Our first guest blogger of 2014 is Attorney Justin Gilbert.
Justin provides personalized legal services in the areas of estate planning, probate, trust administration, trust litigation, elder law and business planning, and can be contacted at (916) 932-7416. For more information, visit The Law Offices of Justin M. Gilbert at http://justinmgilbert.com/. 

LegalZoom has been getting a lot of buzz since its inception for its low-cost legal templates. For small business owners and individuals on a budget, LegalZoom can seem like a great way to save money on legal needs.

However, keep the old adage in mind – you get what you pay for.

LegalZoom has a very attractive interface and fluid navigation, but a website can never take the place of an actual attorney. Its templates are just that – templates that provide broad and generic coverage. A template will not be able to understand your specific needs, answer your questions, provide recommendations based on your unique legal situation, foresee litigation entanglements, or keep up on the most current case laws. (Who knows when the LegalZoom forms were last modified.)

Think about it this way. Let’s say that you need a bicycle to get across town. At LegalZoom, you pay a low fee and are issued a standard road bike that’s been fitted for the average body shape. As you start on your journey, you realize the pedals are too short for your long legs and the bike’s thin road tires are not made for the rock trail you need to cross. Additionally, the gears are complicated and you don’t know how to use them.

Now let’s say that you stop into a bike specialty shop instead. At the specialty shop, you pay a little more for the bike, but the store owner listens to your needs. You tell him that your path includes both roads and some rocky trails, so he recommends a hybrid bike with a frame and tires built for both road and trail biking. Additionally, the owner measures your legs and torso and fits the bike to your body. He also explains how the gears work, what type of clothing is optimal, and advises you on hydration and snacking during your trip. Now you’re really ready to go and make it to your destination in record time without a single problem.

See the difference?

Personalization matters when it comes to providing legal advice, writing legal documents, and performing legal actions like trademarking, incorporation and estate planning. Sure, you’ll pay a little more for a living, breathing attorney in the short term, but if you aren’t careful and don’t properly understand your LegalZoom documents, you may end up paying far more in the future if your templates don’t cover your particular situation as well as you thought.

To speak to an attorney in Sacramento who can provide personalized legal services in the areas of estate planning, probate, trust administration, trust litigation, elder law and business planning, please contact the Law Office of Justin Gilbert at (916) 932-7416.