LawGuru.com User FAQ

Answers to User Frequently Asked Questions

What is LawGuru Answers / The LawGuru.com Knowledge Base?

We created LawGuru Answers as a service to help the public get answers from attorneys to general legal questions. Sometimes you will see it called the LawGuru Knowledge Base, but it is the same thing - we changed the name.
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Does it cost anything?

LawGuru Answers is composed of both a free service and a paid service. If you are in no hurry and can wait a few days to get an answer you can use the free service. It is absolutely free. If you are in a hurry or your legal question is more complex and wish to have the opportunity to ask follow up questions, you can use the paid service.
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How can I get an answer to my question?

You can get answers to you questions in two ways:

1. First, you can submit a new question to LawGuru Answers. By posting the question, you will give LawGuru attorney members the opportunity to answer it. To submit a question, click on the green "Ask A Legal Question" box on the Home Page. Unfortunately not all questions can be answered in this manner, because there might not be a participating attorney who is both located in your state and practices in the area of law that your question pertains to.


2. You can search through our database of past questions and answers by clicking on the "Search Past Answers" or “Search Q & A Database” link on the left sidebar. This will allow you to look up past questions and answers by state, area of law and keywords. The database of questions and answers literally grows by the hour as questions from users like you are posted and answered by participating attorneys. Something that may not be in the database today may be there tomorrow.

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How do I search past questions and answers?

To search for past questions, follow these steps:

1. Click the "Search Legal Questions" link located on the left hand side of the LawGuru home page.
2. Choose the state and the area of law you wish to search.
3. To further narrow your search, you have the option of entering a few keywords relating to your question.
4. Click the "Search" button below

Our search engine will look for questions and answers containing the keywords you entered. For example, if you enter the keywords "bankrupt disabled," the search engine could return a question containing the sentence:
"Are there special laws that apply to a disabled person who wants to declare bankruptcy?"

If you can’t find an answer to your question, broaden your search by selecting “All Locations” for the Location, “All Areas of Law” for the Area of Law, or both.
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How do I submit a question?

To submit a question, click on the click on the green "Ask A Legal Question" box on the home page or "Ask A Question" links and question boxes found throughout the site. You will be taken to the "Ask A Legal Question" page. Please read the instructions and complete all of the required information before submitting your question.
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What happens when you submit a question?

Free questions will be automatically forwarded to qualifying participating attorneys (based on location and areas of law). The question will then be reviewed by the attorneys who receive it. At this point it will either,

i) Be answered
ii) Rejected because the questions itself is inappropriate for our service
iii) Deleted if the question is not answered within 15 days. In any event, you will be notified by email when an action is taken on your question.

Paid questions will be forwarded to the attorneys you select. You will receive an email notification when you receive a reply from one of the attorneys you selected.
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If I post a question, will my personal information be kept private?

LawGuru is deeply committed to protecting the privacy of our users. Your personal information (e.g. name, address, email address, phone number, etc.) is concealed from all users of LawGuru Answers. Only the LawGuru Answers' staff has access to the personal information you submitted to us. If you submit a paid question, attorneys who may wish to answer that question will be able to see your name in order to perform a conflict check. However, we are not responsible for any information you may include in the body of your question.
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What kind of questions can I post?

Generally speaking, you can post any legal question. However, there are certain types of questions that we just can't answer. Below is a list of the types of questions that are generally rejected.
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What kinds of questions generally get rejected?

The following types of questions will be rejected:

1. Give me a list of all the cases dealing with...”
   
2. “Where can I look up...”
   
3. “My brother is in prison somewhere, where can I find him...”
   
4. “Can you recommend any sites that deal with...”
   
5. Vague questions.
   
6. Questions written in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
   
7. Questions that contain names of people or YOUR NAME in the body of the question.
   
8. "I have an assignment due for school and I was wondering..."
   
9. Any question that for any reason we deem inappropriate.
   
10. Any questions that have already received a reply or that are re-posted within 90 days.

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When will I receive a reply to my question?

Some people may receive multiple replies within a few hours, others may receive one reply after several days and a few people may never receive an answer to their question.
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Why didn’t I receive a reply to my question?

Unfortunately not all questions can be answered since there are not always attorneys available who practice the type of law required by your question. There are over 5000 participating law firms; but there are also fifty states and hundreds of areas of law, so it won't always be possible to cover all states in all areas of law. However, the number of participating attorneys is constantly growing and if there is not a particular attorney participating today, there may be one soon.

In the case of paid questions, increasing the amount you are willing to pay for an answer, might increase the chance of getting a reply.
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Is it safe to use LawGuru Answers?

LawGuru is committed to maintaining the security of our site. Your personal information (e.g. your name, address, email address, phone, etc.) is concealed from ALL USERS of LawGuru Answers. Only the LawGuru Answers administrators have access to your personal information. For paid questions the attorneys answering your question do have access to your name so that they may see if there is a conflict of interest in answering your question. However, we are not responsible for any information you may include in the body of your question. In this way, LawGuru Answers is similar to a legal question and answer show on the radio. By posting free questions, the question will be read by many people. There is always the possibility that someone may recognize the circumstances communicated in your question. Paid questions and answers are not posted on the site.
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Does my question stay on the site forever?

