• Our Guarantee
• Our Advantage
• How It Works
• Frequently Asked Questions
• X

Our Guarantee

Legal Document Preparation Services  We guarantee your satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied with our document preparation services, you can request a refund within 5 days of purchase or prior to receiving your documents in the mail, whichever is greater. We do not provide refunds for documents once they are mailed and received by the client. Prior to your documents being mailed, you will have a chance to review them in you MyLegalAffairs client space. You will have the opportunity to correct mistakes and make modifications free of charge. Once you accept the documents and they are printed and mailed, our services are considered rendered, and payment is transferred into our account. Our legal documents and legal services are 100% guaranteed to be accepted by the court where you file them. If your documents are not accepted by a court, we will refund your purchase price in full.   Legal Advice Services Due to the nature of legal advice, we cannot offer a refund on our legal advice services. However, if you are unsatisfied for any reason, we will provide an additional consultation free of charge.

Our Advantage

Esquire Direct is Massachusetts' first premiere online legal service. We offer legal services at a fraction of the cost of traditional firms. Our low cost approach to legal services is attributed to our low overhead, excellent customer support and dedication to our clientele.   There was a time when you only had two choices to get your legal forms in Massachusetts: (1) retain a full-service lawyer and pay considerable, up-front costs and high hourly fees, or (2) purchase forms from a non-lawyer document preparation or legal forms company and pray that you are doing the right thing. Now there is a third way. We use the best components from the above two choices to provide you cost-effective and efficient, limited legal services* regarding Massachusetts law.   We are not just a document preparation web site. We are a Massachusetts business offering limited legal services to Massachusetts residents. A legal forms web site is not a law firm and cannot provide true legal services, such as legal advice. We provide you with true legal guidance from a licensed attorney affiliated with our firm. We are different from a legal forms site because: We stand behind and guarantee our work.  If you go to a non-lawyer document preparation service, any guarantee is limited or non-existent. As lawyers, we must keep any communications between us confidential, and we are required to avoid any conflicts of interest. We use the SSL protocol which is the most secure method of transmitting information over the Internet. You can be assured that our services are trustworthy, private, and secure. We must comply with all of the Professional Rules that apply to members of the Massachusetts Bar. The services that we provide are regulated by the Massachusetts State Bar. A legal forms web site offered by a non-law firm is not regulated in any way. If there is a problem, you have no recourse. We offer a 100% Guarantee. We comply with the American Bar Association's "Best Practice" Guidelines.  The American Bar Association House of Delegates recently approved "Best Practices" Guidelines for Legal Information web sites.  These guidelines also apply to law firms.  They serve as recommendations for how legal information web sites should publish legal information for use by the general public in order to increase the reliability and quality of the legal information and services provided. We support these guidelines and attempt to surpass them whenever we can. We are different from a typical law firm because: We are virtual.  We communicate with you solely over the Internet by e-mail and also by telephone. You don't have to give up time away from work to come to our offices. By providing our services "virtually", we are able to keep our fees low and make it convenient for you.  You have the ability to send us an e-mail or complete our on-line questionnaires at a time that is convenient for YOU. We do not impose a costly retainer agreement or up-front fees: You buy only the legal services that you need - at a fixed price per task. You know what you will pay.  No hourly rates or hidden charges - just a simple fixed and reasonable fee. We do not have fancy offices in a major metropolitan area. We are a virtual law firm and provide our services via the Internet. We do not maintain expensive, physical offices in a downtown skyscraper. We conduct most of our business by e-mail and via the Internet; therefore, personal meetings are generally not needed.  This gives us the ability to pass those savings on to our clients. We give you state-of-the-art document assembly technology. We use a world-class, state-of-the art document automation technology.  This technology enables us to generate your documents more efficiently, thereby allowing us to pass savings on to you. We guide you through the process of representing yourself. We support the concept of "self-help law". Self-help law, also known as "pro-se" representation, is the process of filing your own documents and representing yourself in court.  This is a very effective method of saving on legal fees because you do part of the work yourself. Our role is to prepare your documents for you; give you the legal advice you need; and prepare you to represent yourself so that you can avoid making any crucial mistakes. We will also advise you as to whether or not you are a candidate for the "Self-Help" approach.   * "Limited legal services" means we provide you only a limited scope of legal services as requested and purchased by you. Our relationship with you will not exceed the limited scope of the work we agree to perform on your behalf.

How It Works

Esquire Direct works with a group of licensed Massachusetts attorneys to bring you quality legal services at an affordable price. Each attorney is an independent solo practitioner who has agreed to abide by our terms and pricing structure. The price you see is the price you pay. No fine print. No extra charges - ever. The process is simple: Legal Documents: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase one of our documents and complete the online questionnaire, 3) A staff member will assign your case to an attorney from our pool, 4) Your attorney will review your completed document, offer feedback, etc, 5) Esquire Direct mails your completed document to you - free! Legal Advice: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase legal advice by email or phone, 3) Your attorney will contact you within 24 hours, 4) Discuss the matter with your attorney at your convenience, 5) After your consultation, your attorney will upload a written letter explaining the advice given to your personal MyLegalAffairs webspace. Each client of Esquire Direct has their own MyLegalAffairs web page. Registration is easy and free. MyLegal Affairs is a secure webspace that links you to your attorney. Only you and your attorney have access, so you can communicate and collaborate with complete confidence that your privacy is assured. Within your personal MyLegalAffairs web page, you can:   purchase legal documents bundled with legal advice; purchase legal advice on a per-incident/question basis; search a frequently asked questions (FAQs) database of legal questions; communicate with your attorney online; access legal information resources; and access other client support functions. Clients can pay for legal services online via credit card, our most popular method-- or you may choose traditional billing. Speak with a customer representative to see which method is right for you.   Clients complete an online questionnaire.  After completion of the questionnaire, the client clicks the Submit button and their legal document is created no matter how complex it is.  An attorney will access your  completed document(s) through a secure online Administrative Area; review the document; amend if necessary; and then return the document to your MyLegalAffairs web page with execution and/or other applicable instructions.   We understand that some clients will prefer to meet with an attorney in person ("offline").  In this case, your information is collected using a paper questionnaire.  Our paper questionnaires are tightly integrated with our interactive document templates. Your completed paper questionnaire is used by your attorney to enter your data into our web-based system.  The document(s) is instantly created and ready for your attorney to review.  This review is done prior to your appointment so you and your attorney can get the maximum benefit from your consultation. Export the document/form in rich text format (.rtf) or .doc format for use with MS Word for future editing (if needed).  Print the completed and reviewed document on your local printer; send it as an attachment to an email; or save it to your MyLegalAffairs web page -- the choice is yours.   Speak with an attorney at your convenience. Once you become a client, you will be assigned an attorney based upon your legal needs. Your attorney is a solo practitioner licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who agrees to our very stringent terms and conditions. You also have the option to switch attorneys at anytime. Esquire Direct maintains a pool of qualified attorneys so that any legal needs you have will be serviced by the right attorney with the relevant experience. View our complete list of affordable legal solutions. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is e-Lawyering? e-Lawyering is a synonym for virtual lawyering. Both terms mean delivering legal service online. The true hallmark of a virtual law firm is one that uses digital applications to provide service to clients and increase the productivity of the law firm, while lowering overhead costs that add needlessly to the client's bill. Esquire Direct is a true virtual law firm that utilizes the most up to date technology to deliver legal services to its clients.   Does Esquire Direct comply with the American Bar Association's Best Practice Guidelines for Legal Information Web Site Providers? Yes. We've made it our goal to be 100% compliant with these guidelines. We are not a fly-by-night operation. We are a genuine practice, dedicated to providing the best quality legal information and services available online. You can read the ABA guidelines here.   Do I need a will? While each individual circumstance is different, it is generally good advice for everyone to have a will. Some people believe that being unmarried or not owning substantial assets means that they don't need a will. This is wrong. Without a will, the Probate Court will determine how your estate is divided. Your estate is everything you own, including your personal property such as clothing, jewelry, cash in bank accounts, retirement funds, etc.   What is a trust and how can it help me? There are many types of trusts. Esquire Direct specializes in creating trusts for minors – called Crummey Trusts – and trusts for spouses. We also create trusts for special circumstances such as generation skipping trusts, irrevocable benefactor trusts, family trusts and trusts for pets.   Don't you have to have to be rich to have a will? Absolutely not! This is a common myth perpetuated by a number of non-credible sources. The bottom line is that a will helps protect you and your assets when you die. Without a will, the Probate Court decides how to divide your estate, and the outcome may not be what you would have intended.   What is self-help credit repair? Self-help credit repair is a service created by Esquire Direct to meet the growing demand for consumers worried about their credit scores. A good credit score is essential to getting a competitive rate on major purchases such as mortgages and car loans. There are plenty of “credit repair firms” on the internet that will charge you a hefty fee to help repair your credit. What these firms don’t tell you is that you have the right under the law to do the exact same thing yourself! These firms simply generate a letter, send it to the credit reporting agency, wait for a response and repeat the same process over again. For this “service” they charge you upwards of $90 per month. Also, since these agencies cannot obtain your credit report or receive correspondence from the agencies themselves, they require you to send in your reports monthly to them - at your expense! At Esquire Direct, we put the power in your hands. Our self-help credit repair kit allows you to take control of your credit situation using the exact same tools the credit repair firms use. We provide you with sample letters, resources to receive your credit report free, and software to track and manage your credit repair. Although there is no guarantee, with a little patience and diligence you should see erroneous or outdated information deleted from your credit report over time.   How can you represent me over the internet? We get this question a lot, and understand that legal representation over the internet is new to some. The legal services we offer are conducive to the internet representation model. We use the latest document assembly technology – RapiDocs – to assemble complex documents and tailor them to the individual client using a robust questionnaire. This is typically the same type of questionnaire used by a traditional law firm. The difference is that our process is automated, which produces a quality document that is then reviewed by a licensed attorney. The internet technology we use shortens the drafting process, and therefore significantly reduces the time the lawyer spends creating your document, which in turn reduces your cost. We use the same type of technology used by LegalZoom and RocketLawyer, plus you get the added benefit of attorney review. At Esquire Direct, we don’t believe you should spend you hard earned money on traditional legal fees when a low-cost effective solution is available.   Is our attorney-client relationship confidential? Absolutely. Our practice is required to follow the same ethical standards and a traditional brick and mortar law firm. We pride ourselves on our confidentiality and will always act according to the ethical standards adopted by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.   Is your internet web site secure? Absolutely. We use industry standard 128 bit encryption on our website. Our data is secured through Secure Socket layer (SSL) technology provided by GoDaddy and McAfee – both industry leaders in secure internet technologies.   How do I get my documents? All wills and trusts are mailed to the address you provide on 100% cotton archival paper. Other documents are mailed to you on 50% cotton archival quality paper. These documents and any other document you produce using our service is also stored on your MyLegalAffairs client space. This is a secure storage area that only you and your attorney has access to. You can download and print these documents or any document you upload to the client space at your leisure.   Are all of your documents reviewed by an attorney? All Attorney Prepared Documents generated by through our website are reviewed by an attorney at no additional cost. If you choose to use our Document Review Service, Documents uploaded to your MyLegalAffairs client space for legal review are also reviewed by a licensed attorney after the client accepts the quoted price.   What about the free templates? Esquire Direct offers a large number of self-help documents as a free service to our clients. Due to the nature of these documents, and the continuing changes in the law we do not guarantee their accuracy. It would be virtually impossible for Esquire Direct or any law firm to provide templates to fit every legal situation. Therefore, these documents are provided “caveat emptor.” If you would like a document tailored to fit your legal situation, Esquire Direct can assist at a very low cost.   How do I know you are licensed in Massachusetts? You can check the status of our license at the Board of Bar Overseers website – http://www.massbbo.org/bbolookup.php   Do you offer legal services in other states? We are currently developing partnerships in New York State, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Eventually Esquire Direct hopes to expand our offerings to clients in all 50 states.   How do I access my legal documents? Every documented generated using our system, or uploaded for attorney review is stored on your personal MyLegalAffairs client space. MyLegalAffairs is a secure webspace that can only be accessed by you and your attorney. You can store any legal document on your space, including those generated by other firms.   What is MyLegalAffairs and how does it work? Each client of Esquire Direct is assigned their own, individual, secure "My Legal Affairs" clientspace. This client space organizes the various applications that our clients purchase. It enables you to store completed information and completed legal forms on a secure server for review, printing and long-term storage. The page also has a section for personalized legal links, a calendar for important legal dates, and a web-enabled case manager. These tools allow you to communicate directly with your attorney through the MyLegalAffairs platform and review, edit, store and examine your legal documents. This creates a more effective client/attorney relationship and relieves you of the necessity to travel to and from the attorney's offices.   Can you review documents produced by other attorneys or that I downloaded from the internet? Yes. We can review any legal document you provide, and produce a written opinion you can rely on.   Can you review contracts such as leases, car purchases and mortgages? Yes. Once you join our firm as a client we can review any legal document or contract you provide. Our document review fees are very low – starting at $1.00/page or $25.00/hour, whichever is less and our turn around time is typically one day or less.   What kind of legal services do you offer? We offer most standard traditional legal services you would find in a traditional law practice, including estate planning, family law, business law and landlord-tenant law. We also provide non-traditional services such as self-help credit repair and basic financial planning. You can find a complete menu and description of our services here.   What is your contact information? Do you have a physical location? Our physical address is Esquire Direct Legal Services, 8 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA 02109. We do not utilize physical office space on a regular basis as this increases the cost of our overhead which would result in higher fees for our clients. However, we do rent executive office space – also known as shared space – in downtown Boston which we utilize on a limited basis as the need arises. You can also email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us at 617-674-4429.   How do I purchase legal advice by phone? We currently do not offer legal advice by phone. In order to create a consistent client record, all of our legal advice is administered by email or written correspondence. There are several advantages to this process: (1) the client can continually refer to the written advice in the future, (2) our written advice is guaranteed to be legally accurate, (3) we restate the scenario you described in detail so you are assured we answered the correct question. Once you become a client, you will be able to send correspondence to your attorney at anytime day or night.   How do I purchase legal advice by email? Purchasing legal advice by email is easy. Simply follow the Legal Services link on the left and click on “Legal Advice Email” to open an account or login. From there, you will be presented with a screen for payment, followed by a screen where you can enter your legal question. An attorney will provide you with an answer within 48 hours. Each purchase is good for one legal issue and both the question and answer are stored in your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. After you purchase your first question, you will be accepted as a client of the firm and eligible for discounts on future purchases.   What is Legal Document Review? How do I upload a document for legal review? Legal Document Review is a service offered to clients of Esquire Direct. Oftentimes clients have legal documents they want reviewed before they sign, such as leases, contracts and wills. The attorneys at Esquire Direct can review these documents and provide a written opinion to you through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. The process is simple: once you become a client, you'll be able to upload documents to your clientspace, where they are retrieved and reviewed by your attorney. Prices vary, and are based upon the complexity of the document. Your attorney will give you a quote before work begins. Once your document is reviewed, your attorney will notify you by email and give you instructions on retrieving your legal opinion.   How do I purchase attorney prepared documents? Attorney Prepared Documents are the hallmark of the Esquire Direct practice. We provide a large library of legal forms for purchase by our clients through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. Many clients will also benefit from our Bundled Packages, which provide complete solutions for estate planning and business transactions. After you purchase the document or package of your choice, you will be presented with a simple questionnaire. Simply answer all the questions, paying special attention to spelling. The form will automatically save as you progress. Once you've completed the questionnaire, an attorney will review your answers and prepare your legal documents. Our automated process greatly reduces the amount of time an attorney spends on each task, while increasing accuracy and efficiency. Once your documents are reviewed and you've given final approval, the attorney will finalize them and upload them to your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. If you purchased a will or trust, your documents will also be printed on 100%cotton, museum quality archival paper and sent USPS Priority Mail to you for execution and storage. Esquire Direct currently offers attorney prepared documents in the following categories:     *       Business     *       Complaint Letters     *       Corporations & LLCs     *       Estate Planning     *       Family and Divorce     *       Human Resources     *       Intellectual Property     *       Internet Law Forms     *       Landlord Tenant     *       Living Trusts     *       Loans and Collections     *       Miscellaneous Legal Documents     *       Name Change     *       Personal Service Agreements     *       Sale of Goods What is MobileLegal and what can it do for me? MobileLegal is a new concept from Esquire Direct which will bring legal services to your doorstep. Esquire Direct is currently developing a mobile office platform that will utilize a purpose-built recreational vehicle to deliver legal services to clients who might not otherwise be reached. The mobile office will be a fully functioning legal office complete with waiting room, kitchenette, office, computer workstations, internet access and much more. Look for MobileLegal in late 2010.

