Legal Question in Elder Law in Massachusetts

Are all documents from Legal Zoom recognized in the Ma. Courts or should I

hire Private Counsel to prepare paperwork?


Asked on 2/22/13, 11:52 am

2 Answers from Attorneys

Legal Zoom does not practice law, it is a form filling company. Without knowing what they prepared and for what purpose, I cannot tell you if the form they completed is any good and I would not comment on specifics in a forum like this.

While you are not required to use every court form, some are required such as those for Probate of an Estate. Some of those forms are avaiable online at website for the Probate Court.

They should not be preparing things like complaints or interrogatorries for you as those rise to a level of practicing law without a license.

If you are filing Bankruptcy they can fill out the forms but you need to check to see if they included any local forms that may be required.

Frankly, I have had to fix a number of problems for clients created by documents prepared by legal zoom.

Good Luck.

Read more
Answered on 2/22/13, 12:36 pm
Christopher Vaughn-Martel Charles River Law Partners, LLC

The problem really is that you won't know until it is too late. If you are incapacitated and need someone to make a medical decision for you; or you need someone to transact business for you, open an account, close an account, pay the rent, when you are unable; or you pass away, it will be too late to fix any errors. What's worse, Legal Zoom has no responsibility to you because they are not lawyers, meaning you cannot sue them for malpractice if they do something wrong, like you would a doctor or a lawyer.

If what you are putting down in writing or trying to protect is worth anything, it can save you many many times the cost of an attorney to do it correctly. Best of luck!

Read more
Answered on 2/22/13, 1:01 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Elder Law questions and answers in Massachusetts