Free questions that are answered will remain on the site indefinitely. However, if your question is not answered by anyone within 15 days, it is deleted from our system. At that time you can go back to LawGuru Answers and re-post your question again. There is a chance that new attorneys who can answer your question, may have just joined the network. Paid questions are never posted to the site for other users to see.
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Who are the attorneys that will be answering my question?

When an attorney posts a reply to your question, you will find information about that attorney displayed at the end of the reply. Additional information about the attorney (i.e. name, address, e-mail, phone number etc.) can also be found on the attorney's profile page by clicking on the attorney’s name. No attorney, can contact you directly unless you chose to first contact them.

If you submit a paid question, you may review and select the attorneys who may receive and answer your question.
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Do the answers on this site mean I don’t need an attorney?

Please remember that the information found at this site, in the database, or in the responses from attorneys in these areas cannot replace a face-to-face meeting or telephone consultation with a “real live” attorney about your particular case, problem or question. The information you find here or in the answers you receive or read should just be a starting point in finding the specific solution to your problem. Nothing transmitted to or from this website constitutes the establishment of an attorney-client relationship between you or any attorney except under limited circumstances for paid questions.
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Do the attorneys participating in LawGuru Answers work for LawGuru?

No. The attorneys that participate in LawGuru Answers are not affiliated with, employed by or agents of LawGuru.com or WebsiteBroker, Inc. We cannot guarantee the qualifications of any of the attorneys who participate in LawGuru Answers. Any listing, name, content, or material of any attorney or law firm found on this site does not constitute an endorsement of that attorney. When deciding to hire any attorney or law firm you should do your own independent research and not solely rely on the materials found on this site.
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What is the difference between the paid questions and free questions?

There are a few differences between the Free and Paid LawGuru Answers service. Paid questions that are submitted to us get priority and are distributed to attorneys immediately. Paid questions are private and do not get posted to the LawGuru Answer database for other users to see. You can select which group of attorneys or individual attorney can answer your question. You can also post follow ups to an answer given by an attorney. You only pay attorneys if you are 100% satisfied with your answer.

Free questions get distributed to attorneys after 3 hours. Free questions are also not private and are posted to the LawGuru site. Users can't post follow ups to free answers given by an attorney.
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What is the process for submitting a paid question?

Questions are submitted via the Ask a Legal Question Page.From that page you can enter your question, select the location and area of law and email and submit your question. You will be taken to a payment option page. From this page you can select the amount you want to pay to receive an answer to your question. After selecting the amount and pressing "Ask Question" you will be taken to the Attorney Selection / Question Distribution Page. On this page, you will be able to select which attorneys may receive and answer your question. You can select either i) all attorneys in your state who match the practice area of the question; ii) all attorneys in your state, regardless of practice area; or iii) individual attorneys in your state manually. Once the attorneys have been selected, press "Continue" and you will then be taken to a payment page. After making the payment the question submission process is complete and you will see a confirmation page.

The question is then immediately distributed to attorneys you selected. If an attorney responds to the question you will be notified. Before viewing the answer you will need to accept a Limited Representation Agreement. This Representation Agreement establishes an attorney-client relationship between the User and the Attorney Member that is limited in both scope and duration. If you are satisfied with the answer you can accept the answer and the entire process will be complete. You can also post a follow up question for any clarification you may need. Paid questions are private and are not posted on the public LawGuru Answers system.

Although we ask for and verify your credit card information, your card is not charged until you receive an answer and accept it. If you are not satisfied with your answer, you will not be charged anything. However, if you view a reply and do not accept or reject the answer, the answer will be deemed accepted and your card is charged. Your card is also charged if you receive an answer and do not view it within 96 hours.
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How much does it cost to submit a paid question?

You as the user get to decide how much you want to offer to receive an answer to your paid question (based on the selections available). Offering to pay more generally increases the likelihood of a response - especially for more complex or longer questions. The amount you select is made up of two separate and distinct fees. One fee, the "Venue Fee," is paid to LawGuru.com for the services it provides. The second fee, the "Attorney Fee" is paid to the Attorney Member who replies to the paid question. As an example (the numbers are for example only) if you selected to pay $39 for a paid question the "Venue Fee," paid to LawGuru.com might be $15 and the "Attorney Fee" paid to the Attorney Member who replies to the paid question would be $24. Together these two charges make the total. Simply put (as an example) $15 Venue Fee + $24 Attorney Fees = $39 Question Fee.

Although we ask for and verify your credit card information, your card is not charged until you receive an answer and accept it. If you are not satisfied with your answer, you will not be charged anything. However, if you view a reply and do not accept or reject the answer, the answer will be deemed accepted and your card is charged. Your card is also charged if you receive an answer and do not view it within 96 hours.
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How does your 100% Satisfaction Guarantee work?

Every answer to a Paid Question is backed by a 100% money-back guarantee. When an Attorney Member provides an answer to a Paid Question, you will then have an opportunity to review the answer. If you are satisfied with the answer, you will "accept" the answer, and the Attorney Member will be entitled to receive the agreed Attorney Fee and LawGuru will receive the Venue Fee. If you are not completely satisfied with the answer, you may choose not to "accept" the answer and you will not be charged anything.

Naturally, in no event would any refund amount exceed the amount you were charged or otherwise paid.
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