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Our Guarantee Our Advantage How It Works Frequently Asked Questions X Our Guarantee Legal Document Preparation Services  We guarantee your satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied with our document preparation services, you can request a refund within 5 days of purchase or prior to receiving your documents in the mail, whichever is greater. We do not provide refunds for documents once they are mailed and received by the client. Prior to your documents being mailed, you will have a chance to review them in you MyLegalAffairs client space. You will have the opportunity to correct mistakes and make modifications free of charge. Once you accept the documents and they are printed and mailed, our services are considered rendered, and payment is transferred into our account. Our legal documents and legal services are 100% guaranteed to be accepted by the court where you file them. If your documents are not accepted by a court, we will refund your purchase price in full.   Legal Advice Services Due to the nature of legal advice, we cannot offer a refund on our legal advice services. However, if you are unsatisfied for any reason, we will provide an additional consultation free of charge.   Our Advantage Esquire Direct is Massachusetts' first premiere online legal service. We offer legal services at a fraction of the cost of traditional firms. Our low cost approach to legal services is attributed to our low overhead, excellent customer support and dedication to our clientele.   There was a time when you only had two choices to get your legal forms in Massachusetts: (1) retain a full-service lawyer and pay considerable, up-front costs and high hourly fees, or (2) purchase forms from a non-lawyer document preparation or legal forms company and pray that you are doing the right thing. Now there is a third way. We use the best components from the above two choices to provide you cost-effective and efficient, limited legal services* regarding Massachusetts law.   We are not just a document preparation web site. We are a Massachusetts business offering limited legal services to Massachusetts residents. A legal forms web site is not a law firm and cannot provide true legal services, such as legal advice. We provide you with true legal guidance from a licensed attorney affiliated with our firm. We are different from a legal forms site because: We stand behind and guarantee our work.  If you go to a non-lawyer document preparation service, any guarantee is limited or non-existent. As lawyers, we must keep any communications between us confidential, and we are required to avoid any conflicts of interest. We use the SSL protocol which is the most secure method of transmitting information over the Internet. You can be assured that our services are trustworthy, private, and secure. We must comply with all of the Professional Rules that apply to members of the Massachusetts Bar. The services that we provide are regulated by the Massachusetts State Bar. A legal forms web site offered by a non-law firm is not regulated in any way. If there is a problem, you have no recourse. We offer a 100% Guarantee. We comply with the American Bar Association's "Best Practice" Guidelines.  The American Bar Association House of Delegates recently approved "Best Practices" Guidelines for Legal Information web sites.  These guidelines also apply to law firms.  They serve as recommendations for how legal information web sites should publish legal information for use by the general public in order to increase the reliability and quality of the legal information and services provided. We support these guidelines and attempt to surpass them whenever we can. We are different from a typical law firm because: We are virtual.  We communicate with you solely over the Internet by e-mail and also by telephone. You don't have to give up time away from work to come to our offices. By providing our services "virtually", we are able to keep our fees low and make it convenient for you.  You have the ability to send us an e-mail or complete our on-line questionnaires at a time that is convenient for YOU. We do not impose a costly retainer agreement or up-front fees: You buy only the legal services that you need - at a fixed price per task. You know what you will pay.  No hourly rates or hidden charges - just a simple fixed and reasonable fee. We do not have fancy offices in a major metropolitan area. We are a virtual law firm and provide our services via the Internet. We do not maintain expensive, physical offices in a downtown skyscraper. We conduct most of our business by e-mail and via the Internet; therefore, personal meetings are generally not needed.  This gives us the ability to pass those savings on to our clients. We give you state-of-the-art document assembly technology. We use a world-class, state-of-the art document automation technology.  This technology enables us to generate your documents more efficiently, thereby allowing us to pass savings on to you. We guide you through the process of representing yourself. We support the concept of "self-help law". Self-help law, also known as "pro-se" representation, is the process of filing your own documents and representing yourself in court.  This is a very effective method of saving on legal fees because you do part of the work yourself. Our role is to prepare your documents for you; give you the legal advice you need; and prepare you to represent yourself so that you can avoid making any crucial mistakes. We will also advise you as to whether or not you are a candidate for the "Self-Help" approach.   * "Limited legal services" means we provide you only a limited scope of legal services as requested and purchased by you. Our relationship with you will not exceed the limited scope of the work we agree to perform on your behalf. How It Works Esquire Direct works with a group of licensed Massachusetts attorneys to bring you quality legal services at an affordable price. Each attorney is an independent solo practitioner who has agreed to abide by our terms and pricing structure. The price you see is the price you pay. No fine print. No extra charges - ever. The process is simple: Legal Documents: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase one of our documents and complete the online questionnaire, 3) A staff member will assign your case to an attorney from our pool, 4) Your attorney will review your completed document, offer feedback, etc, 5) Esquire Direct mails your completed document to you - free! Legal Advice: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase legal advice by email or phone, 3) Your attorney will contact you within 24 hours, 4) Discuss the matter with your attorney at your convenience, 5) After your consultation, your attorney will upload a written letter explaining the advice given to your personal MyLegalAffairs webspace. Each client of Esquire Direct has their own MyLegalAffairs web page. Registration is easy and free. MyLegal Affairs is a secure webspace that links you to your attorney. Only you and your attorney have access, so you can communicate and collaborate with complete confidence that your privacy is assured. Within your personal MyLegalAffairs web page, you can:   purchase legal documents bundled with legal advice; purchase legal advice on a per-incident/question basis; search a frequently asked questions (FAQs) database of legal questions; communicate with your attorney online; access legal information resources; and access other client support functions. Clients can pay for legal services online via credit card, our most popular method-- or you may choose traditional billing. Speak with a customer representative to see which method is right for you.   Clients complete an online questionnaire.  After completion of the questionnaire, the client clicks the Submit button and their legal document is created no matter how complex it is.  An attorney will access your  completed document(s) through a secure online Administrative Area; review the document; amend if necessary; and then return the document to your MyLegalAffairs web page with execution and/or other applicable instructions.   We understand that some clients will prefer to meet with an attorney in person ("offline").  In this case, your information is collected using a paper questionnaire.  Our paper questionnaires are tightly integrated with our interactive document templates. Your completed paper questionnaire is used by your attorney to enter your data into our web-based system.  The document(s) is instantly created and ready for your attorney to review.  This review is done prior to your appointment so you and your attorney can get the maximum benefit from your consultation. Export the document/form in rich text format (.rtf) or .doc format for use with MS Word for future editing (if needed).  Print the completed and reviewed document on your local printer; send it as an attachment to an email; or save it to your MyLegalAffairs web page -- the choice is yours.   Speak with an attorney at your convenience. Once you become a client, you will be assigned an attorney based upon your legal needs. Your attorney is a solo practitioner licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who agrees to our very stringent terms and conditions. You also have the option to switch attorneys at anytime. Esquire Direct maintains a pool of qualified attorneys so that any legal needs you have will be serviced by the right attorney with the relevant experience. View our complete list of affordable legal solutions. Feel free to contact us with any questions.   Frequently Asked Questions   What is e-Lawyering? e-Lawyering is a synonym for virtual lawyering. Both terms mean delivering legal service online. The true hallmark of a virtual law firm is one that uses digital applications to provide service to clients and increase the productivity of the law firm, while lowering overhead costs that add needlessly to the client's bill. Esquire Direct is a true virtual law firm that utilizes the most up to date technology to deliver legal services to its clients.   Does Esquire Direct comply with the American Bar Association's Best Practice Guidelines for Legal Information Web Site Providers? Yes. We've made it our goal to be 100% compliant with these guidelines. We are not a fly-by-night operation. We are a genuine practice, dedicated to providing the best quality legal information and services available online. You can read the ABA guidelines here.   Do I need a will? While each individual circumstance is different, it is generally good advice for everyone to have a will. Some people believe that being unmarried or not owning substantial assets means that they don't need a will. This is wrong. Without a will, the Probate Court will determine how your estate is divided. Your estate is everything you own, including your personal property such as clothing, jewelry, cash in bank accounts, retirement funds, etc.   What is a trust and how can it help me? There are many types of trusts. Esquire Direct specializes in creating trusts for minors – called Crummey Trusts – and trusts for spouses. We also create trusts for special circumstances such as generation skipping trusts, irrevocable benefactor trusts, family trusts and trusts for pets.   Don't you have to have to be rich to have a will? Absolutely not! This is a common myth perpetuated by a number of non-credible sources. The bottom line is that a will helps protect you and your assets when you die. Without a will, the Probate Court decides how to divide your estate, and the outcome may not be what you would have intended.   What is self-help credit repair? Self-help credit repair is a service created by Esquire Direct to meet the growing demand for consumers worried about their credit scores. A good credit score is essential to getting a competitive rate on major purchases such as mortgages and car loans. There are plenty of “credit repair firms” on the internet that will charge you a hefty fee to help repair your credit. What these firms don’t tell you is that you have the right under the law to do the exact same thing yourself! These firms simply generate a letter, send it to the credit reporting agency, wait for a response and repeat the same process over again. For this “service” they charge you upwards of $90 per month. Also, since these agencies cannot obtain your credit report or receive correspondence from the agencies themselves, they require you to send in your reports monthly to them - at your expense! At Esquire Direct, we put the power in your hands. Our self-help credit repair kit allows you to take control of your credit situation using the exact same tools the credit repair firms use. We provide you with sample letters, resources to receive your credit report free, and software to track and manage your credit repair. Although there is no guarantee, with a little patience and diligence you should see erroneous or outdated information deleted from your credit report over time.   How can you represent me over the internet? We get this question a lot, and understand that legal representation over the internet is new to some. The legal services we offer are conducive to the internet representation model. We use the latest document assembly technology – RapiDocs – to assemble complex documents and tailor them to the individual client using a robust questionnaire. This is typically the same type of questionnaire used by a traditional law firm. The difference is that our process is automated, which produces a quality document that is then reviewed by a licensed attorney. The internet technology we use shortens the drafting process, and therefore significantly reduces the time the lawyer spends creating your document, which in turn reduces your cost. We use the same type of technology used by LegalZoom and RocketLawyer, plus you get the added benefit of attorney review. At Esquire Direct, we don’t believe you should spend you hard earned money on traditional legal fees when a low-cost effective solution is available.   Is our attorney-client relationship confidential? Absolutely. Our practice is required to follow the same ethical standards and a traditional brick and mortar law firm. We pride ourselves on our confidentiality and will always act according to the ethical standards adopted by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.   Is your internet web site secure? Absolutely. We use industry standard 128 bit encryption on our website. Our data is secured through Secure Socket layer (SSL) technology provided by GoDaddy and McAfee – both industry leaders in secure internet technologies.   How do I get my documents? All wills and trusts are mailed to the address you provide on 100% cotton archival paper. Other documents are mailed to you on 50% cotton archival quality paper. These documents and any other document you produce using our service is also stored on your MyLegalAffairs client space. This is a secure storage area that only you and your attorney has access to. You can download and print these documents or any document you upload to the client space at your leisure.   Are all of your documents reviewed by an attorney? All Attorney Prepared Documents generated by through our website are reviewed by an attorney at no additional cost. If you choose to use our Document Review Service, Documents uploaded to your MyLegalAffairs client space for legal review are also reviewed by a licensed attorney after the client accepts the quoted price.   What about the free templates? Esquire Direct offers a large number of self-help documents as a free service to our clients. Due to the nature of these documents, and the continuing changes in the law we do not guarantee their accuracy. It would be virtually impossible for Esquire Direct or any law firm to provide templates to fit every legal situation. Therefore, these documents are provided “caveat emptor.” If you would like a document tailored to fit your legal situation, Esquire Direct can assist at a very low cost.   How do I know you are licensed in Massachusetts? You can check the status of our license at the Board of Bar Overseers website – http://www.massbbo.org/bbolookup.php   Do you offer legal services in other states? We are currently developing partnerships in New York State, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Eventually Esquire Direct hopes to expand our offerings to clients in all 50 states.   How do I access my legal documents? Every documented generated using our system, or uploaded for attorney review is stored on your personal MyLegalAffairs client space. MyLegalAffairs is a secure webspace that can only be accessed by you and your attorney. You can store any legal document on your space, including those generated by other firms.   What is MyLegalAffairs and how does it work? Each client of Esquire Direct is assigned their own, individual, secure "My Legal Affairs" clientspace. This client space organizes the various applications that our clients purchase. It enables you to store completed information and completed legal forms on a secure server for review, printing and long-term storage. The page also has a section for personalized legal links, a calendar for important legal dates, and a web-enabled case manager. These tools allow you to communicate directly with your attorney through the MyLegalAffairs platform and review, edit, store and examine your legal documents. This creates a more effective client/attorney relationship and relieves you of the necessity to travel to and from the attorney's offices.   Can you review documents produced by other attorneys or that I downloaded from the internet? Yes. We can review any legal document you provide, and produce a written opinion you can rely on.   Can you review contracts such as leases, car purchases and mortgages? Yes. Once you join our firm as a client we can review any legal document or contract you provide. Our document review fees are very low – starting at $1.00/page or $25.00/hour, whichever is less and our turn around time is typically one day or less.   What kind of legal services do you offer? We offer most standard traditional legal services you would find in a traditional law practice, including estate planning, family law, business law and landlord-tenant law. We also provide non-traditional services such as self-help credit repair and basic financial planning. You can find a complete menu and description of our services here.   What is your contact information? Do you have a physical location? Our physical address is Esquire Direct Legal Services, 8 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA 02109. We do not utilize physical office space on a regular basis as this increases the cost of our overhead which would result in higher fees for our clients. However, we do rent executive office space – also known as shared space – in downtown Boston which we utilize on a limited basis as the need arises. You can also email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us at 617-674-4429.   How do I purchase legal advice by phone? We currently do not offer legal advice by phone. In order to create a consistent client record, all of our legal advice is administered by email or written correspondence. There are several advantages to this process: (1) the client can continually refer to the written advice in the future, (2) our written advice is guaranteed to be legally accurate, (3) we restate the scenario you described in detail so you are assured we answered the correct question. Once you become a client, you will be able to send correspondence to your attorney at anytime day or night.   