Legal Subscription Services: Could They Work For Your Business?

Subscription services have permeated pretty much every area of our lives. We get our regular entertainment fix on platforms like Netflix, our music through streaming services like Spotify, our weekly meals delivered to our doorsteps in subscription food boxes…the list goes on! 

And the subscription-based model is starting to gain momentum in the legal industry, too. You may be wondering: why would lawyers offer a subscription service? How does a subscription-based model differ from seeing a traditional lawyer on retainer? What sort of things do you get when you sign up to a legal subscription service? 

At Sprintlaw, we’re very familiar with the benefits legal subscription services can deliver to clients. We recently introduced our own subscription service: Sprintlaw Membership. And we’re already seeing how it makes legal access more affordable and reliable for businesses.

So, if you’re curious about using a subscription service to cover your business’ legal needs, here’s what you need to know. 

In this article, we’ll explain how a legal subscription works, what the benefits are, and how to tell if it’s the right choice for your business. 

How Does A Legal Subscription Service Work?

You’re probably pretty familiar with how a subscription service like Netflix works. You pay a set fee and then get unlimited access to the content on their platform. But how does this model translate to the legal industry? 

Generally, legal subscription services operate on an annual payment model. You make a one-off payment and, for the rest of the year, you get access to a certain scope of the firm’s services. 

Every legal subscription model is different. But, when designing our service, we chose to prioritise what our clients are constantly telling us is most valuable to them: on-demand, unlimited access to our lawyers. This means members can book in calls with our lawyers anytime to discuss whatever’s on their mind—like questions about their business’ contracts or advice on their intellectual property rights. 

So, here’s what we offer: 

• Free updates to documents we’ve drafted for you
• Unlimited free 30 minute calls with our lawyers
• 10% discounts on all our fixed-fee legal services 
• Exclusive access to partner offers (including discounted services from accounting firms, tax specialists, and more)
• Access to our Sprintlaw Signatures tool (as part of the Sprintlaw Membership)
• Get help with simple legal documents with our legal chat bots

What Are The Benefits Of A Legal Subscription Service? 

Now that we’ve covered what a legal subscription service is, let’s go through some of the key benefits of using a subscription-based model to take care of your business’ legal needs. 

You Can Easily Factor The Cost Of Legal Services Into Your Business’ Budget 

In times of uncertainty, it’s important to have predictability in your business’ budget. Unfortunately, lawyers are rarely predictable in their cost or delivery times. 

A subscription-based model combats this. From the outset, you’ll know exactly how much your business’ annual legal fees will be. You won’t be charged in 6 minute increments and you’ll avoid being hit with hefty surprise bills. Plus, you’ll know when your projects will be delivered. 

It’s An Investment In The Future Of Your Business

Engaging a lawyer mightn’t seem like the best use of your business’ funds. It can be tempting to take care of things yourself—relying on the goodwill of those you’re doing business with, and trusting they’ll do the right thing. Alternatively, you could use ‘one-size-fits-all’ legal templates you’ve found online, and form your business’ foundational relationships upon these. 

But if you’re serious about the growth of your business, neither of these options are a good idea. It’s always wise to get an experienced lawyer’s input into your business, so they can assess your unique needs and ensure you’re properly protected.

As part of our subscription service, our expert lawyers will be on call to offer advice on your business’ relationships and future directions, whenever you need it. Our lawyers were trained at Australia’s top firms so, as a member, you’ll benefit from their expertise without the expense.

It’s best to be proactive rather than wait until something’s gone wrong to engage a lawyer. Taking shortcuts often leads to more expense and headaches in the long run!

You Can Get Your Legal Documents Updated As Your Business Evolves

As your business’ needs change, so too should your legal documents. It’s for this reason that we offer free updates to legal documents as part of our subscription service. 

At any time, our lawyers can make complimentary updates to documents we’ve prepared for you. This ensures your business legals remain up-to-date, and that your business’ growth is supported by a strong legal foundation. 

It’s Cheaper Than Engaging A Traditional Law Firm

We’ve designed our legal subscription service – as well as our overall business model – to give business owners affordable access to legal services. We operate under a lightweight, tech-powered model, making our legal service delivery fast, simple and reliable. And, importantly, we charge a fraction of the cost of traditional firms. 

In contrast, traditional firms carry lots of baggage in their operations—with board rooms, print

rooms, fancy offices, paralegals, secretaries and hourly billing. The result? You have to pay more for all these overheads, and you get an inconsistent service. 

Our online subscription-based model is already challenging the big players in the legal industry. We’ve won a host of prestigious awards for our new approach to law: including Innovator of the Year (2019 Australian Law Awards), Excellence in Technology and Innovation (2020 Australiasian Law Awards), and NewLaw Firm of the Year (2020 Australian Law Awards). 

You Can Access Support For Other Areas Of Your Business

No business is an island, and you’re going to need a whole lot more than good legal advice to succeed. That’s why we’ve teamed up with a curated group of partners who’ll help your business grow. 

As a Sprintlaw Member, you’ll be able to access exclusive discounts from some of the most innovative businesses working in company registration, accounting, tax services, online payments, debt collection, insurance, banking law, liquidation, insolvency and more.

Is A Legal Service Subscription The Right Choice For Your Business? 

If you just need one contract drafted for your business, then signing up to a legal subscription service mightn’t be the approach you’re looking for. However, it’s pretty rare that a business just gets one contract drafted and all its legal needs are forever sorted!

So, if you’re serious about growing a successful, sustainable business, you should be accessing regular, expert legal advice. Want to do this without breaking the bank? Our legal subscription service could be the right fit for you. 

Head over to the Sprintlaw Membership page to find out more. And, if you want to learn about how a Sprintlaw Membership could work for your business, get in touch for a free chat on 1800 730 617 or at team@sprintlaw.com.au 

The development of Sprintlaw Membership was proudly made possible through the City of Sydney’s Small Business Grants. 

Justine Wu

Justine is a legal consultant at Sprintlaw. She has experience in civil law and human rights law with a double degree in law and media production. Justine has an interest in intellectual property and employment law.