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Best Online Legal Services

Advertiser Disclosure Updated: Apr 2, 2024, 6:30pm

Best Online Legal Services Of 2024

Janette NovakContributor

Janette Novak is a freelance journalist and consultant who specializes in teaching online business and small business marketing. Previously, Janette owned a boutique marketing agency and served as a Chief Marketing Officer for a leading professional training services provider.

Kelly MainStaff Reviewer

Kelly Main is a Marketing Editor and Writer specializing in digital marketing, online advertising and web design and development. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist covering small business marketing content. She is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and she holds an MSc in International Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. Additionally, she is a Columnist at Inc. Magazine.

Janette Novak,

Janette NovakContributor

Kelly Main

Kelly MainStaff Reviewer

Contributor, Staff Reviewer

Rob WattsManaging Editor, SMB

With over a decade of editorial experience, Rob Watts breaks down complex topics for small businesses that want to grow and succeed. His work has been featured in outlets such as Keypoint Intelligence, FitSmallBusiness and PCMag.

Reviewed

Rob Watts

Rob WattsManaging Editor, SMB

Managing Editor, SMB

Reviewed

Updated: Apr 2, 2024, 6:30pm

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

Most businesses need a lawyer at some point, particularly when they’re starting out. Hiring an independent business attorney to handle all your legal needs can be cost-prohibitive, especially for those launching a new company on a budget. The good news is that many business legal matters, including business formation, can be handled via trustworthy online legal service providers.

The best online legal services offer a timely and affordable way to set up your limited liability company (LLC), corporation or nonprofit while also ensuring you remain compliant with filing rules and regulations. You can also use an online legal service provider to help you file your employer identification number (EIN), create legal partnerships, draft business contacts and protect your intellectual property through trademarks and copyrights. Some companies even offer live consultations with licensed attorneys.

Forbes Advisor combed the online legal services industry to find the providers that rise to the top in terms of services offered, reliability and overall value. You’ll find our top five picks below.

Best Of

Show Summary

Featured Partners

ZenBusiness

$0 + State Fees

Varies By State & Package

ZenBusiness

On ZenBusiness' Website

LegalZoom

$0 + State Fees

Varies By State & Package

LegalZoom

On LegalZoom's Website

Northwest Registered Agent

$39 + State Fees

Varies By State & Package

Northwest Registered Agent

On Northwest Registered Agent's Website

The Best Online Legal Services of 2024

LegalZoom: Best overall
ZenBusiness: Best for business formation
Northwest Registered Agent: Best for registered agent services
Rocket Lawyer: Best membership program
Filenow: Best for fast LLC processing

Best Overall

LegalZoom

LLC Pricing

free, plus state filing fees

(paid plans start at $249, plus state filing fees)

Registered agent services

Starts at $249

per year

Trademark registration

Starts at $599

(plus federal fees)

free, plus state filing fees

(paid plans start at $249, plus state filing fees)

Starts at $249

per year

Starts at $599

(plus federal fees)

Editor's Take

LegalZoom tops our list of best online legal services based on the company’s full suite of offerings and affordable pricing plans.

LegalZoom makes it easy to form your LLC, corporation or nonprofit. You can set up your LLC for free, plus state filing fees. Paid plans start at $249, plus state filing fees. The company also offers registered agent services and intellectual property protection, including trademark services, copyrights, utility patents and design patents.

LegalZoom’s Business Advisory Plan gives you direct access to an attorney for independent consultations on legal matters, contract and legal document review and an annual business evaluation. Six-month and 12-month plans are available; annual plans start at $39.08 per month.

If you want to obtain online legal services for your personal needs, LegalZoom can help you there, too. The company offers wills, living trusts, financial and healthcare power of attorney documents and general legal help for personal matters.

All LegalZoom fees are charged at a flat rate, so you never incur unexpected high hourly bills. LegalZoom stands behind its services with a 60-day guarantee of satisfaction.

Customer support is offered on weekdays via phone from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific time, and on weekends from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time. All agents are based in the United States. You can also submit your questions online 24/7.

Who should use it:

LegalZoom offers a full complement of online legal services at affordable prices, which makes it the perfect provider for anyone looking to set up a business or who requires an ongoing legal advisory solution.