How do I purchase legal advice by email? Purchasing legal advice by email is easy. Simply follow the Legal Services link on the left and click on “Legal Advice Email” to open an account or login. From there, you will be presented with a screen for payment, followed by a screen where you can enter your legal question. An attorney will provide you with an answer within 48 hours. Each purchase is good for one legal issue and both the question and answer are stored in your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. After you purchase your first question, you will be accepted as a client of the firm and eligible for discounts on future purchases.   What is Legal Document Review? How do I upload a document for legal review? Legal Document Review is a service offered to clients of Esquire Direct. Oftentimes clients have legal documents they want reviewed before they sign, such as leases, contracts and wills. The attorneys at Esquire Direct can review these documents and provide a written opinion to you through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. The process is simple: once you become a client, you'll be able to upload documents to your clientspace, where they are retrieved and reviewed by your attorney. Prices vary, and are based upon the complexity of the document. Your attorney will give you a quote before work begins. Once your document is reviewed, your attorney will notify you by email and give you instructions on retrieving your legal opinion.   How do I purchase attorney prepared documents? Attorney Prepared Documents are the hallmark of the Esquire Direct practice. We provide a large library of legal forms for purchase by our clients through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. Many clients will also benefit from our Bundled Packages, which provide complete solutions for estate planning and business transactions. After you purchase the document or package of your choice, you will be presented with a simple questionnaire. Simply answer all the questions, paying special attention to spelling. The form will automatically save as you progress. Once you've completed the questionnaire, an attorney will review your answers and prepare your legal documents. Our automated process greatly reduces the amount of time an attorney spends on each task, while increasing accuracy and efficiency. Once your documents are reviewed and you've given final approval, the attorney will finalize them and upload them to your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. If you purchased a will or trust, your documents will also be printed on 100%cotton, museum quality archival paper and sent USPS Priority Mail to you for execution and storage. Esquire Direct currently offers attorney prepared documents in the following categories:     *       Business     *       Complaint Letters     *       Corporations & LLCs     *       Estate Planning     *       Family and Divorce     *       Human Resources     *       Intellectual Property     *       Internet Law Forms     *       Landlord Tenant     *       Living Trusts     *       Loans and Collections     *       Miscellaneous Legal Documents     *       Name Change     *       Personal Service Agreements     *       Sale of Goods What is MobileLegal and what can it do for me? MobileLegal is a new concept from Esquire Direct which will bring legal services to your doorstep. Esquire Direct is currently developing a mobile office platform that will utilize a purpose-built recreational vehicle to deliver legal services to clients who might not otherwise be reached. The mobile office will be a fully functioning legal office complete with waiting room, kitchenette, office, computer workstations, internet access and much more. Look for MobileLegal in late 2010.   X Our Guarantee Our Advantage How It Works Frequently Asked Questions X Our Guarantee Legal Document Preparation Services  We guarantee your satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied with our document preparation services, you can request a refund within 5 days of purchase or prior to receiving your documents in the mail, whichever is greater. We do not provide refunds for documents once they are mailed and received by the client. Prior to your documents being mailed, you will have a chance to review them in you MyLegalAffairs client space. You will have the opportunity to correct mistakes and make modifications free of charge. Once you accept the documents and they are printed and mailed, our services are considered rendered, and payment is transferred into our account. Our legal documents and legal services are 100% guaranteed to be accepted by the court where you file them. If your documents are not accepted by a court, we will refund your purchase price in full.   Legal Advice Services Due to the nature of legal advice, we cannot offer a refund on our legal advice services. However, if you are unsatisfied for any reason, we will provide an additional consultation free of charge.   Our Advantage Esquire Direct is Massachusetts' first premiere online legal service. We offer legal services at a fraction of the cost of traditional firms. Our low cost approach to legal services is attributed to our low overhead, excellent customer support and dedication to our clientele.   There was a time when you only had two choices to get your legal forms in Massachusetts: (1) retain a full-service lawyer and pay considerable, up-front costs and high hourly fees, or (2) purchase forms from a non-lawyer document preparation or legal forms company and pray that you are doing the right thing. Now there is a third way. We use the best components from the above two choices to provide you cost-effective and efficient, limited legal services* regarding Massachusetts law.   We are not just a document preparation web site. We are a Massachusetts business offering limited legal services to Massachusetts residents. A legal forms web site is not a law firm and cannot provide true legal services, such as legal advice. We provide you with true legal guidance from a licensed attorney affiliated with our firm. We are different from a legal forms site because: We stand behind and guarantee our work.  If you go to a non-lawyer document preparation service, any guarantee is limited or non-existent. As lawyers, we must keep any communications between us confidential, and we are required to avoid any conflicts of interest. We use the SSL protocol which is the most secure method of transmitting information over the Internet. You can be assured that our services are trustworthy, private, and secure. We must comply with all of the Professional Rules that apply to members of the Massachusetts Bar. The services that we provide are regulated by the Massachusetts State Bar. A legal forms web site offered by a non-law firm is not regulated in any way. If there is a problem, you have no recourse. We offer a 100% Guarantee. We comply with the American Bar Association's "Best Practice" Guidelines.  The American Bar Association House of Delegates recently approved "Best Practices" Guidelines for Legal Information web sites.  These guidelines also apply to law firms.  They serve as recommendations for how legal information web sites should publish legal information for use by the general public in order to increase the reliability and quality of the legal information and services provided. We support these guidelines and attempt to surpass them whenever we can. We are different from a typical law firm because: We are virtual.  We communicate with you solely over the Internet by e-mail and also by telephone. You don't have to give up time away from work to come to our offices. By providing our services "virtually", we are able to keep our fees low and make it convenient for you.  You have the ability to send us an e-mail or complete our on-line questionnaires at a time that is convenient for YOU. We do not impose a costly retainer agreement or up-front fees: You buy only the legal services that you need - at a fixed price per task. You know what you will pay.  No hourly rates or hidden charges - just a simple fixed and reasonable fee. We do not have fancy offices in a major metropolitan area. We are a virtual law firm and provide our services via the Internet. We do not maintain expensive, physical offices in a downtown skyscraper. We conduct most of our business by e-mail and via the Internet; therefore, personal meetings are generally not needed.  This gives us the ability to pass those savings on to our clients. We give you state-of-the-art document assembly technology. We use a world-class, state-of-the art document automation technology.  This technology enables us to generate your documents more efficiently, thereby allowing us to pass savings on to you. We guide you through the process of representing yourself. We support the concept of "self-help law". Self-help law, also known as "pro-se" representation, is the process of filing your own documents and representing yourself in court.  This is a very effective method of saving on legal fees because you do part of the work yourself. Our role is to prepare your documents for you; give you the legal advice you need; and prepare you to represent yourself so that you can avoid making any crucial mistakes. We will also advise you as to whether or not you are a candidate for the "Self-Help" approach.   * "Limited legal services" means we provide you only a limited scope of legal services as requested and purchased by you. Our relationship with you will not exceed the limited scope of the work we agree to perform on your behalf. How It Works Esquire Direct works with a group of licensed Massachusetts attorneys to bring you quality legal services at an affordable price. Each attorney is an independent solo practitioner who has agreed to abide by our terms and pricing structure. The price you see is the price you pay. No fine print. No extra charges - ever. The process is simple: Legal Documents: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase one of our documents and complete the online questionnaire, 3) A staff member will assign your case to an attorney from our pool, 4) Your attorney will review your completed document, offer feedback, etc, 5) Esquire Direct mails your completed document to you - free! Legal Advice: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase legal advice by email or phone, 3) Your attorney will contact you within 24 hours, 4) Discuss the matter with your attorney at your convenience, 5) After your consultation, your attorney will upload a written letter explaining the advice given to your personal MyLegalAffairs webspace. Each client of Esquire Direct has their own MyLegalAffairs web page. Registration is easy and free. MyLegal Affairs is a secure webspace that links you to your attorney. Only you and your attorney have access, so you can communicate and collaborate with complete confidence that your privacy is assured. Within your personal MyLegalAffairs web page, you can:   purchase legal documents bundled with legal advice; purchase legal advice on a per-incident/question basis; search a frequently asked questions (FAQs) database of legal questions; communicate with your attorney online; access legal information resources; and access other client support functions. Clients can pay for legal services online via credit card, our most popular method-- or you may choose traditional billing. Speak with a customer representative to see which method is right for you.   Clients complete an online questionnaire.  After completion of the questionnaire, the client clicks the Submit button and their legal document is created no matter how complex it is.  An attorney will access your  completed document(s) through a secure online Administrative Area; review the document; amend if necessary; and then return the document to your MyLegalAffairs web page with execution and/or other applicable instructions.   We understand that some clients will prefer to meet with an attorney in person ("offline").  In this case, your information is collected using a paper questionnaire.  Our paper questionnaires are tightly integrated with our interactive document templates. Your completed paper questionnaire is used by your attorney to enter your data into our web-based system.  The document(s) is instantly created and ready for your attorney to review.  This review is done prior to your appointment so you and your attorney can get the maximum benefit from your consultation. Export the document/form in rich text format (.rtf) or .doc format for use with MS Word for future editing (if needed).  Print the completed and reviewed document on your local printer; send it as an attachment to an email; or save it to your MyLegalAffairs web page -- the choice is yours.   Speak with an attorney at your convenience. Once you become a client, you will be assigned an attorney based upon your legal needs. Your attorney is a solo practitioner licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who agrees to our very stringent terms and conditions. You also have the option to switch attorneys at anytime. Esquire Direct maintains a pool of qualified attorneys so that any legal needs you have will be serviced by the right attorney with the relevant experience. View our complete list of affordable legal solutions. Feel free to contact us with any questions.   Frequently Asked Questions   What is e-Lawyering? e-Lawyering is a synonym for virtual lawyering. Both terms mean delivering legal service online. The true hallmark of a virtual law firm is one that uses digital applications to provide service to clients and increase the productivity of the law firm, while lowering overhead costs that add needlessly to the client's bill. Esquire Direct is a true virtual law firm that utilizes the most up to date technology to deliver legal services to its clients.   Does Esquire Direct comply with the American Bar Association's Best Practice Guidelines for Legal Information Web Site Providers? Yes. We've made it our goal to be 100% compliant with these guidelines. We are not a fly-by-night operation. We are a genuine practice, dedicated to providing the best quality legal information and services available online. You can read the ABA guidelines here.   Do I need a will? While each individual circumstance is different, it is generally good advice for everyone to have a will. Some people believe that being unmarried or not owning substantial assets means that they don't need a will. This is wrong. Without a will, the Probate Court will determine how your estate is divided. Your estate is everything you own, including your personal property such as clothing, jewelry, cash in bank accounts, retirement funds, etc.   What is a trust and how can it help me? There are many types of trusts. Esquire Direct specializes in creating trusts for minors – called Crummey Trusts – and trusts for spouses. We also create trusts for special circumstances such as generation skipping trusts, irrevocable benefactor trusts, family trusts and trusts for pets.   Don't you have to have to be rich to have a will? Absolutely not! This is a common myth perpetuated by a number of non-credible sources. The bottom line is that a will helps protect you and your assets when you die. Without a will, the Probate Court decides how to divide your estate, and the outcome may not be what you would have intended.   What is self-help credit repair? Self-help credit repair is a service created by Esquire Direct to meet the growing demand for consumers worried about their credit scores. A good credit score is essential to getting a competitive rate on major purchases such as mortgages and car loans. There are plenty of “credit repair firms” on the internet that will charge you a hefty fee to help repair your credit. What these firms don’t tell you is that you have the right under the law to do the exact same thing yourself! These firms simply generate a letter, send it to the credit reporting agency, wait for a response and repeat the same process over again. For this “service” they charge you upwards of $90 per month. Also, since these agencies cannot obtain your credit report or receive correspondence from the agencies themselves, they require you to send in your reports monthly to them - at your expense! At Esquire Direct, we put the power in your hands. Our self-help credit repair kit allows you to take control of your credit situation using the exact same tools the credit repair firms use. We provide you with sample letters, resources to receive your credit report free, and software to track and manage your credit repair. Although there is no guarantee, with a little patience and diligence you should see erroneous or outdated information deleted from your credit report over time.   How can you represent me over the internet? We get this question a lot, and understand that legal representation over the internet is new to some. The legal services we offer are conducive to the internet representation model. We use the latest document assembly technology – RapiDocs – to assemble complex documents and tailor them to the individual client using a robust questionnaire. This is typically the same type of questionnaire used by a traditional law firm. The difference is that our process is automated, which produces a quality document that is then reviewed by a licensed attorney. The internet technology we use shortens the drafting process, and therefore significantly reduces the time the lawyer spends creating your document, which in turn reduces your cost. We use the same type of technology used by LegalZoom and RocketLawyer, plus you get the added benefit of attorney review. At Esquire Direct, we don’t believe you should spend you hard earned money on traditional legal fees when a low-cost effective solution is available.   Is our attorney-client relationship confidential? Absolutely. Our practice is required to follow the same ethical standards and a traditional brick and mortar law firm. We pride ourselves on our confidentiality and will always act according to the ethical standards adopted by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.   Is your internet web site secure? Absolutely. We use industry standard 128 bit encryption on our website. Our data is secured through Secure Socket layer (SSL) technology provided by GoDaddy and McAfee – both industry leaders in secure internet technologies.   How do I get my documents? All wills and trusts are mailed to the address you provide on 100% cotton archival paper. Other documents are mailed to you on 50% cotton archival quality paper. These documents and any other document you produce using our service is also stored on your MyLegalAffairs client space. This is a secure storage area that only you and your attorney has access to. You can download and print these documents or any document you upload to the client space at your leisure.   Are all of your documents reviewed by an attorney? All Attorney Prepared Documents generated by through our website are reviewed by an attorney at no additional cost. If you choose to use our Document Review Service, Documents uploaded to your MyLegalAffairs client space for legal review are also reviewed by a licensed attorney after the client accepts the quoted price.   What about the free templates? Esquire Direct offers a large number of self-help documents as a free service to our clients. Due to the nature of these documents, and the continuing changes in the law we do not guarantee their accuracy. It would be virtually impossible for Esquire Direct or any law firm to provide templates to fit every legal situation. Therefore, these documents are provided “caveat emptor.” If you would like a document tailored to fit your legal situation, Esquire Direct can assist at a very low cost.   