The Legal Gig Economy

A rapidly growing and evolving segment of workers is gaining recognition for its contributions to pumping up the U.S. economy: the independent workforce.

The 41 million Americans who work as consultants, freelancers, contractors, temporary, or on-call workers—are a powerful economic force, generating $1.3 trillion of revenue for the U.S. economy this year

The MBO Partners State of Independence Report

Another key trend from the report: technology is helping independents do what they love. Nearly one in three independents say that social media and online talent marketplaces are in their top three methods for finding work.

AlphaLawgics built a free marketplace to help independent workers & businesses in the legal field grow. The AlphaLawgics Freelance Marketplace is a free tool for those seeking services, as well as service providers. Our goal is to do legal better in the US, helping consumers gain affordable access to legal services, while helping service providers grow their businesses.

Join our growing legal freelance marketplace, where you can offer your services or hire independent legal professionals based on your budget & needs. Let’s do legal better, sign up today and download our new iOS app, it’s free and easy to use!

Freelancers in America grow by 35%

Between 2014 and 2019, 4 million more people started freelancing, according to an October report summarized by Fast Company.

Despite tightening in the labor market, the number of American workers who freelance continues to grow, with 35% of workers freelancing. The number of workers in America who freelance has grown by 4 million within the past 5 years, up from 53 million in 2014 to 57 million in 2019.

Online talent platforms are bringing down the costs of finding talent, providing more work for freelancers as well as growing economies. A report from the McKinsey Global Institute finds that by 2025 these online marketplaces “could add $2.7 trillion to global GDP, and begin to ameliorate many of the persistent problems in the world’s labor markets.”

AlphaLawgics makes it easy and transparent to find legal services providers when and where you need them and at the rates that fit your budget. Select the service you need, set a budget, and hire the legal expert who best matches your budget and needs.

Our Freelance Marketplace is a free tool for those seeking services, as well as service providers. Our goal is to do legal better in the US, helping consumers gain affordable access to legal services, while helping service providers grow their businesses.

Join our growing legal freelance marketplace, where you can offer your services or hire independent legal professionals based on your budget & needs. Let’s do legal better, sign up today and download our new iOS app, it’s free and easy to use!

ABA Chief Acknowledges Need for Innovation to Increase Access to Legal Services

State Bar associations’ proposed reforms throughout the United States are gaining momentum as they address a pressing issue within the country’s legal system: legal services are increasingly out of reach for most Americans.

Last week, American Bar Association president, Judy Perry Martinez, told Bloomberg Law that limited access to legal services in the US is a real and growing problem.

“What I know is that there are many in this country who can’t access legal services. And frankly, I think there is a moment in time, right now, where people are thinking critically and innovatively and with a different set of tools in their toolbox.”

ABA President Judy Perry Martinez https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/aba-president-looks-to-states-on-access-to-justice-reform

Legal matters can be expensive, time consuming, and confusing for both consumers and even for professionals. The US ranks 99th out of 126 countries for access & affordability of legal services, according to the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index.

State Bar associations and task forces throughout the United States are pressing for regulatory reform to make legal services more affordable and accessible. That’s why AlphaLawgics built a free platform to help navigate the process of hiring legal help. The AlphaLawgics Freelance Marketplace connects businesses & individuals with on-demand legal services providers throughout the US.

AlphaLawgics makes it easy and transparent to find legal services providers when and where you need them and at the rates that fit your budget. Select the service you need, set a budget, and hire the legal expert who best matches your budget and needs.

Our Freelance Marketplace is a free tool for those seeking services, as well as service providers. Our goal is to do legal better in the US, helping consumers gain affordable access to legal services, while helping service providers grow their businesses.

AlphaLawgics offers free & affordable tools to save time and money throughout legal proceedings for both individuals and legal professionals, increasing affordability and accessibility to the legal justice system. Our Freelance Marketplace is a free tool to connect individuals and professionals, allowing those seeking legal services to find on-demand legal services providers who match their budget and specifications, throughout the US.

Let’s do legal better. Join today, it’s free!