Pros & Cons

Easy business setup
Affordable registered agent services
Trademarks, patents and copyrights offered
Business Advisory Plan offers direct access to attorneys

Customer support could be timelier
LLC fees higher than competitors
Lots of upsells

Best for Business Formation

ZenBusiness

LLC Pricing

free, plus state filing fees

(paid plans start at $199, plus state filing fees)

Registered agent services

$199 annually

Trademark registration

On ZenBusiness' Website

free, plus state filing fees

(paid plans start at $199, plus state filing fees)

$199 annually

Editor's Take

ZenBusiness tops Forbes Advisor’s list of best LLC services. If you’re looking to form a new business and are on a budget, ZenBusiness delivers the legal help you need to set up your business quickly and easily.

Prices for forming an LLC or a corporation using ZenBusiness start at free, plus state fees. The Pro plan, which costs $199 (plus state fees), comes with expedited filing, EIN document preparation and filing, a business domain, website, email and hosting.

ZenBusiness offers a wide variety of add-on services, including stand-alone registered agent services for $199 annually. You can also add on rush filing for $79 and EIN filing for $99 annually. ZenBusiness does not offer intellectual property protection services.

Customer support is offered via phone, email and live chat. Phone support is offered from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time on weekdays and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT.

Who should use it:

ZenBusiness makes it easy and affordable to set up your business LLC or corporation, and thus, is the ideal solution for those just getting started.

Pros & Cons

Very affordable registered agent service
Easy business setup
Upfront, affordable pricing
Multiple subscription tiers available
Annual compliance included

EIN service is pricey
Costs spike in second year of service
Limited website capabilities
Does not offer trademark registration

Best for Registered Agent Services

Northwest Registered Agent

LLC Pricing

$225

(plus state fees)

Registered agent services

$125

annually

Trademark registration

Yes

(costs $499)

On NorthWest Registered Agent's Website

$225

(plus state fees)

$125

annually

Yes

(costs $499)

Editor's Take

While Northwest Registered Agent is best known for its registered agent service, the company also offers online legal services such as LLC, corporation and nonprofit set-up and trademark services.

The filing for an LLC is $225, plus state fees. However, this fee also includes its registered agent service. Northwest charges $125 annually for registered agent services, which include business address use, mail forwarding, mail scanning, annual report reminders and locally scanned documents. Many of these services are available on an a la carte basis, such as mail forwarding for $20 per month and U.S. virtual office services for $29 per month.

Customer support is an area where Northwest shines. All registered agent accounts are assigned a Northwest Corporate Guide with at least two years of experience. You can contact your Guide via phone, email or through the online support form. Most inquiries are answered within two hours, and phone calls are often answered immediately.

Who should use it:

If you’re looking for an attentive, trustworthy registered agent for your business, you’ll want to take a close look at all Northwest Registered Agent has to offer.

Pros & Cons

Transparent fees
Option to break fees into monthly payments
Easy business set up
Strong reputation for customer service
Strong privacy protection

LLC registration requires registered agent service
Separate charge for EIN service
Add-ons get pricey
Limited plan options

Best Membership Program

Rocket Lawyer

LLC Pricing

$99.99

(plus state fees)

Registered agent services

$249.99

annually

Trademark registration

Yes

$99.99

(plus state fees)

$249.99

annually

Yes

Editor's Take

Rocket Lawyer is a popular online legal services provider that offers both à la carte and membership options. The company delivers legal services for a variety of business needs, including setting up an LLC, corporation or nonprofit, establishing business partnerships, creating business contracts and protecting intellectual property through copyrights, patents, trademarks and usage licensing. Rocket Lawyer On Call services—where you speak with an attorney directly—are also available.

You can test many of Rocket Lawyer’s membership services with the seven-day free trial. Rocket Lawyer membership costs $39.99 per month and comes with access to hundreds of legal documents, a free 30-minute consultation on every new legal matter and free incorporation filing (you’ll pay state fees). Members also receive up to a 40% discount when hiring a Rocket Lawyer On Call attorney and 25% off registered agent services.

Nonmembers can purchase documents and services separately, though the fees tend to be high. For example, you’ll pay $99 plus state fees for incorporation filing, $39.99 per legal document downloaded and $49.99 to ask a lawyer a legal question.