How do I know you are licensed in Massachusetts? You can check the status of our license at the Board of Bar Overseers website – http://www.massbbo.org/bbolookup.php   Do you offer legal services in other states? We are currently developing partnerships in New York State, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Eventually Esquire Direct hopes to expand our offerings to clients in all 50 states.   How do I access my legal documents? Every documented generated using our system, or uploaded for attorney review is stored on your personal MyLegalAffairs client space. MyLegalAffairs is a secure webspace that can only be accessed by you and your attorney. You can store any legal document on your space, including those generated by other firms.   What is MyLegalAffairs and how does it work? Each client of Esquire Direct is assigned their own, individual, secure "My Legal Affairs" clientspace. This client space organizes the various applications that our clients purchase. It enables you to store completed information and completed legal forms on a secure server for review, printing and long-term storage. The page also has a section for personalized legal links, a calendar for important legal dates, and a web-enabled case manager. These tools allow you to communicate directly with your attorney through the MyLegalAffairs platform and review, edit, store and examine your legal documents. This creates a more effective client/attorney relationship and relieves you of the necessity to travel to and from the attorney's offices.   Can you review documents produced by other attorneys or that I downloaded from the internet? Yes. We can review any legal document you provide, and produce a written opinion you can rely on.   Can you review contracts such as leases, car purchases and mortgages? Yes. Once you join our firm as a client we can review any legal document or contract you provide. Our document review fees are very low – starting at $1.00/page or $25.00/hour, whichever is less and our turn around time is typically one day or less.   What kind of legal services do you offer? We offer most standard traditional legal services you would find in a traditional law practice, including estate planning, family law, business law and landlord-tenant law. We also provide non-traditional services such as self-help credit repair and basic financial planning. You can find a complete menu and description of our services here.   What is your contact information? Do you have a physical location? Our physical address is Esquire Direct Legal Services, 8 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA 02109. We do not utilize physical office space on a regular basis as this increases the cost of our overhead which would result in higher fees for our clients. However, we do rent executive office space – also known as shared space – in downtown Boston which we utilize on a limited basis as the need arises. You can also email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us at 617-674-4429.   How do I purchase legal advice by phone? We currently do not offer legal advice by phone. In order to create a consistent client record, all of our legal advice is administered by email or written correspondence. There are several advantages to this process: (1) the client can continually refer to the written advice in the future, (2) our written advice is guaranteed to be legally accurate, (3) we restate the scenario you described in detail so you are assured we answered the correct question. Once you become a client, you will be able to send correspondence to your attorney at anytime day or night.   How do I purchase legal advice by email? Purchasing legal advice by email is easy. Simply follow the Legal Services link on the left and click on “Legal Advice Email” to open an account or login. From there, you will be presented with a screen for payment, followed by a screen where you can enter your legal question. An attorney will provide you with an answer within 48 hours. Each purchase is good for one legal issue and both the question and answer are stored in your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. After you purchase your first question, you will be accepted as a client of the firm and eligible for discounts on future purchases.   What is Legal Document Review? How do I upload a document for legal review? Legal Document Review is a service offered to clients of Esquire Direct. Oftentimes clients have legal documents they want reviewed before they sign, such as leases, contracts and wills. The attorneys at Esquire Direct can review these documents and provide a written opinion to you through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. The process is simple: once you become a client, you'll be able to upload documents to your clientspace, where they are retrieved and reviewed by your attorney. Prices vary, and are based upon the complexity of the document. Your attorney will give you a quote before work begins. Once your document is reviewed, your attorney will notify you by email and give you instructions on retrieving your legal opinion.   How do I purchase attorney prepared documents? Attorney Prepared Documents are the hallmark of the Esquire Direct practice. We provide a large library of legal forms for purchase by our clients through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. Many clients will also benefit from our Bundled Packages, which provide complete solutions for estate planning and business transactions. After you purchase the document or package of your choice, you will be presented with a simple questionnaire. Simply answer all the questions, paying special attention to spelling. The form will automatically save as you progress. Once you've completed the questionnaire, an attorney will review your answers and prepare your legal documents. Our automated process greatly reduces the amount of time an attorney spends on each task, while increasing accuracy and efficiency. Once your documents are reviewed and you've given final approval, the attorney will finalize them and upload them to your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. If you purchased a will or trust, your documents will also be printed on 100%cotton, museum quality archival paper and sent USPS Priority Mail to you for execution and storage. Esquire Direct currently offers attorney prepared documents in the following categories:     *       Business     *       Complaint Letters     *       Corporations & LLCs     *       Estate Planning     *       Family and Divorce     *       Human Resources     *       Intellectual Property     *       Internet Law Forms     *       Landlord Tenant     *       Living Trusts     *       Loans and Collections     *       Miscellaneous Legal Documents     *       Name Change     *       Personal Service Agreements     *       Sale of Goods What is MobileLegal and what can it do for me? MobileLegal is a new concept from Esquire Direct which will bring legal services to your doorstep. Esquire Direct is currently developing a mobile office platform that will utilize a purpose-built recreational vehicle to deliver legal services to clients who might not otherwise be reached. The mobile office will be a fully functioning legal office complete with waiting room, kitchenette, office, computer workstations, internet access and much more. Look for MobileLegal in late 2010.   X Our Guarantee Our Advantage How It Works Frequently Asked Questions X Our Guarantee Legal Document Preparation Services  We guarantee your satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied with our document preparation services, you can request a refund within 5 days of purchase or prior to receiving your documents in the mail, whichever is greater. We do not provide refunds for documents once they are mailed and received by the client. Prior to your documents being mailed, you will have a chance to review them in you MyLegalAffairs client space. You will have the opportunity to correct mistakes and make modifications free of charge. Once you accept the documents and they are printed and mailed, our services are considered rendered, and payment is transferred into our account. Our legal documents and legal services are 100% guaranteed to be accepted by the court where you file them. If your documents are not accepted by a court, we will refund your purchase price in full.   Legal Advice Services Due to the nature of legal advice, we cannot offer a refund on our legal advice services. However, if you are unsatisfied for any reason, we will provide an additional consultation free of charge.   Our Advantage Esquire Direct is Massachusetts' first premiere online legal service. We offer legal services at a fraction of the cost of traditional firms. Our low cost approach to legal services is attributed to our low overhead, excellent customer support and dedication to our clientele.   There was a time when you only had two choices to get your legal forms in Massachusetts: (1) retain a full-service lawyer and pay considerable, up-front costs and high hourly fees, or (2) purchase forms from a non-lawyer document preparation or legal forms company and pray that you are doing the right thing. Now there is a third way. We use the best components from the above two choices to provide you cost-effective and efficient, limited legal services* regarding Massachusetts law.   We are not just a document preparation web site. We are a Massachusetts business offering limited legal services to Massachusetts residents. A legal forms web site is not a law firm and cannot provide true legal services, such as legal advice. We provide you with true legal guidance from a licensed attorney affiliated with our firm. We are different from a legal forms site because: We stand behind and guarantee our work.  If you go to a non-lawyer document preparation service, any guarantee is limited or non-existent. As lawyers, we must keep any communications between us confidential, and we are required to avoid any conflicts of interest. We use the SSL protocol which is the most secure method of transmitting information over the Internet. You can be assured that our services are trustworthy, private, and secure. We must comply with all of the Professional Rules that apply to members of the Massachusetts Bar. The services that we provide are regulated by the Massachusetts State Bar. A legal forms web site offered by a non-law firm is not regulated in any way. If there is a problem, you have no recourse. We offer a 100% Guarantee. We comply with the American Bar Association's "Best Practice" Guidelines.  The American Bar Association House of Delegates recently approved "Best Practices" Guidelines for Legal Information web sites.  These guidelines also apply to law firms.  They serve as recommendations for how legal information web sites should publish legal information for use by the general public in order to increase the reliability and quality of the legal information and services provided. We support these guidelines and attempt to surpass them whenever we can. We are different from a typical law firm because: We are virtual.  We communicate with you solely over the Internet by e-mail and also by telephone. You don't have to give up time away from work to come to our offices. By providing our services "virtually", we are able to keep our fees low and make it convenient for you.  You have the ability to send us an e-mail or complete our on-line questionnaires at a time that is convenient for YOU. We do not impose a costly retainer agreement or up-front fees: You buy only the legal services that you need - at a fixed price per task. You know what you will pay.  No hourly rates or hidden charges - just a simple fixed and reasonable fee. We do not have fancy offices in a major metropolitan area. We are a virtual law firm and provide our services via the Internet. We do not maintain expensive, physical offices in a downtown skyscraper. We conduct most of our business by e-mail and via the Internet; therefore, personal meetings are generally not needed.  This gives us the ability to pass those savings on to our clients. We give you state-of-the-art document assembly technology. We use a world-class, state-of-the art document automation technology.  This technology enables us to generate your documents more efficiently, thereby allowing us to pass savings on to you. We guide you through the process of representing yourself. We support the concept of "self-help law". Self-help law, also known as "pro-se" representation, is the process of filing your own documents and representing yourself in court.  This is a very effective method of saving on legal fees because you do part of the work yourself. Our role is to prepare your documents for you; give you the legal advice you need; and prepare you to represent yourself so that you can avoid making any crucial mistakes. We will also advise you as to whether or not you are a candidate for the "Self-Help" approach.   * "Limited legal services" means we provide you only a limited scope of legal services as requested and purchased by you. Our relationship with you will not exceed the limited scope of the work we agree to perform on your behalf. How It Works Esquire Direct works with a group of licensed Massachusetts attorneys to bring you quality legal services at an affordable price. Each attorney is an independent solo practitioner who has agreed to abide by our terms and pricing structure. The price you see is the price you pay. No fine print. No extra charges - ever. The process is simple: Legal Documents: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase one of our documents and complete the online questionnaire, 3) A staff member will assign your case to an attorney from our pool, 4) Your attorney will review your completed document, offer feedback, etc, 5) Esquire Direct mails your completed document to you - free! Legal Advice: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase legal advice by email or phone, 3) Your attorney will contact you within 24 hours, 4) Discuss the matter with your attorney at your convenience, 5) After your consultation, your attorney will upload a written letter explaining the advice given to your personal MyLegalAffairs webspace. Each client of Esquire Direct has their own MyLegalAffairs web page. Registration is easy and free. MyLegal Affairs is a secure webspace that links you to your attorney. Only you and your attorney have access, so you can communicate and collaborate with complete confidence that your privacy is assured. Within your personal MyLegalAffairs web page, you can:   purchase legal documents bundled with legal advice; purchase legal advice on a per-incident/question basis; search a frequently asked questions (FAQs) database of legal questions; communicate with your attorney online; access legal information resources; and access other client support functions. Clients can pay for legal services online via credit card, our most popular method-- or you may choose traditional billing. Speak with a customer representative to see which method is right for you.   Clients complete an online questionnaire.  After completion of the questionnaire, the client clicks the Submit button and their legal document is created no matter how complex it is.  An attorney will access your  completed document(s) through a secure online Administrative Area; review the document; amend if necessary; and then return the document to your MyLegalAffairs web page with execution and/or other applicable instructions.   We understand that some clients will prefer to meet with an attorney in person ("offline").  In this case, your information is collected using a paper questionnaire.  Our paper questionnaires are tightly integrated with our interactive document templates. Your completed paper questionnaire is used by your attorney to enter your data into our web-based system.  The document(s) is instantly created and ready for your attorney to review.  This review is done prior to your appointment so you and your attorney can get the maximum benefit from your consultation. Export the document/form in rich text format (.rtf) or .doc format for use with MS Word for future editing (if needed).  Print the completed and reviewed document on your local printer; send it as an attachment to an email; or save it to your MyLegalAffairs web page -- the choice is yours.   Speak with an attorney at your convenience. Once you become a client, you will be assigned an attorney based upon your legal needs. Your attorney is a solo practitioner licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who agrees to our very stringent terms and conditions. You also have the option to switch attorneys at anytime. Esquire Direct maintains a pool of qualified attorneys so that any legal needs you have will be serviced by the right attorney with the relevant experience. View our complete list of affordable legal solutions. Feel free to contact us with any questions.   Frequently Asked Questions   What is e-Lawyering? e-Lawyering is a synonym for virtual lawyering. Both terms mean delivering legal service online. The true hallmark of a virtual law firm is one that uses digital applications to provide service to clients and increase the productivity of the law firm, while lowering overhead costs that add needlessly to the client's bill. Esquire Direct is a true virtual law firm that utilizes the most up to date technology to deliver legal services to its clients.   Does Esquire Direct comply with the American Bar Association's Best Practice Guidelines for Legal Information Web Site Providers? Yes. We've made it our goal to be 100% compliant with these guidelines. We are not a fly-by-night operation. We are a genuine practice, dedicated to providing the best quality legal information and services available online. You can read the ABA guidelines here.   Do I need a will? While each individual circumstance is different, it is generally good advice for everyone to have a will. Some people believe that being unmarried or not owning substantial assets means that they don't need a will. This is wrong. Without a will, the Probate Court will determine how your estate is divided. Your estate is everything you own, including your personal property such as clothing, jewelry, cash in bank accounts, retirement funds, etc.   What is a trust and how can it help me? There are many types of trusts. Esquire Direct specializes in creating trusts for minors – called Crummey Trusts – and trusts for spouses. We also create trusts for special circumstances such as generation skipping trusts, irrevocable benefactor trusts, family trusts and trusts for pets.   Don't you have to have to be rich to have a will? Absolutely not! This is a common myth perpetuated by a number of non-credible sources. The bottom line is that a will helps protect you and your assets when you die. Without a will, the Probate Court decides how to divide your estate, and the outcome may not be what you would have intended.   