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23 Harv. J. L. & Tech. 259 (2009-2010)
Leveraging Technology to Deliver Legal Services

handle is hein.journals/hjlt23 and id is 261 raw text is: Harvard Journal of Law & Technology Volume 23, Number 1 Fall 2009 LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO DELIVER LEGAL SERVICES Chris Johnson* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 259 II. ONLINE LEGAL SERVICE TECHNOLOGIES: A CONTEMPORARY SURVEY ......................................................... 260 A . O rig ins ...................................................................................... 260 B. Current Landscape ................................................................... 262 1. B asic Business M odels .......................................................... 262 2. Making Services Affordable ................................................. 262 C. Addressing the Obstacles ......................................................... 266 1. Privacy and Information Security .......................................... 266 2. Accessing Underserved Markets ........................................... 268 3. Unauthorized Practice of Law ............................................... 269 III. LOOKIN G FORW ARD ................................................................... 270 A. Online Pure-Play vs. Hybrid Brick-and-Mortar ...................... 270 B. Vendor vs. Multi-Sided Platform .............................................. 273 1. Econom ics of M SPs .............................................................. 274 2. Revitalizing the Online Legal Service Business Model ........ 275 C. Open vs. Closed Platforms ....................................................... 278 IV . EMBRACING CHANGE ................................................................. 279 A. Consumers: Serving a Latent Market ....................................... 279 B. Legal Professionals: Opportunities to Participate ................... 282 V . C ON CLU SION ................................................................................ 282 I. INTRODUCTION Online technologies offer innovative ways to deliver legal ser- vices. By automating tasks traditionally performed by attorneys and by making legal products available on the Internet, these technologies make legal services more affordable and accessible.1 For example, * J.D., Harvard Law School, cum laude, 2009; B.A. Economics, Yale University, magna cum laude, 2004. Special thanks to Chris Looney and Ben Weiner for their contributions to early drafts. Also, to Joshua Gruenspecht, Elizabeth Jenkins, and Sarah Sorscher, whose critical commentary helped me reframe many of my arguments, and to the members of the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology editing team who worked with Francesca Butnick to make this Note possible. Thanks also to Frank Edens and Richard Susskind for their inspira- tion and advice. 1. Professor Richard Susskind provides a framework explaining the evolution of legal services, from (1) bespoke (individual meetings with attorneys), to (2) standardization of

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