what if a startup charged $300 per month for all you can eat email legal advice backed by a rich library of templates? they would instantly dominate and there are 6M small businesses in the USA alone
Unfortunately, if you even think about your attorney, you'll be charged for it but the peace of mind is worth it.
Having a lawyer you trust, is timely to questions, and works fast is just a layer of stability you need so you can focus on the important parts of a startup. Legalzoom is garbage in this regard.
The product makes you feel like it’s a one click thing but you need to check in with a lawyer to not forget anything. Most ppl who used Atlas have told me the same. I do recommend Atlas since you will save some money and you get some nice fringe benefits.
I’ve seen agreements that were 99% good, but a problem in the other 1% made the whole thing worthless.
Cost also doesn't guarantee quality. You're paying for resources, specialization, general counsel that can delegate, and insurance against mistakes. Useful but only when you really need it.
RocketLawyer is even closer to that: https://www.rocketlawyer.com/legal-documents-forms.rl/
$300 might cover a simple contract review, maybe by volume you can cut that in half - so if you are talking 1-2 "tickets" a month, maybe you are covered. Sounds risky to me in a back-of-envelope way.
Of course, a bunch of people are trying variations of this idea.
You can find online legal guesswork and forms for free. $300/mo is too expensive for that.
But getting someone with experience to stand behind it - to risk their license, insurance, and future income — is north of $300/hr even in suburbs and flyover country.