What is self-help credit repair? Self-help credit repair is a service created by Esquire Direct to meet the growing demand for consumers worried about their credit scores. A good credit score is essential to getting a competitive rate on major purchases such as mortgages and car loans. There are plenty of “credit repair firms” on the internet that will charge you a hefty fee to help repair your credit. What these firms don’t tell you is that you have the right under the law to do the exact same thing yourself! These firms simply generate a letter, send it to the credit reporting agency, wait for a response and repeat the same process over again. For this “service” they charge you upwards of $90 per month. Also, since these agencies cannot obtain your credit report or receive correspondence from the agencies themselves, they require you to send in your reports monthly to them - at your expense! At Esquire Direct, we put the power in your hands. Our self-help credit repair kit allows you to take control of your credit situation using the exact same tools the credit repair firms use. We provide you with sample letters, resources to receive your credit report free, and software to track and manage your credit repair. Although there is no guarantee, with a little patience and diligence you should see erroneous or outdated information deleted from your credit report over time.   How can you represent me over the internet? We get this question a lot, and understand that legal representation over the internet is new to some. The legal services we offer are conducive to the internet representation model. We use the latest document assembly technology – RapiDocs – to assemble complex documents and tailor them to the individual client using a robust questionnaire. This is typically the same type of questionnaire used by a traditional law firm. The difference is that our process is automated, which produces a quality document that is then reviewed by a licensed attorney. The internet technology we use shortens the drafting process, and therefore significantly reduces the time the lawyer spends creating your document, which in turn reduces your cost. We use the same type of technology used by LegalZoom and RocketLawyer, plus you get the added benefit of attorney review. At Esquire Direct, we don’t believe you should spend you hard earned money on traditional legal fees when a low-cost effective solution is available.   Is our attorney-client relationship confidential? Absolutely. Our practice is required to follow the same ethical standards and a traditional brick and mortar law firm. We pride ourselves on our confidentiality and will always act according to the ethical standards adopted by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.   Is your internet web site secure? Absolutely. We use industry standard 128 bit encryption on our website. Our data is secured through Secure Socket layer (SSL) technology provided by GoDaddy and McAfee – both industry leaders in secure internet technologies.   How do I get my documents? All wills and trusts are mailed to the address you provide on 100% cotton archival paper. Other documents are mailed to you on 50% cotton archival quality paper. These documents and any other document you produce using our service is also stored on your MyLegalAffairs client space. This is a secure storage area that only you and your attorney has access to. You can download and print these documents or any document you upload to the client space at your leisure.   Are all of your documents reviewed by an attorney? All Attorney Prepared Documents generated by through our website are reviewed by an attorney at no additional cost. If you choose to use our Document Review Service, Documents uploaded to your MyLegalAffairs client space for legal review are also reviewed by a licensed attorney after the client accepts the quoted price.   What about the free templates? Esquire Direct offers a large number of self-help documents as a free service to our clients. Due to the nature of these documents, and the continuing changes in the law we do not guarantee their accuracy. It would be virtually impossible for Esquire Direct or any law firm to provide templates to fit every legal situation. Therefore, these documents are provided “caveat emptor.” If you would like a document tailored to fit your legal situation, Esquire Direct can assist at a very low cost.   How do I know you are licensed in Massachusetts? You can check the status of our license at the Board of Bar Overseers website – http://www.massbbo.org/bbolookup.php   Do you offer legal services in other states? We are currently developing partnerships in New York State, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Eventually Esquire Direct hopes to expand our offerings to clients in all 50 states.   How do I access my legal documents? Every documented generated using our system, or uploaded for attorney review is stored on your personal MyLegalAffairs client space. MyLegalAffairs is a secure webspace that can only be accessed by you and your attorney. You can store any legal document on your space, including those generated by other firms.   What is MyLegalAffairs and how does it work? Each client of Esquire Direct is assigned their own, individual, secure "My Legal Affairs" clientspace. This client space organizes the various applications that our clients purchase. It enables you to store completed information and completed legal forms on a secure server for review, printing and long-term storage. The page also has a section for personalized legal links, a calendar for important legal dates, and a web-enabled case manager. These tools allow you to communicate directly with your attorney through the MyLegalAffairs platform and review, edit, store and examine your legal documents. This creates a more effective client/attorney relationship and relieves you of the necessity to travel to and from the attorney's offices.   Can you review documents produced by other attorneys or that I downloaded from the internet? Yes. We can review any legal document you provide, and produce a written opinion you can rely on.   Can you review contracts such as leases, car purchases and mortgages? Yes. Once you join our firm as a client we can review any legal document or contract you provide. Our document review fees are very low – starting at $1.00/page or $25.00/hour, whichever is less and our turn around time is typically one day or less.   What kind of legal services do you offer? We offer most standard traditional legal services you would find in a traditional law practice, including estate planning, family law, business law and landlord-tenant law. We also provide non-traditional services such as self-help credit repair and basic financial planning. You can find a complete menu and description of our services here.   What is your contact information? Do you have a physical location? Our physical address is Esquire Direct Legal Services, 8 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA 02109. We do not utilize physical office space on a regular basis as this increases the cost of our overhead which would result in higher fees for our clients. However, we do rent executive office space – also known as shared space – in downtown Boston which we utilize on a limited basis as the need arises. You can also email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us at 617-674-4429.   How do I purchase legal advice by phone? We currently do not offer legal advice by phone. In order to create a consistent client record, all of our legal advice is administered by email or written correspondence. There are several advantages to this process: (1) the client can continually refer to the written advice in the future, (2) our written advice is guaranteed to be legally accurate, (3) we restate the scenario you described in detail so you are assured we answered the correct question. Once you become a client, you will be able to send correspondence to your attorney at anytime day or night.   How do I purchase legal advice by email? Purchasing legal advice by email is easy. Simply follow the Legal Services link on the left and click on “Legal Advice Email” to open an account or login. From there, you will be presented with a screen for payment, followed by a screen where you can enter your legal question. An attorney will provide you with an answer within 48 hours. Each purchase is good for one legal issue and both the question and answer are stored in your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. After you purchase your first question, you will be accepted as a client of the firm and eligible for discounts on future purchases.   What is Legal Document Review? How do I upload a document for legal review? Legal Document Review is a service offered to clients of Esquire Direct. Oftentimes clients have legal documents they want reviewed before they sign, such as leases, contracts and wills. The attorneys at Esquire Direct can review these documents and provide a written opinion to you through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. The process is simple: once you become a client, you'll be able to upload documents to your clientspace, where they are retrieved and reviewed by your attorney. Prices vary, and are based upon the complexity of the document. Your attorney will give you a quote before work begins. Once your document is reviewed, your attorney will notify you by email and give you instructions on retrieving your legal opinion.   How do I purchase attorney prepared documents? Attorney Prepared Documents are the hallmark of the Esquire Direct practice. We provide a large library of legal forms for purchase by our clients through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. Many clients will also benefit from our Bundled Packages, which provide complete solutions for estate planning and business transactions. After you purchase the document or package of your choice, you will be presented with a simple questionnaire. Simply answer all the questions, paying special attention to spelling. The form will automatically save as you progress. Once you've completed the questionnaire, an attorney will review your answers and prepare your legal documents. Our automated process greatly reduces the amount of time an attorney spends on each task, while increasing accuracy and efficiency. Once your documents are reviewed and you've given final approval, the attorney will finalize them and upload them to your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. If you purchased a will or trust, your documents will also be printed on 100%cotton, museum quality archival paper and sent USPS Priority Mail to you for execution and storage. Esquire Direct currently offers attorney prepared documents in the following categories:     *       Business     *       Complaint Letters     *       Corporations & LLCs     *       Estate Planning     *       Family and Divorce     *       Human Resources     *       Intellectual Property     *       Internet Law Forms     *       Landlord Tenant     *       Living Trusts     *       Loans and Collections     *       Miscellaneous Legal Documents     *       Name Change     *       Personal Service Agreements     *       Sale of Goods What is MobileLegal and what can it do for me? MobileLegal is a new concept from Esquire Direct which will bring legal services to your doorstep. Esquire Direct is currently developing a mobile office platform that will utilize a purpose-built recreational vehicle to deliver legal services to clients who might not otherwise be reached. The mobile office will be a fully functioning legal office complete with waiting room, kitchenette, office, computer workstations, internet access and much more. Look for MobileLegal in late 2010.   X Our Guarantee Our Advantage How It Works Frequently Asked Questions X Our Guarantee Legal Document Preparation Services  We guarantee your satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied with our document preparation services, you can request a refund within 5 days of purchase or prior to receiving your documents in the mail, whichever is greater. We do not provide refunds for documents once they are mailed and received by the client. Prior to your documents being mailed, you will have a chance to review them in you MyLegalAffairs client space. You will have the opportunity to correct mistakes and make modifications free of charge. Once you accept the documents and they are printed and mailed, our services are considered rendered, and payment is transferred into our account. Our legal documents and legal services are 100% guaranteed to be accepted by the court where you file them. If your documents are not accepted by a court, we will refund your purchase price in full.   Legal Advice Services Due to the nature of legal advice, we cannot offer a refund on our legal advice services. However, if you are unsatisfied for any reason, we will provide an additional consultation free of charge.   Our Advantage Esquire Direct is Massachusetts' first premiere online legal service. We offer legal services at a fraction of the cost of traditional firms. Our low cost approach to legal services is attributed to our low overhead, excellent customer support and dedication to our clientele.   There was a time when you only had two choices to get your legal forms in Massachusetts: (1) retain a full-service lawyer and pay considerable, up-front costs and high hourly fees, or (2) purchase forms from a non-lawyer document preparation or legal forms company and pray that you are doing the right thing. Now there is a third way. We use the best components from the above two choices to provide you cost-effective and efficient, limited legal services* regarding Massachusetts law.   We are not just a document preparation web site. We are a Massachusetts business offering limited legal services to Massachusetts residents. A legal forms web site is not a law firm and cannot provide true legal services, such as legal advice. We provide you with true legal guidance from a licensed attorney affiliated with our firm. We are different from a legal forms site because: We stand behind and guarantee our work.  If you go to a non-lawyer document preparation service, any guarantee is limited or non-existent. As lawyers, we must keep any communications between us confidential, and we are required to avoid any conflicts of interest. We use the SSL protocol which is the most secure method of transmitting information over the Internet. You can be assured that our services are trustworthy, private, and secure. We must comply with all of the Professional Rules that apply to members of the Massachusetts Bar. The services that we provide are regulated by the Massachusetts State Bar. A legal forms web site offered by a non-law firm is not regulated in any way. If there is a problem, you have no recourse. We offer a 100% Guarantee. We comply with the American Bar Association's "Best Practice" Guidelines.  The American Bar Association House of Delegates recently approved "Best Practices" Guidelines for Legal Information web sites.  These guidelines also apply to law firms.  They serve as recommendations for how legal information web sites should publish legal information for use by the general public in order to increase the reliability and quality of the legal information and services provided. We support these guidelines and attempt to surpass them whenever we can. We are different from a typical law firm because: We are virtual.  We communicate with you solely over the Internet by e-mail and also by telephone. You don't have to give up time away from work to come to our offices. By providing our services "virtually", we are able to keep our fees low and make it convenient for you.  You have the ability to send us an e-mail or complete our on-line questionnaires at a time that is convenient for YOU. We do not impose a costly retainer agreement or up-front fees: You buy only the legal services that you need - at a fixed price per task. You know what you will pay.  No hourly rates or hidden charges - just a simple fixed and reasonable fee. We do not have fancy offices in a major metropolitan area. We are a virtual law firm and provide our services via the Internet. We do not maintain expensive, physical offices in a downtown skyscraper. We conduct most of our business by e-mail and via the Internet; therefore, personal meetings are generally not needed.  This gives us the ability to pass those savings on to our clients. We give you state-of-the-art document assembly technology. We use a world-class, state-of-the art document automation technology.  This technology enables us to generate your documents more efficiently, thereby allowing us to pass savings on to you. We guide you through the process of representing yourself. We support the concept of "self-help law". Self-help law, also known as "pro-se" representation, is the process of filing your own documents and representing yourself in court.  This is a very effective method of saving on legal fees because you do part of the work yourself. Our role is to prepare your documents for you; give you the legal advice you need; and prepare you to represent yourself so that you can avoid making any crucial mistakes. We will also advise you as to whether or not you are a candidate for the "Self-Help" approach.   * "Limited legal services" means we provide you only a limited scope of legal services as requested and purchased by you. Our relationship with you will not exceed the limited scope of the work we agree to perform on your behalf. How It Works Esquire Direct works with a group of licensed Massachusetts attorneys to bring you quality legal services at an affordable price. Each attorney is an independent solo practitioner who has agreed to abide by our terms and pricing structure. The price you see is the price you pay. No fine print. No extra charges - ever. The process is simple: Legal Documents: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase one of our documents and complete the online questionnaire, 3) A staff member will assign your case to an attorney from our pool, 4) Your attorney will review your completed document, offer feedback, etc, 5) Esquire Direct mails your completed document to you - free! Legal Advice: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase legal advice by email or phone, 3) Your attorney will contact you within 24 hours, 4) Discuss the matter with your attorney at your convenience, 5) After your consultation, your attorney will upload a written letter explaining the advice given to your personal MyLegalAffairs webspace. Each client of Esquire Direct has their own MyLegalAffairs web page. Registration is easy and free. MyLegal Affairs is a secure webspace that links you to your attorney. Only you and your attorney have access, so you can communicate and collaborate with complete confidence that your privacy is assured. Within your personal MyLegalAffairs web page, you can:   purchase legal documents bundled with legal advice; purchase legal advice on a per-incident/question basis; search a frequently asked questions (FAQs) database of legal questions; communicate with your attorney online; access legal information resources; and access other client support functions. Clients can pay for legal services online via credit card, our most popular method-- or you may choose traditional billing. Speak with a customer representative to see which method is right for you.   Clients complete an online questionnaire.  After completion of the questionnaire, the client clicks the Submit button and their legal document is created no matter how complex it is.  An attorney will access your  completed document(s) through a secure online Administrative Area; review the document; amend if necessary; and then return the document to your MyLegalAffairs web page with execution and/or other applicable instructions.   We understand that some clients will prefer to meet with an attorney in person ("offline").  In this case, your information is collected using a paper questionnaire.  Our paper questionnaires are tightly integrated with our interactive document templates. Your completed paper questionnaire is used by your attorney to enter your data into our web-based system.  