Oregon State Bar considers Recommendations to Increase Access to Justice

In a growing movement among state bar associations throughout the US, the Oregon State Bar’s board of governors has approved progressive recommendations to change rules around paraprofessional licensing and to authorize individuals without law degrees to sit for the bar exam.

On Sept. 27, the board approved recommendations from two bar task forces with the goal of increasing access to justice in Oregon. The first notable recommendation is for a paraprofessional licensing program which would authorize licensed professionals to provide limited legal advice without attorney supervision, according to the board of governor’s agenda. Variations of a paraprofessional program currently exist in Utah and Washington, with California considering a similar proposal.

“The most compelling argument for licensing paraprofessionals is that the bar’s other efforts to close the access-to-justice gap have continued to fall short. We must broaden the options available for persons seeking to obtain legal services, while continuing to strive for full funding of legal aid and championing pro bono representation by lawyers.”

Oregon State Bar’s Futures Task Force 2017 Executive Summary report

The second notable recommendation approved by the board would authorize applicants to take the bar exam without having first completed a juris doctorate degree at an ABA accredited law school, as long as the applicant meets specific requirements.

The proposal suggests allowing individuals to sit for the bar and be licensed in the state as long as the applicant has at least a bachelor’s degree, good moral character, and has completed a four-year mentorship/tutelage program in a law office, legal department or court.

The Oregon State Bar’s Alternative Pathways Taskforce Committee persuades that lower costs of entry to a license could lead to a more diverse practicing bar in Oregon. The committee states that participation in the four-year program would be significantly lower than the costs of law school, estimating the costs of the program to be between $12,000 and $18,000, significantly lower than then $35,000 per year residents would pay at the University of Oregon School of Law.

California, Maine, New York, Washington, Vermont and Virginia currently allow individuals without three-year law degrees to sit for their state bar exams.

“The next step will be to create detailed proposals and regulations relating to each of the two above recommendations. All proposals must be approved by the Oregon Supreme Court before going into effect.”

Jason Tashea – ABA Journal

AlphaLawgics offers tools to save time and money throughout legal proceedings for both individuals and legal professionals, increasing affordability and accessibility to the legal justice system. Our Freelance Marketplace is a free tool to connect individuals and professionals, allowing those seeking legal services to find on-demand legal services providers who match their budget and specifications, throughout the US.

Let’s do legal better. Join today, it’s free!

Florida Bar’s Proposal for Online Legal Services Providers

In a move to improve consumer access to legal services, the Florida Bar is proposing voluntary registration for online legal services providers. Reporting on the new proposal, Bloomberg Law notes that supporters of this and similar proposals cite studies which show an alarming and increasing number of Americans cannot afford access to an attorney or legal services providers.

American citizens facing legal matters ranging from landlord-tenant disputes to child custody cases are representing themselves in court in anywhere from 50% to 99% of the time because they cannot afford lawyers. Consumer-facing legal tech companies could do much more to bridge the gap if state bars allowed it, [access to justice proponents] add.

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/florida-bar-proposal-for-online-legal-providers-a-lighter-touch

AlphaLawgics is proud to provide free tools like the Freelance Marketplace to connect individuals, businesses, and even attorneys, to lawyers & legal services providers who match their budgets and specifications to bridge the access-to-justice gap.

It is free to join our growing community of attorneys and legal services providers, where professionals can offer their services and connect directly to clients, and those seeking legal services can find on-demand providers who match their budgets and specifications. 

Let’s do legal better. Save time and money using the AlphaLawgics Freelance Marketplace to find on-demand legal services providers who match your budget, or to offer your services. Sign up today, it’s free!

Legal Analytics Market

AlphaLawgics helps firms & vendors keep up with growth demands by improving transparency in project management & outsourcing, ultimately increasing productivity & cost-efficiency

Lawyers Required to Know Legal Tech

On February 26, the Texas Supreme Court amended Paragraph 8 of the comment to Rule 1.01 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct. With this amendment, Texas becomes the 36th state to adopt the ethical duty of technology competence for lawyers.