Customer support is offered via phone, email and live chat. Phone support is only offered Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT.

Who should use it:

For those looking for ongoing legal support for their business, Rocket Lawyer’s membership program is a relatively affordable alternative to obtaining legal services directly from an independent business attorney.

Pros & Cons

Free LLC for members
Direct access to business attorneys
30-day money-back guarantee
Free trial

Pricey à la carte legal docs
Limited services for nonmembers
Basic LLC filing service not offered

Best for Fast LLC Processing

Filenow

LLC Pricing

$49

(plus state fees)

Registered agent services

$119 per year

Trademark registration

Read Forbes' Review

$49

(plus state fees)

$119 per year

Editor's Take

Filenow is on Forbes Advisor’s list of best LLC services, and it’s also our top choice for fast LLC processing. A relatively young company, Filenow excels in offering fast and affordable business formation and registered agent services.

The Starter plan costs $49 plus state fees and comes with electronic delivery of state documents, articles of organization filing, online order status tracking, unlimited name search, company alerts and business tax consultation.

The Filenow Premium plan costs $199 plus state fees. It comes with everything included in the Starter plan plus a free year of registered agent services, an EIN, operating agreement, banking resolution, dozens of business contract templates and 24-hour ordering processing.

Customer support is offered via phone, email and chat. Phone and live chat support are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET. Filenow backs all services with its error-free money-back guarantee.

Learn more: Read our full Filenow review.

Who should use it:

Filenow is an excellent option for those who want to set up an LLC quickly.

Pros & Cons

24-hour LLC filing on Premium plan
Error-free money-back guarantee
Upfront pricing
Free registered agent service for first year (Premium plan only)

No option for direct attorney access
Limited legal services offered
Annual reporting not available

Methodology

Forbes Advisor reviewed dozens of legal service providers and looked at thousands of data points in creating this list of best online legal services. Pricing, overall value and superior customer support were top priorities. We also considered the scope of online business legal services offered, privacy protections, and timeliness and precision of services rendered.

Because so many providers price and package their services differently, it can be challenging to identify which solution offers the best value. For example, sometimes annual reporting, EINs and registered agent services are included with LLC or corporation setup services, and sometimes they are available for an extra fee. Forbes Advisor took an in-depth look at provider service packages, membership programs and add-on services offered to give you a clear and complete picture of options available and associated costs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I trust online legal services?

Many trustworthy online legal services are available today, including LegalZoom, ZenBusiness, Northwest Registered Agent, Rocket Lawyer and Filenow. When selecting a provider for online legal services, check its reputation for quality, total cost for services provided, including add-on charges, and the types of services offered in light of your specific legal needs. Also, be sure to work with a legal service provider with licensed attorneys on staff.

Why should I subscribe to an online legal company?

If you’re a small business that’s just getting started, subscribing to an online legal service is a budget-friendly way to launch your business legally while having access to attorneys for additional business support. Often, it’s more affordable and as effective to sign up for a legal service membership program than to work directly with an independent business attorney.

How do I set up an LLC?

Setting up your own limited liability company (LLC) can be done in seven steps:

Decide a business name
Designate a registered agent
Get a copy of your state’s LLC articles of organization form
Prepare the LLC article of organization form
File the articles of organization form
Create an operating agreement
Keep your LLC active

Do I need to hire a lawyer to register an LLC?

Filing and registering an LLC with any given state does not require an attorney. For more complicated business structures and those who want to ensure no mistakes are made, hiring a lawyer may be advisable. Generally, forming an LLC does not specifically require hiring a lawyer. If you want legal assistance at an affordable rate, consider using one of the best LLC services.

Do I need a registered agent for my LLC?

All states require that those forming an LLC assign a registered agent to their new business. You can serve as your own registered agent but many people prefer to assign registered agent responsibilities to an online legal service provider.

What does a registered agent do for my business?

A registered agent is a company or person that receives government correspondence, legal documents and tax forms on behalf of your business. A registered agent can help your company remain compliant by keeping you notified of legal notices and alerting you to upcoming annual report filing deadlines. Many online legal service providers offer registered agent services.

Next Up In Business

Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.

Janette Novak

Contributor

Kelly Main

Staff Reviewer

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