The document(s) is instantly created and ready for your attorney to review.  This review is done prior to your appointment so you and your attorney can get the maximum benefit from your consultation. Export the document/form in rich text format (.rtf) or .doc format for use with MS Word for future editing (if needed).  Print the completed and reviewed document on your local printer; send it as an attachment to an email; or save it to your MyLegalAffairs web page -- the choice is yours.   Speak with an attorney at your convenience. Once you become a client, you will be assigned an attorney based upon your legal needs. Your attorney is a solo practitioner licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who agrees to our very stringent terms and conditions. You also have the option to switch attorneys at anytime. Esquire Direct maintains a pool of qualified attorneys so that any legal needs you have will be serviced by the right attorney with the relevant experience. View our complete list of affordable legal solutions. Feel free to contact us with any questions.   Frequently Asked Questions   What is e-Lawyering? e-Lawyering is a synonym for virtual lawyering. Both terms mean delivering legal service online. The true hallmark of a virtual law firm is one that uses digital applications to provide service to clients and increase the productivity of the law firm, while lowering overhead costs that add needlessly to the client's bill. Esquire Direct is a true virtual law firm that utilizes the most up to date technology to deliver legal services to its clients.   Does Esquire Direct comply with the American Bar Association's Best Practice Guidelines for Legal Information Web Site Providers? Yes. We've made it our goal to be 100% compliant with these guidelines. We are not a fly-by-night operation. We are a genuine practice, dedicated to providing the best quality legal information and services available online. You can read the ABA guidelines here.   Do I need a will? While each individual circumstance is different, it is generally good advice for everyone to have a will. Some people believe that being unmarried or not owning substantial assets means that they don't need a will. This is wrong. Without a will, the Probate Court will determine how your estate is divided. Your estate is everything you own, including your personal property such as clothing, jewelry, cash in bank accounts, retirement funds, etc.   What is a trust and how can it help me? There are many types of trusts. Esquire Direct specializes in creating trusts for minors – called Crummey Trusts – and trusts for spouses. We also create trusts for special circumstances such as generation skipping trusts, irrevocable benefactor trusts, family trusts and trusts for pets.   Don't you have to have to be rich to have a will? Absolutely not! This is a common myth perpetuated by a number of non-credible sources. The bottom line is that a will helps protect you and your assets when you die. Without a will, the Probate Court decides how to divide your estate, and the outcome may not be what you would have intended.   What is self-help credit repair? Self-help credit repair is a service created by Esquire Direct to meet the growing demand for consumers worried about their credit scores. A good credit score is essential to getting a competitive rate on major purchases such as mortgages and car loans. There are plenty of “credit repair firms” on the internet that will charge you a hefty fee to help repair your credit. What these firms don’t tell you is that you have the right under the law to do the exact same thing yourself! These firms simply generate a letter, send it to the credit reporting agency, wait for a response and repeat the same process over again. For this “service” they charge you upwards of $90 per month. Also, since these agencies cannot obtain your credit report or receive correspondence from the agencies themselves, they require you to send in your reports monthly to them - at your expense! At Esquire Direct, we put the power in your hands. Our self-help credit repair kit allows you to take control of your credit situation using the exact same tools the credit repair firms use. We provide you with sample letters, resources to receive your credit report free, and software to track and manage your credit repair. Although there is no guarantee, with a little patience and diligence you should see erroneous or outdated information deleted from your credit report over time.   How can you represent me over the internet? We get this question a lot, and understand that legal representation over the internet is new to some. The legal services we offer are conducive to the internet representation model. We use the latest document assembly technology – RapiDocs – to assemble complex documents and tailor them to the individual client using a robust questionnaire. This is typically the same type of questionnaire used by a traditional law firm. The difference is that our process is automated, which produces a quality document that is then reviewed by a licensed attorney. The internet technology we use shortens the drafting process, and therefore significantly reduces the time the lawyer spends creating your document, which in turn reduces your cost. We use the same type of technology used by LegalZoom and RocketLawyer, plus you get the added benefit of attorney review. At Esquire Direct, we don’t believe you should spend you hard earned money on traditional legal fees when a low-cost effective solution is available.   Is our attorney-client relationship confidential? Absolutely. Our practice is required to follow the same ethical standards and a traditional brick and mortar law firm. We pride ourselves on our confidentiality and will always act according to the ethical standards adopted by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.   Is your internet web site secure? Absolutely. We use industry standard 128 bit encryption on our website. Our data is secured through Secure Socket layer (SSL) technology provided by GoDaddy and McAfee – both industry leaders in secure internet technologies.   How do I get my documents? All wills and trusts are mailed to the address you provide on 100% cotton archival paper. Other documents are mailed to you on 50% cotton archival quality paper. These documents and any other document you produce using our service is also stored on your MyLegalAffairs client space. This is a secure storage area that only you and your attorney has access to. You can download and print these documents or any document you upload to the client space at your leisure.   Are all of your documents reviewed by an attorney? All Attorney Prepared Documents generated by through our website are reviewed by an attorney at no additional cost. If you choose to use our Document Review Service, Documents uploaded to your MyLegalAffairs client space for legal review are also reviewed by a licensed attorney after the client accepts the quoted price.   What about the free templates? Esquire Direct offers a large number of self-help documents as a free service to our clients. Due to the nature of these documents, and the continuing changes in the law we do not guarantee their accuracy. It would be virtually impossible for Esquire Direct or any law firm to provide templates to fit every legal situation. Therefore, these documents are provided “caveat emptor.” If you would like a document tailored to fit your legal situation, Esquire Direct can assist at a very low cost.   How do I know you are licensed in Massachusetts? You can check the status of our license at the Board of Bar Overseers website – http://www.massbbo.org/bbolookup.php   Do you offer legal services in other states? We are currently developing partnerships in New York State, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Eventually Esquire Direct hopes to expand our offerings to clients in all 50 states.   How do I access my legal documents? Every documented generated using our system, or uploaded for attorney review is stored on your personal MyLegalAffairs client space. MyLegalAffairs is a secure webspace that can only be accessed by you and your attorney. You can store any legal document on your space, including those generated by other firms.   What is MyLegalAffairs and how does it work? Each client of Esquire Direct is assigned their own, individual, secure "My Legal Affairs" clientspace. This client space organizes the various applications that our clients purchase. It enables you to store completed information and completed legal forms on a secure server for review, printing and long-term storage. The page also has a section for personalized legal links, a calendar for important legal dates, and a web-enabled case manager. These tools allow you to communicate directly with your attorney through the MyLegalAffairs platform and review, edit, store and examine your legal documents. This creates a more effective client/attorney relationship and relieves you of the necessity to travel to and from the attorney's offices.   Can you review documents produced by other attorneys or that I downloaded from the internet? Yes. We can review any legal document you provide, and produce a written opinion you can rely on.   Can you review contracts such as leases, car purchases and mortgages? Yes. Once you join our firm as a client we can review any legal document or contract you provide. Our document review fees are very low – starting at $1.00/page or $25.00/hour, whichever is less and our turn around time is typically one day or less.   What kind of legal services do you offer? We offer most standard traditional legal services you would find in a traditional law practice, including estate planning, family law, business law and landlord-tenant law. We also provide non-traditional services such as self-help credit repair and basic financial planning. You can find a complete menu and description of our services here.   What is your contact information? Do you have a physical location? Our physical address is Esquire Direct Legal Services, 8 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA 02109. We do not utilize physical office space on a regular basis as this increases the cost of our overhead which would result in higher fees for our clients. However, we do rent executive office space – also known as shared space – in downtown Boston which we utilize on a limited basis as the need arises. You can also email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us at 617-674-4429.   How do I purchase legal advice by phone? We currently do not offer legal advice by phone. In order to create a consistent client record, all of our legal advice is administered by email or written correspondence. There are several advantages to this process: (1) the client can continually refer to the written advice in the future, (2) our written advice is guaranteed to be legally accurate, (3) we restate the scenario you described in detail so you are assured we answered the correct question. Once you become a client, you will be able to send correspondence to your attorney at anytime day or night.   How do I purchase legal advice by email? Purchasing legal advice by email is easy. Simply follow the Legal Services link on the left and click on “Legal Advice Email” to open an account or login. From there, you will be presented with a screen for payment, followed by a screen where you can enter your legal question. An attorney will provide you with an answer within 48 hours. Each purchase is good for one legal issue and both the question and answer are stored in your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. After you purchase your first question, you will be accepted as a client of the firm and eligible for discounts on future purchases.   What is Legal Document Review? How do I upload a document for legal review? Legal Document Review is a service offered to clients of Esquire Direct. Oftentimes clients have legal documents they want reviewed before they sign, such as leases, contracts and wills. The attorneys at Esquire Direct can review these documents and provide a written opinion to you through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. The process is simple: once you become a client, you'll be able to upload documents to your clientspace, where they are retrieved and reviewed by your attorney. Prices vary, and are based upon the complexity of the document. Your attorney will give you a quote before work begins. Once your document is reviewed, your attorney will notify you by email and give you instructions on retrieving your legal opinion.   How do I purchase attorney prepared documents? Attorney Prepared Documents are the hallmark of the Esquire Direct practice. We provide a large library of legal forms for purchase by our clients through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. Many clients will also benefit from our Bundled Packages, which provide complete solutions for estate planning and business transactions. After you purchase the document or package of your choice, you will be presented with a simple questionnaire. Simply answer all the questions, paying special attention to spelling. The form will automatically save as you progress. Once you've completed the questionnaire, an attorney will review your answers and prepare your legal documents. Our automated process greatly reduces the amount of time an attorney spends on each task, while increasing accuracy and efficiency. Once your documents are reviewed and you've given final approval, the attorney will finalize them and upload them to your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. If you purchased a will or trust, your documents will also be printed on 100%cotton, museum quality archival paper and sent USPS Priority Mail to you for execution and storage. Esquire Direct currently offers attorney prepared documents in the following categories:     *       Business     *       Complaint Letters     *       Corporations & LLCs     *       Estate Planning     *       Family and Divorce     *       Human Resources     *       Intellectual Property     *       Internet Law Forms     *       Landlord Tenant     *       Living Trusts     *       Loans and Collections     *       Miscellaneous Legal Documents     *       Name Change     *       Personal Service Agreements     *       Sale of Goods What is MobileLegal and what can it do for me? MobileLegal is a new concept from Esquire Direct which will bring legal services to your doorstep. Esquire Direct is currently developing a mobile office platform that will utilize a purpose-built recreational vehicle to deliver legal services to clients who might not otherwise be reached. The mobile office will be a fully functioning legal office complete with waiting room, kitchenette, office, computer workstations, internet access and much more. Look for MobileLegal in late 2010.   X Our Guarantee Our Advantage How It Works Frequently Asked Questions X Our Guarantee Legal Document Preparation Services  We guarantee your satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied with our document preparation services, you can request a refund within 5 days of purchase or prior to receiving your documents in the mail, whichever is greater. We do not provide refunds for documents once they are mailed and received by the client. Prior to your documents being mailed, you will have a chance to review them in you MyLegalAffairs client space. You will have the opportunity to correct mistakes and make modifications free of charge. Once you accept the documents and they are printed and mailed, our services are considered rendered, and payment is transferred into our account. Our legal documents and legal services are 100% guaranteed to be accepted by the court where you file them. If your documents are not accepted by a court, we will refund your purchase price in full.   Legal Advice Services Due to the nature of legal advice, we cannot offer a refund on our legal advice services. However, if you are unsatisfied for any reason, we will provide an additional consultation free of charge.   Our Advantage Esquire Direct is Massachusetts' first premiere online legal service. We offer legal services at a fraction of the cost of traditional firms. Our low cost approach to legal services is attributed to our low overhead, excellent customer support and dedication to our clientele.   There was a time when you only had two choices to get your legal forms in Massachusetts: (1) retain a full-service lawyer and pay considerable, up-front costs and high hourly fees, or (2) purchase forms from a non-lawyer document preparation or legal forms company and pray that you are doing the right thing. Now there is a third way. We use the best components from the above two choices to provide you cost-effective and efficient, limited legal services* regarding Massachusetts law.   We are not just a document preparation web site. We are a Massachusetts business offering limited legal services to Massachusetts residents. A legal forms web site is not a law firm and cannot provide true legal services, such as legal advice. We provide you with true legal guidance from a licensed attorney affiliated with our firm. We are different from a legal forms site because: We stand behind and guarantee our work.  If you go to a non-lawyer document preparation service, any guarantee is limited or non-existent. As lawyers, we must keep any communications between us confidential, and we are required to avoid any conflicts of interest. We use the SSL protocol which is the most secure method of transmitting information over the Internet. You can be assured that our services are trustworthy, private, and secure. We must comply with all of the Professional Rules that apply to members of the Massachusetts Bar. The services that we provide are regulated by the Massachusetts State Bar. A legal forms web site offered by a non-law firm is not regulated in any way. If there is a problem, you have no recourse. We offer a 100% Guarantee. We comply with the American Bar Association's "Best Practice" Guidelines.  The American Bar Association House of Delegates recently approved "Best Practices" Guidelines for Legal Information web sites.  These guidelines also apply to law firms.  They serve as recommendations for how legal information web sites should publish legal information for use by the general public in order to increase the reliability and quality of the legal information and services provided. We support these guidelines and attempt to surpass them whenever we can. We are different from a typical law firm because: We are virtual.  We communicate with you solely over the Internet by e-mail and also by telephone. You don't have to give up time away from work to come to our offices. By providing our services "virtually", we are able to keep our fees low and make it convenient for you.  You have the ability to send us an e-mail or complete our on-line questionnaires at a time that is convenient for YOU. We do not impose a costly retainer agreement or up-front fees: You buy only the legal services that you need - at a fixed price per task. You know what you will pay.  No hourly rates or hidden charges - just a simple fixed and reasonable fee. We do not have fancy offices in a major metropolitan area. We are a virtual law firm and provide our services via the Internet. We do not maintain expensive, physical offices in a downtown skyscraper. We conduct most of our business by e-mail and via the Internet; therefore, personal meetings are generally not needed.  