According to the Legal Services Corporation, a staggering 92% of low-income Americans currently lack access to sufficient legal assistance for their civil legal issues. Furthermore, state studies reveal that a significant 80% of the eligible population’s civil legal needs remain unmet. In response to this critical gap, Charley Moore’s RocketLawyer, an online legal technology company, is dedicated to democratizing access to legal services for the broader population.
Moore’s personal journey and experiences have been pivotal in shaping his commitment to making legal services more accessible. His father’s career path began as a fuel truck driver in the Air Force, eventually leading to the establishment of a gas station business. Despite his entrepreneurial spirit, limited education beyond the eighth grade left him grappling with complex legal documents, unable to afford legal guidance. This led to missed opportunities that left a profound impact on Moore, igniting his determination to bridge legal gaps.
In contrast, Moore’s mother, a teacher, instilled in him a deep appreciation for education. He pursued higher learning, enrolling at the United States Naval Academy, and subsequently served as a U.S. Naval officer and Gulf War veteran. Following his military service, he pursued a legal education at the Berkeley School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor in 1996.
Entering the world of internet corporate development during its formative years, Moore embarked on his legal career at Venture Law Group. Here, he specialized in business law, representing technology companies and their investors. He played a pivotal role in early-stage representation for companies such as Yahoo! (through its IPO), WebTV Networks (acquired by Microsoft), and Cerent Corporation (acquired by Cisco Systems). Additionally, he founded Onstation Corporation, which was subsequently acquired by The Cobalt Group. Moore’s legal career extended beyond startups to collaborations with established companies and tech innovators.
While practicing law in the tech hub of Silicon Valley, Moore witnessed the exorbitant costs associated with accessing legal expertise. The burgeoning possibilities of internet technologies sparked his vision of connecting the masses with legal professionals. This vision evolved over a decade and eventually materialized as RocketLawyer, pioneering a revolutionary concept where legal professionals and their clients could interact within online spaces.
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“The legal system is broken. It doesn’t scale to the billions of transactions that the modern economy needs. It’s still very archaic: long and complex documents and procedures, paper contracts. Today the legal system doesn’t support the modern economy. Businesses are fast, agile and have no geographical boundaries. Over the next 10-20 years, legal services will be digitalised, as it has happened with other industries.”
Charley Moore in Entrepreneur Handbook
In 2008, Moore introduced RocketLawyer, an innovative online legal service aimed at providing easily accessible legal advice and representation. This platform empowers business owners to take charge of their legal matters, offering a wide range of services, from contract drafting and will creation to company incorporation. Users can tap into a network of attorneys spanning across the United States and Europe, receiving expert guidance. Furthermore, RocketLawyer harnesses AI-driven software capable of delivering legal counsel tailored to both local and global jurisdictions, making legal services more affordable and within reach for business owners.
As RocketLawyer celebrates its 15th anniversary, the platform boasts a substantial user base of approximately 30 million clients across the United States. Impressively, it has facilitated the generation of over 100 million legal documents. The company has also expanded its reach to cater to a diverse audience, offering services in multiple European languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and French. Notably, RocketLawyer has expanded its presence with the recent launch of RocketLawyer Latin America, headquartered in Brazil.
Today, RocketLawyer’s services have garnered significant recognition and are offered as employee benefits at prestigious companies such as Google, Salesforce, and Boston Consulting Group. This widespread adoption underscores the platform’s value in providing accessible and essential legal solutions to individuals and businesses alike.
I’m really excited about the next decade in terms of folks being able to access low-cost legal services. What we’re doing is bringing the cost down so that ordinary people and small businesses can afford the kind of legal services that before was the domain of rich folks and well-funded business.
Charley Moore in Forbes
It is projected that the global legal services industry will approach a staggering $839 billion in revenue in 2023, with anticipated growth to surpass $1.112 trillion by 2026. This industry context becomes particularly significant when considering the substantial demand in the United States, where a mere 1.3 million lawyers serve a population of 260 million adults and support 33 million small businesses. Within this landscape, Charley Moore’s pioneering endeavor, RocketLawyer, stands out as a transformative force in rendering legal services markedly more accessible and approachable.