Tom Martin is a rare breed of lawyer. He went to Yale and UCLA, (which sure are impressive in their own right), but what really sets him apart from more stereotypical lawyers is his drive to tear down some of the barriers that prevent everyday people from 
taking care of simple legal issues. There are multiple components of the legal system that make it difficult to navigate for everyday people. One of the biggest and most obvious deterrents is the crazy expensive price tag associated with legal services.
This is where Martin’s unique blend of backgrounds and personal set of ethics comes in. The self-proclaimed technophile has been coding since he was in law school. This keen interest in tech runs along side a passion for business, and from that LawDeal was born.
It’s kind of like self-checkout…
…but instead of avoiding lines at a super market you’re avoiding handing over huge sums of cash to a lawyer for drafting up a simple legal document. Martin realized that advances in technology have lead to DIY solutions in almost every sector other than law, so he set out to change that.
The idea behind LawDeal is to offer fast on-demand legal services to most of the routine legal issues people often have. Now if someone is looking to incorporate a business, they can take care of that on their own – easily. Oh yeah and it’s free. Yup, like actually free. No subscriptions, no hidden fees, just a little slice of humanity and legal help for the people who could use it.
The site went live February 7th, with initial incorporating services focused on California only but they will soon introduce other legal documents (for other states) as they expand. The process is pretty straightforward. An online questionnaire extracts information from users step-by-step. The final product is a legal document presented in a PDF format, which can be downloaded, printed, and signed – all for free, wtih no law office required.
It’s easy to feel that the cards are stacked up against you when it comes to navigating the system. Tom Martin’s latest platform is trying to even the playing field a bit. Martin is very open about this and says he wants, “to throw the doors open to everyone. No longer should one’s ability to get legal help be dictated by the size of his or her bank account.” Lawyers aren’t famous for being great people, but in addition to breaking that stereotype, Martin has also come up with a way to help breakdown some of the hurdles holding everyday people back from getting the legal assistance they deserve.
In addition to the website, LawDeal’s Facebook page and blog have a bunch of useful and surprisingly interesting information presented for your reading pleasure. Check them out today at LawDeal.com.