This gives us the ability to pass those savings on to our clients. We give you state-of-the-art document assembly technology. We use a world-class, state-of-the art document automation technology.  This technology enables us to generate your documents more efficiently, thereby allowing us to pass savings on to you. We guide you through the process of representing yourself. We support the concept of "self-help law". Self-help law, also known as "pro-se" representation, is the process of filing your own documents and representing yourself in court.  This is a very effective method of saving on legal fees because you do part of the work yourself. Our role is to prepare your documents for you; give you the legal advice you need; and prepare you to represent yourself so that you can avoid making any crucial mistakes. We will also advise you as to whether or not you are a candidate for the "Self-Help" approach.   * "Limited legal services" means we provide you only a limited scope of legal services as requested and purchased by you. Our relationship with you will not exceed the limited scope of the work we agree to perform on your behalf. How It Works Esquire Direct works with a group of licensed Massachusetts attorneys to bring you quality legal services at an affordable price. Each attorney is an independent solo practitioner who has agreed to abide by our terms and pricing structure. The price you see is the price you pay. No fine print. No extra charges - ever. The process is simple: Legal Documents: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase one of our documents and complete the online questionnaire, 3) A staff member will assign your case to an attorney from our pool, 4) Your attorney will review your completed document, offer feedback, etc, 5) Esquire Direct mails your completed document to you - free! Legal Advice: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase legal advice by email or phone, 3) Your attorney will contact you within 24 hours, 4) Discuss the matter with your attorney at your convenience, 5) After your consultation, your attorney will upload a written letter explaining the advice given to your personal MyLegalAffairs webspace. Each client of Esquire Direct has their own MyLegalAffairs web page. Registration is easy and free. MyLegal Affairs is a secure webspace that links you to your attorney. Only you and your attorney have access, so you can communicate and collaborate with complete confidence that your privacy is assured. Within your personal MyLegalAffairs web page, you can:   purchase legal documents bundled with legal advice; purchase legal advice on a per-incident/question basis; search a frequently asked questions (FAQs) database of legal questions; communicate with your attorney online; access legal information resources; and access other client support functions. Clients can pay for legal services online via credit card, our most popular method-- or you may choose traditional billing. Speak with a customer representative to see which method is right for you.   Clients complete an online questionnaire.  After completion of the questionnaire, the client clicks the Submit button and their legal document is created no matter how complex it is.  An attorney will access your  completed document(s) through a secure online Administrative Area; review the document; amend if necessary; and then return the document to your MyLegalAffairs web page with execution and/or other applicable instructions.   We understand that some clients will prefer to meet with an attorney in person ("offline").  In this case, your information is collected using a paper questionnaire.  Our paper questionnaires are tightly integrated with our interactive document templates. Your completed paper questionnaire is used by your attorney to enter your data into our web-based system.  The document(s) is instantly created and ready for your attorney to review.  This review is done prior to your appointment so you and your attorney can get the maximum benefit from your consultation. Export the document/form in rich text format (.rtf) or .doc format for use with MS Word for future editing (if needed).  Print the completed and reviewed document on your local printer; send it as an attachment to an email; or save it to your MyLegalAffairs web page -- the choice is yours.   Speak with an attorney at your convenience. Once you become a client, you will be assigned an attorney based upon your legal needs. Your attorney is a solo practitioner licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who agrees to our very stringent terms and conditions. You also have the option to switch attorneys at anytime. Esquire Direct maintains a pool of qualified attorneys so that any legal needs you have will be serviced by the right attorney with the relevant experience. View our complete list of affordable legal solutions. Feel free to contact us with any questions.   Frequently Asked Questions   What is e-Lawyering? e-Lawyering is a synonym for virtual lawyering. Both terms mean delivering legal service online. The true hallmark of a virtual law firm is one that uses digital applications to provide service to clients and increase the productivity of the law firm, while lowering overhead costs that add needlessly to the client's bill. Esquire Direct is a true virtual law firm that utilizes the most up to date technology to deliver legal services to its clients.   Does Esquire Direct comply with the American Bar Association's Best Practice Guidelines for Legal Information Web Site Providers? Yes. We've made it our goal to be 100% compliant with these guidelines. We are not a fly-by-night operation. We are a genuine practice, dedicated to providing the best quality legal information and services available online. You can read the ABA guidelines here.   Do I need a will? While each individual circumstance is different, it is generally good advice for everyone to have a will. Some people believe that being unmarried or not owning substantial assets means that they don't need a will. This is wrong. Without a will, the Probate Court will determine how your estate is divided. Your estate is everything you own, including your personal property such as clothing, jewelry, cash in bank accounts, retirement funds, etc.   What is a trust and how can it help me? There are many types of trusts. Esquire Direct specializes in creating trusts for minors – called Crummey Trusts – and trusts for spouses. We also create trusts for special circumstances such as generation skipping trusts, irrevocable benefactor trusts, family trusts and trusts for pets.   Don't you have to have to be rich to have a will? Absolutely not! This is a common myth perpetuated by a number of non-credible sources. The bottom line is that a will helps protect you and your assets when you die. Without a will, the Probate Court decides how to divide your estate, and the outcome may not be what you would have intended.   What is self-help credit repair? Self-help credit repair is a service created by Esquire Direct to meet the growing demand for consumers worried about their credit scores. A good credit score is essential to getting a competitive rate on major purchases such as mortgages and car loans. There are plenty of “credit repair firms” on the internet that will charge you a hefty fee to help repair your credit. What these firms don’t tell you is that you have the right under the law to do the exact same thing yourself! These firms simply generate a letter, send it to the credit reporting agency, wait for a response and repeat the same process over again. For this “service” they charge you upwards of $90 per month. Also, since these agencies cannot obtain your credit report or receive correspondence from the agencies themselves, they require you to send in your reports monthly to them - at your expense! At Esquire Direct, we put the power in your hands. Our self-help credit repair kit allows you to take control of your credit situation using the exact same tools the credit repair firms use. We provide you with sample letters, resources to receive your credit report free, and software to track and manage your credit repair. Although there is no guarantee, with a little patience and diligence you should see erroneous or outdated information deleted from your credit report over time.   How can you represent me over the internet? We get this question a lot, and understand that legal representation over the internet is new to some. The legal services we offer are conducive to the internet representation model. We use the latest document assembly technology – RapiDocs – to assemble complex documents and tailor them to the individual client using a robust questionnaire. This is typically the same type of questionnaire used by a traditional law firm. The difference is that our process is automated, which produces a quality document that is then reviewed by a licensed attorney. The internet technology we use shortens the drafting process, and therefore significantly reduces the time the lawyer spends creating your document, which in turn reduces your cost. We use the same type of technology used by LegalZoom and RocketLawyer, plus you get the added benefit of attorney review. At Esquire Direct, we don’t believe you should spend you hard earned money on traditional legal fees when a low-cost effective solution is available.   Is our attorney-client relationship confidential? Absolutely. Our practice is required to follow the same ethical standards and a traditional brick and mortar law firm. We pride ourselves on our confidentiality and will always act according to the ethical standards adopted by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.   Is your internet web site secure? Absolutely. We use industry standard 128 bit encryption on our website. Our data is secured through Secure Socket layer (SSL) technology provided by GoDaddy and McAfee – both industry leaders in secure internet technologies.   How do I get my documents? All wills and trusts are mailed to the address you provide on 100% cotton archival paper. Other documents are mailed to you on 50% cotton archival quality paper. These documents and any other document you produce using our service is also stored on your MyLegalAffairs client space. This is a secure storage area that only you and your attorney has access to. You can download and print these documents or any document you upload to the client space at your leisure.   Are all of your documents reviewed by an attorney? All Attorney Prepared Documents generated by through our website are reviewed by an attorney at no additional cost. If you choose to use our Document Review Service, Documents uploaded to your MyLegalAffairs client space for legal review are also reviewed by a licensed attorney after the client accepts the quoted price.   What about the free templates? Esquire Direct offers a large number of self-help documents as a free service to our clients. Due to the nature of these documents, and the continuing changes in the law we do not guarantee their accuracy. It would be virtually impossible for Esquire Direct or any law firm to provide templates to fit every legal situation. Therefore, these documents are provided “caveat emptor.” If you would like a document tailored to fit your legal situation, Esquire Direct can assist at a very low cost.   How do I know you are licensed in Massachusetts? You can check the status of our license at the Board of Bar Overseers website – http://www.massbbo.org/bbolookup.php   Do you offer legal services in other states? We are currently developing partnerships in New York State, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Eventually Esquire Direct hopes to expand our offerings to clients in all 50 states.   How do I access my legal documents? Every documented generated using our system, or uploaded for attorney review is stored on your personal MyLegalAffairs client space. MyLegalAffairs is a secure webspace that can only be accessed by you and your attorney. You can store any legal document on your space, including those generated by other firms.   What is MyLegalAffairs and how does it work? Each client of Esquire Direct is assigned their own, individual, secure "My Legal Affairs" clientspace. This client space organizes the various applications that our clients purchase. It enables you to store completed information and completed legal forms on a secure server for review, printing and long-term storage. The page also has a section for personalized legal links, a calendar for important legal dates, and a web-enabled case manager. These tools allow you to communicate directly with your attorney through the MyLegalAffairs platform and review, edit, store and examine your legal documents. This creates a more effective client/attorney relationship and relieves you of the necessity to travel to and from the attorney's offices.   Can you review documents produced by other attorneys or that I downloaded from the internet? Yes. We can review any legal document you provide, and produce a written opinion you can rely on.   Can you review contracts such as leases, car purchases and mortgages? Yes. Once you join our firm as a client we can review any legal document or contract you provide. Our document review fees are very low – starting at $1.00/page or $25.00/hour, whichever is less and our turn around time is typically one day or less.   What kind of legal services do you offer? We offer most standard traditional legal services you would find in a traditional law practice, including estate planning, family law, business law and landlord-tenant law. We also provide non-traditional services such as self-help credit repair and basic financial planning. You can find a complete menu and description of our services here.   What is your contact information? Do you have a physical location? Our physical address is Esquire Direct Legal Services, 8 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA 02109. We do not utilize physical office space on a regular basis as this increases the cost of our overhead which would result in higher fees for our clients. However, we do rent executive office space – also known as shared space – in downtown Boston which we utilize on a limited basis as the need arises. You can also email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us at 617-674-4429.   How do I purchase legal advice by phone? We currently do not offer legal advice by phone. In order to create a consistent client record, all of our legal advice is administered by email or written correspondence. There are several advantages to this process: (1) the client can continually refer to the written advice in the future, (2) our written advice is guaranteed to be legally accurate, (3) we restate the scenario you described in detail so you are assured we answered the correct question. Once you become a client, you will be able to send correspondence to your attorney at anytime day or night.   How do I purchase legal advice by email? Purchasing legal advice by email is easy. Simply follow the Legal Services link on the left and click on “Legal Advice Email” to open an account or login. From there, you will be presented with a screen for payment, followed by a screen where you can enter your legal question. An attorney will provide you with an answer within 48 hours. Each purchase is good for one legal issue and both the question and answer are stored in your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. After you purchase your first question, you will be accepted as a client of the firm and eligible for discounts on future purchases.   What is Legal Document Review? How do I upload a document for legal review? Legal Document Review is a service offered to clients of Esquire Direct. Oftentimes clients have legal documents they want reviewed before they sign, such as leases, contracts and wills. The attorneys at Esquire Direct can review these documents and provide a written opinion to you through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. The process is simple: once you become a client, you'll be able to upload documents to your clientspace, where they are retrieved and reviewed by your attorney. Prices vary, and are based upon the complexity of the document. Your attorney will give you a quote before work begins. Once your document is reviewed, your attorney will notify you by email and give you instructions on retrieving your legal opinion.   How do I purchase attorney prepared documents? Attorney Prepared Documents are the hallmark of the Esquire Direct practice. We provide a large library of legal forms for purchase by our clients through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. Many clients will also benefit from our Bundled Packages, which provide complete solutions for estate planning and business transactions. After you purchase the document or package of your choice, you will be presented with a simple questionnaire. Simply answer all the questions, paying special attention to spelling. The form will automatically save as you progress. Once you've completed the questionnaire, an attorney will review your answers and prepare your legal documents. Our automated process greatly reduces the amount of time an attorney spends on each task, while increasing accuracy and efficiency. Once your documents are reviewed and you've given final approval, the attorney will finalize them and upload them to your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. If you purchased a will or trust, your documents will also be printed on 100%cotton, museum quality archival paper and sent USPS Priority Mail to you for execution and storage. Esquire Direct currently offers attorney prepared documents in the following categories:     *       Business     *       Complaint Letters     *       Corporations & LLCs     *       Estate Planning     *       Family and Divorce     *       Human Resources     *       Intellectual Property     *       Internet Law Forms     *       Landlord Tenant     *       Living Trusts     *       Loans and Collections     *       Miscellaneous Legal Documents     *       Name Change     *       Personal Service Agreements     *       Sale of Goods What is MobileLegal and what can it do for me? MobileLegal is a new concept from Esquire Direct which will bring legal services to your doorstep. Esquire Direct is currently developing a mobile office platform that will utilize a purpose-built recreational vehicle to deliver legal services to clients who might not otherwise be reached. The mobile office will be a fully functioning legal office complete with waiting room, kitchenette, office, computer workstations, internet access and much more. Look for MobileLegal in late 2010.   X Our Guarantee Our Advantage How It Works Frequently Asked Questions X Our Guarantee Legal Document Preparation Services  We guarantee your satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied with our document preparation services, you can request a refund within 5 days of purchase or prior to receiving your documents in the mail, whichever is greater. We do not provide refunds for documents once they are mailed and received by the client. Prior to your documents being mailed, you will have a chance to review them in you MyLegalAffairs client space. You will have the opportunity to correct mistakes and make modifications free of charge. Once you accept the documents and they are printed and mailed, our services are considered rendered, and payment is transferred into our account. Our legal documents and legal services are 100% guaranteed to be accepted by the court where you file them. If your documents are not accepted by a court, we will refund your purchase price in full.   