GLENDALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LegalZoom announced today that it has been approved to begin operations as an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) starting January 7, 2015, pursuant to changes in UK law firm regulations allowing companies to become licensed as providers of reserved legal activities. The move comes as a follow up to the launch of LegalZoom’s UK website (www.legalzoom.co.uk) and represents a major step in providing consumer focused legal services in the UK.
“Our expansion efforts in the UK are an opportunity for LegalZoom to work more closely with attorneys,” said Edward Hartman, co-founder of LegalZoom. “We are always searching for innovative ways to create a better customer experience and provide greater access to the law. Lawyers are a key ingredient of any legal solution, and licensing as an ABS is a natural building block of LegalZoom’s future.”
LegalZoom Legal Services Ltd. will be led on the ground in the UK by Craig Holt, co-founder of Quality Solicitors, the largest network of local law firms in the UK. Holt joined LegalZoom in December 2014.
“An ABS provides broader freedom in how we work with lawyers, and we expect increasing levels of partnership in the US and the UK,” said Holt. “By offering innovative legal solutions and a customer-focused experience, LegalZoom hopes to have a meaningful impact on the existing gap in access to legal services and the way legal help is delivered in the UK.”
LegalZoom is the nation's leading provider of personalized, affordable online legal solutions for families and small businesses. Founded more than 12 years ago by attorneys with experience at some of the top law firms in the country, LegalZoom has helped over two million Americans become protected with binding legal documents. Although LegalZoom is not a law firm, it can help people access an attorney through its legal plans. The company has offices in Austin, TX, Glendale, CA, Mountain View, CA, and Melton Mowbray, UK. For more information, visit www.legalzoom.com.
