Who is nolo

Naisbitt also pointed out, however, that the number of lawyers was rapidly increasing as part of the growing Information Age. The total number of lawyers in the United States went from , lawyers in to , in Big law firms rapidly expanded in the s and s as the economy boomed. The fact that both self-help and professionals were growing simultaneously was part of the trend to have more options and diversity, instead of the either-or orientation of the past. Early legal self-help advocates like those at Nolo Press were aided by criticism of the legal profession.

For example, the book The Trouble with Lawyers described "how the American middle class is victimized by inept, lazy, and corrupt lawyers," according to the paperback version's cover. The high cost of lawyers was of course a major problem, which led to other companies like Pre-Paid Legal Services offering prepaid legal insurance and the rise of paralegals or legal assistants who could conduct legal research and do some other tasks for much less per hour than lawyers.

Nolo Press in published its first issue of the Nolo News. Meanwhile, Stanford University law professor Deborah Rhode concluded that the claim was worthless that nonlawyers were dangerous because they provided limited legal services. In Nolo Press introduced its WillMaker software, which became its bestseller. In the company came out with its eighth version of WillMaker, which could be used to produce a will, a living will with medical provisions, a financial power of attorney, and burial and other final instructions.

WillMaker did not cover all possibilities, though, such as joint wills for spouses. In any case, Nolo reported in that WillMaker "had over a million satisfied users, making Nolo responsible for more wills than any law firm in history. By the mids Nolo's books had become very popular. Libraries even reported that Nolo titles were among their most stolen books, so the company began replacing for free one Nolo title each year in libraries across the nation.

As the self-help legal movement grew, many Americans continued to give the legal profession little respect. When Nolo launched its first web site in , it included lawyer jokes that poked fun at greedy and crooked lawyers--for example, "What do you get when you cross a lawyer with a demon from hell? Another lawyer. Attorney Steve Elias, who authored some of Nolo's works, said in the June 16, Washington Times that no other states had claimed that Nolo's publications violated their rules concerning the unauthorized practice of law.

Nolo founder Ralph Warner said in the same article, "If the Texas legal establishment can successfully ban law books written for ordinary citizens, who is to say Texas doctors can't ban self-help medical publications and Texas accountants self-help tax books and software? In January U. District Court Judge Barefoot Sanders ruled that self-help legal software could not be sold under the Texas statute defining what constituted the practice of law.

He also noted that the state legislature instead of the courts might be the proper place to clarify this issue. Within a few months the Texas House approved House Bill by a vote, and the Texas Senate voted to do likewise. As signed into law by Texas Governor George W. Bush, the new law asserted that written materials, books, forms, and software programs were not an unauthorized practice of law if they clearly stated that they were not substitutes for an attorney.

That effectively ended the Texas Supreme Court's investigation of legal self-help publishers such as Nolo Press, although the court's attorney in this matter argued that the courts, not the legislature, were the place to define what could be done. In , Internet Brands acquired ExpertHub. In , Internet Brands added six leading niche sites to the ExpertHub platform, including Divorcenet.

With over 50 web properties, the Nolo Network is one of the web's largest libraries of consumer-friendly legal information — all available for free. With oversight from Nolo's editorial team, we strive to deliver free legal information of the highest quality. We also offer local lawyers the ability to contribute to the Nolo network. View a complete list of sites in the Nolo Network. Consumers and small business owners can handle many legal matters themselves with Nolo's do-it-yourself products, which range from online forms and software to books and eGuides.

All are written in plain English, with step-by-step instructions that help you get the job done. Sometimes, consumers and small businesses want advice from a lawyer. Our lawyer directory can help you connect with a short list of attorneys who will compete for your business.

Or you can use the directory to learn more about individual lawyers and then connect with the ones you choose. However, it loses points for not having a readily accessible phone number visible on its website.

While we do not recommend Nolo for customers who are seeking low-cost legal advice, it does appear to be a good choice for starting an LLC online, or getting multi-purpose online legal forms. IncFile vs Northwest. IncFile vs MyCompanyWorks. IncFile vs BizFilings. IncFile vs CorpNet. IncFile vs Legalzoom. Bizfilings vs Northwest. Bizfilings vs CorpNet. CorpNet vs Northwest. What is Nolo? Its products include online legal forms, software and digital guides, all written in plain English.

The company also connects people with attorneys in their area, using their online legal directory. Compare Top 5. Nolo offers a wide range of legal products, including LLC creation services. Nolo's Packages Cost of Core Services. Noteworthy Nolo Features. Nolo has an extensive library of legal articles, which are free to browse, and their Find a Lawyer service can connect you with a local lawyer by practice area or location.

The Nolo website also provides dozens of free calculators, including mortgage, car payment, investment and retirement calculators. Your forms are submitted to the state within one business day, and you will receive final LLC documents in about one week. Registered Agent Services.