Getting legal advice is expensive….well that’s what most people would assume anyway. In fact, a lot of people aren’t even aware how much it costs to get legal help since it’s a service that most people hope they never have to use — but know that if they do, it’s probably going to cost them an arm and a leg.
C.L.C (Customer-Lawyer Communication) is an online one-on-one legal counseling platform that aims to make getting legal advice more accessible everyone. The company’s slogan is, “Everyone should be able to easily enjoy legal services just as they enjoy culture.” And while this sounds somewhat unusual in English, essentially it aims to bridge the gap between the general public and the legal world.
CLC was founded in 2017 by Nam Geon-woo and Song Gil-yong after discovering that finding a lawyer to talk to overseas was relatively easy compared to Korea and wanted to solve this problem. But how could two people with no legal experience create a successful lawtech service? Nam and Song say that because they developed the platform from the perspective of wanting to get legal advice themselves, they’ve been able to better pinpoint what consumers want.
The overall market for legal consulting is skewed for law firms, with most revenue going towards famous and large firms, while smaller ones struggle to get clients. Competition is continuing to intensify, but there aren’t many easy ways for these companies to promote themselves better in order to reach new clients. CLC allows lawyers and firms to market themselves by carrying out consultations online while earning extra income.
“Using CLC means a personal page for each lawyer and helps with PR,” says Song. “In the near future we will produce content for each lawyer by editing video chat sessions to help with promotion even further.”
It turns out that most legal counseling in Korea costs 150,000 to 200,000 won (USD $131-175) per half hour, which is difficult to pay for most. There is also the burden of having to visit the firm’s office directly, and not being able to select your desired lawyer in some cases. CLC solves this problem by a offering 24 hour, one-on-one online platform. However, it’s not the only online legal service available, with major law firms also starting to provide similar services.
So what makes CLC different? Firstly, the number of options for contacting lawyers means you are free to use your preferred method of communication, whether that’s email, phone, instant message or video conferencing. You can also choose to meet in person at a time of your choice.
CLC’s payment method also differs from other legal services. Well most legal firms require prepayment for a set time, CLC lets you pay for the length of your consultation to the second, making it a more affordable option. CLC’s service is currently free and clients only need pay the fees for legal advice as set by each law firm.
“We will grow into a comprehensive legal service by securing 100 lawyers within the year and providing judicial search engine services in the future,” says CEO Nam.
