Legal assistance and advice are vital to ensure the smooth operation of an enterprise. They help in avoiding any mistakes and ensure the company’s integrity. They also offer guidance on how to settle any litigation or legal issues. A lawyer who can provide the right advice in a short time is the best method to get legal assistance.
Getting help with legal issues isn’t always straightforward. Many people are unable to afford an attorney and others may not have access to free legal services. There are alternatives, however. Some organizations provide online resources and advice. Some also connect small businesses to attorneys for a nominal fee. Some of these platforms provide webinars and downloadable resources. A more recent option is a subscription plan, where users pay a regular fee to access legal professionals to seek assistance.
Some states and jurisdictions have explicitly adopted policies that make the distinction between legal information and legal advice (or utilize a training program which does this). In some cases, a distinction has been made to separate «ex-ante» advice (obtained in the event of a potential or actual lawsuit is pending) from «ex-post» advice («obtained when someone has committed an act or has been hurt»).
Paralegals are often involved in providing advice, primarily nonlawyers. In England, for example, the majority of the active advice providers are nonlawyers. Nonlawyers are employed by accounting firms and advice bureaus, which are the main providers of advice. These kinds of organizations are problematic from an ethical point of view because they violate laws by helping people hide assets and reduce their threat of being penalized.