse in Markham, Ill., helping a friend fight a traffic ticket, Glennon noticed how many people were there without a lawyer.
“I thought ‘This is so crazy how many people are here without access to an attorney or just don’t have legal representation,’” she said.
Now a year after launching LawCo, Glennon says the startup has about 125 attorneys available on the platform and has matched more than 20 cases.
Here’s how it works: After a user provides basic personal information and a description of the kind of legal help they need, LawCo pings the appropriate attorneys on its platform, giving them the option to take the case. Attorneys can review case requests and choose to take one if it falls into their wheelhouse of expertise.
Glennon said LawCo attorneys can handle cases ranging from divorce disputes to home foreclosure suits.
“Attorneys love the ability to pick up cases instantly,” she said.
Once LawCo matches a client to an attorney, the startup charges the attorney a fee for making the connection. The app’s payment feature is powered by Braintree, a Chicago fintech company that was acquired for $800 million by PayPal in 2013.
On the consumer side, there is no fee to use LawCo to find an attorney, but once they find one, clients negotiate rates with their attorney independently of LawCo, Glennon said.
Not only does LawCo provide legal help to people when they need it, the startup's platform also provides a better way for independent attorneys to make a living, Glennon said, adding that it has been especially useful to people who work on a freelance basis and need flexible schedules.
Though many of LawCo’s attorneys are independent, a significant portion of them also belong to law firms, but generally smaller ones that employ less than 25 people, Glennon said.
LawCo isn't alone in the legal-tech space. Other startups like Rocket Lawyer and UpCounsel, both headquartered in San Francisco, have built online platforms to connect people with attorneys and other legal help.
To attract new users and generate buzz about the service, Glennon said she is working with John Marshall Law School and Chicago-Kent Law School at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Looking ahead, Glennon said she has her sights set on raising a seed round of funding and expanding to cities like San Francisco and Portland.
“Hopefully at some point, we’ll be the disruptive technology in the legal space,” Glennon said.