Legal Advice Services Due to the nature of legal advice, we cannot offer a refund on our legal advice services. However, if you are unsatisfied for any reason, we will provide an additional consultation free of charge.   Our Advantage Esquire Direct is Massachusetts' first premiere online legal service. We offer legal services at a fraction of the cost of traditional firms. Our low cost approach to legal services is attributed to our low overhead, excellent customer support and dedication to our clientele.   There was a time when you only had two choices to get your legal forms in Massachusetts: (1) retain a full-service lawyer and pay considerable, up-front costs and high hourly fees, or (2) purchase forms from a non-lawyer document preparation or legal forms company and pray that you are doing the right thing. Now there is a third way. We use the best components from the above two choices to provide you cost-effective and efficient, limited legal services* regarding Massachusetts law.   We are not just a document preparation web site. We are a Massachusetts business offering limited legal services to Massachusetts residents. A legal forms web site is not a law firm and cannot provide true legal services, such as legal advice. We provide you with true legal guidance from a licensed attorney affiliated with our firm. We are different from a legal forms site because: We stand behind and guarantee our work.  If you go to a non-lawyer document preparation service, any guarantee is limited or non-existent. As lawyers, we must keep any communications between us confidential, and we are required to avoid any conflicts of interest. We use the SSL protocol which is the most secure method of transmitting information over the Internet. You can be assured that our services are trustworthy, private, and secure. We must comply with all of the Professional Rules that apply to members of the Massachusetts Bar. The services that we provide are regulated by the Massachusetts State Bar. A legal forms web site offered by a non-law firm is not regulated in any way. If there is a problem, you have no recourse. We offer a 100% Guarantee. We comply with the American Bar Association's "Best Practice" Guidelines.  The American Bar Association House of Delegates recently approved "Best Practices" Guidelines for Legal Information web sites.  These guidelines also apply to law firms.  They serve as recommendations for how legal information web sites should publish legal information for use by the general public in order to increase the reliability and quality of the legal information and services provided. We support these guidelines and attempt to surpass them whenever we can. We are different from a typical law firm because: We are virtual.  We communicate with you solely over the Internet by e-mail and also by telephone. You don't have to give up time away from work to come to our offices. By providing our services "virtually", we are able to keep our fees low and make it convenient for you.  You have the ability to send us an e-mail or complete our on-line questionnaires at a time that is convenient for YOU. We do not impose a costly retainer agreement or up-front fees: You buy only the legal services that you need - at a fixed price per task. You know what you will pay.  No hourly rates or hidden charges - just a simple fixed and reasonable fee. We do not have fancy offices in a major metropolitan area. We are a virtual law firm and provide our services via the Internet. We do not maintain expensive, physical offices in a downtown skyscraper. We conduct most of our business by e-mail and via the Internet; therefore, personal meetings are generally not needed.  This gives us the ability to pass those savings on to our clients. We give you state-of-the-art document assembly technology. We use a world-class, state-of-the art document automation technology.  This technology enables us to generate your documents more efficiently, thereby allowing us to pass savings on to you. We guide you through the process of representing yourself. We support the concept of "self-help law". Self-help law, also known as "pro-se" representation, is the process of filing your own documents and representing yourself in court.  This is a very effective method of saving on legal fees because you do part of the work yourself. Our role is to prepare your documents for you; give you the legal advice you need; and prepare you to represent yourself so that you can avoid making any crucial mistakes. We will also advise you as to whether or not you are a candidate for the "Self-Help" approach.   * "Limited legal services" means we provide you only a limited scope of legal services as requested and purchased by you. Our relationship with you will not exceed the limited scope of the work we agree to perform on your behalf. How It Works Esquire Direct works with a group of licensed Massachusetts attorneys to bring you quality legal services at an affordable price. Each attorney is an independent solo practitioner who has agreed to abide by our terms and pricing structure. The price you see is the price you pay. No fine print. No extra charges - ever. The process is simple: Legal Documents: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase one of our documents and complete the online questionnaire, 3) A staff member will assign your case to an attorney from our pool, 4) Your attorney will review your completed document, offer feedback, etc, 5) Esquire Direct mails your completed document to you - free! Legal Advice: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase legal advice by email or phone, 3) Your attorney will contact you within 24 hours, 4) Discuss the matter with your attorney at your convenience, 5) After your consultation, your attorney will upload a written letter explaining the advice given to your personal MyLegalAffairs webspace. Each client of Esquire Direct has their own MyLegalAffairs web page. Registration is easy and free. MyLegal Affairs is a secure webspace that links you to your attorney. Only you and your attorney have access, so you can communicate and collaborate with complete confidence that your privacy is assured. Within your personal MyLegalAffairs web page, you can:   purchase legal documents bundled with legal advice; purchase legal advice on a per-incident/question basis; search a frequently asked questions (FAQs) database of legal questions; communicate with your attorney online; access legal information resources; and access other client support functions. Clients can pay for legal services online via credit card, our most popular method-- or you may choose traditional billing. Speak with a customer representative to see which method is right for you.   Clients complete an online questionnaire.  After completion of the questionnaire, the client clicks the Submit button and their legal document is created no matter how complex it is.  An attorney will access your  completed document(s) through a secure online Administrative Area; review the document; amend if necessary; and then return the document to your MyLegalAffairs web page with execution and/or other applicable instructions.   We understand that some clients will prefer to meet with an attorney in person ("offline").  In this case, your information is collected using a paper questionnaire.  Our paper questionnaires are tightly integrated with our interactive document templates. Your completed paper questionnaire is used by your attorney to enter your data into our web-based system.  The document(s) is instantly created and ready for your attorney to review.  This review is done prior to your appointment so you and your attorney can get the maximum benefit from your consultation. Export the document/form in rich text format (.rtf) or .doc format for use with MS Word for future editing (if needed).  Print the completed and reviewed document on your local printer; send it as an attachment to an email; or save it to your MyLegalAffairs web page -- the choice is yours.   Speak with an attorney at your convenience. Once you become a client, you will be assigned an attorney based upon your legal needs. Your attorney is a solo practitioner licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who agrees to our very stringent terms and conditions. You also have the option to switch attorneys at anytime. Esquire Direct maintains a pool of qualified attorneys so that any legal needs you have will be serviced by the right attorney with the relevant experience. View our complete list of affordable legal solutions. Feel free to contact us with any questions.   Frequently Asked Questions   What is e-Lawyering? e-Lawyering is a synonym for virtual lawyering. Both terms mean delivering legal service online. The true hallmark of a virtual law firm is one that uses digital applications to provide service to clients and increase the productivity of the law firm, while lowering overhead costs that add needlessly to the client's bill. Esquire Direct is a true virtual law firm that utilizes the most up to date technology to deliver legal services to its clients.   Does Esquire Direct comply with the American Bar Association's Best Practice Guidelines for Legal Information Web Site Providers? Yes. We've made it our goal to be 100% compliant with these guidelines. We are not a fly-by-night operation. We are a genuine practice, dedicated to providing the best quality legal information and services available online. You can read the ABA guidelines here.   Do I need a will? While each individual circumstance is different, it is generally good advice for everyone to have a will. Some people believe that being unmarried or not owning substantial assets means that they don't need a will. This is wrong. Without a will, the Probate Court will determine how your estate is divided. Your estate is everything you own, including your personal property such as clothing, jewelry, cash in bank accounts, retirement funds, etc.   What is a trust and how can it help me? There are many types of trusts. Esquire Direct specializes in creating trusts for minors – called Crummey Trusts – and trusts for spouses. We also create trusts for special circumstances such as generation skipping trusts, irrevocable benefactor trusts, family trusts and trusts for pets.   Don't you have to have to be rich to have a will? Absolutely not! This is a common myth perpetuated by a number of non-credible sources. The bottom line is that a will helps protect you and your assets when you die. Without a will, the Probate Court decides how to divide your estate, and the outcome may not be what you would have intended.   What is self-help credit repair? Self-help credit repair is a service created by Esquire Direct to meet the growing demand for consumers worried about their credit scores. A good credit score is essential to getting a competitive rate on major purchases such as mortgages and car loans. There are plenty of “credit repair firms” on the internet that will charge you a hefty fee to help repair your credit. What these firms don’t tell you is that you have the right under the law to do the exact same thing yourself! These firms simply generate a letter, send it to the credit reporting agency, wait for a response and repeat the same process over again. For this “service” they charge you upwards of $90 per month. Also, since these agencies cannot obtain your credit report or receive correspondence from the agencies themselves, they require you to send in your reports monthly to them - at your expense! At Esquire Direct, we put the power in your hands. Our self-help credit repair kit allows you to take control of your credit situation using the exact same tools the credit repair firms use. We provide you with sample letters, resources to receive your credit report free, and software to track and manage your credit repair. Although there is no guarantee, with a little patience and diligence you should see erroneous or outdated information deleted from your credit report over time.   How can you represent me over the internet? We get this question a lot, and understand that legal representation over the internet is new to some. The legal services we offer are conducive to the internet representation model. We use the latest document assembly technology – RapiDocs – to assemble complex documents and tailor them to the individual client using a robust questionnaire. This is typically the same type of questionnaire used by a traditional law firm. The difference is that our process is automated, which produces a quality document that is then reviewed by a licensed attorney. The internet technology we use shortens the drafting process, and therefore significantly reduces the time the lawyer spends creating your document, which in turn reduces your cost. We use the same type of technology used by LegalZoom and RocketLawyer, plus you get the added benefit of attorney review. At Esquire Direct, we don’t believe you should spend you hard earned money on traditional legal fees when a low-cost effective solution is available.   Is our attorney-client relationship confidential? Absolutely. Our practice is required to follow the same ethical standards and a traditional brick and mortar law firm. We pride ourselves on our confidentiality and will always act according to the ethical standards adopted by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.   Is your internet web site secure? Absolutely. We use industry standard 128 bit encryption on our website. Our data is secured through Secure Socket layer (SSL) technology provided by GoDaddy and McAfee – both industry leaders in secure internet technologies.   How do I get my documents? All wills and trusts are mailed to the address you provide on 100% cotton archival paper. Other documents are mailed to you on 50% cotton archival quality paper. These documents and any other document you produce using our service is also stored on your MyLegalAffairs client space. This is a secure storage area that only you and your attorney has access to. You can download and print these documents or any document you upload to the client space at your leisure.   Are all of your documents reviewed by an attorney? All Attorney Prepared Documents generated by through our website are reviewed by an attorney at no additional cost. If you choose to use our Document Review Service, Documents uploaded to your MyLegalAffairs client space for legal review are also reviewed by a licensed attorney after the client accepts the quoted price.   What about the free templates? Esquire Direct offers a large number of self-help documents as a free service to our clients. Due to the nature of these documents, and the continuing changes in the law we do not guarantee their accuracy. It would be virtually impossible for Esquire Direct or any law firm to provide templates to fit every legal situation. Therefore, these documents are provided “caveat emptor.” If you would like a document tailored to fit your legal situation, Esquire Direct can assist at a very low cost.   How do I know you are licensed in Massachusetts? You can check the status of our license at the Board of Bar Overseers website – http://www.massbbo.org/bbolookup.php   Do you offer legal services in other states? We are currently developing partnerships in New York State, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Eventually Esquire Direct hopes to expand our offerings to clients in all 50 states.   How do I access my legal documents? Every documented generated using our system, or uploaded for attorney review is stored on your personal MyLegalAffairs client space. MyLegalAffairs is a secure webspace that can only be accessed by you and your attorney. You can store any legal document on your space, including those generated by other firms.   What is MyLegalAffairs and how does it work? Each client of Esquire Direct is assigned their own, individual, secure "My Legal Affairs" clientspace. This client space organizes the various applications that our clients purchase. It enables you to store completed information and completed legal forms on a secure server for review, printing and long-term storage. The page also has a section for personalized legal links, a calendar for important legal dates, and a web-enabled case manager. These tools allow you to communicate directly with your attorney through the MyLegalAffairs platform and review, edit, store and examine your legal documents. This creates a more effective client/attorney relationship and relieves you of the necessity to travel to and from the attorney's offices.   Can you review documents produced by other attorneys or that I downloaded from the internet? Yes. We can review any legal document you provide, and produce a written opinion you can rely on.   Can you review contracts such as leases, car purchases and mortgages? Yes. Once you join our firm as a client we can review any legal document or contract you provide. Our document review fees are very low – starting at $1.00/page or $25.00/hour, whichever is less and our turn around time is typically one day or less.   What kind of legal services do you offer? We offer most standard traditional legal services you would find in a traditional law practice, including estate planning, family law, business law and landlord-tenant law. We also provide non-traditional services such as self-help credit repair and basic financial planning. You can find a complete menu and description of our services here.   What is your contact information? Do you have a physical location? Our physical address is Esquire Direct Legal Services, 8 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA 02109. We do not utilize physical office space on a regular basis as this increases the cost of our overhead which would result in higher fees for our clients. However, we do rent executive office space – also known as shared space – in downtown Boston which we utilize on a limited basis as the need arises. You can also email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us at 617-674-4429.   How do I purchase legal advice by phone? We currently do not offer legal advice by phone. In order to create a consistent client record, all of our legal advice is administered by email or written correspondence. There are several advantages to this process: (1) the client can continually refer to the written advice in the future, (2) our written advice is guaranteed to be legally accurate, (3) we restate the scenario you described in detail so you are assured we answered the correct question. Once you become a client, you will be able to send correspondence to your attorney at anytime day or night.   How do I purchase legal advice by email? Purchasing legal advice by email is easy. Simply follow the Legal Services link on the left and click on “Legal Advice Email” to open an account or login. From there, you will be presented with a screen for payment, followed by a screen where you can enter your legal question. An attorney will provide you with an answer within 48 hours. Each purchase is good for one legal issue and both the question and answer are stored in your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. After you purchase your first question, you will be accepted as a client of the firm and eligible for discounts on future purchases.   What is Legal Document Review? How do I upload a document for legal review? Legal Document Review is a service offered to clients of Esquire Direct. Oftentimes clients have legal documents they want reviewed before they sign, such as leases, contracts and wills. The attorneys at Esquire Direct can review these documents and provide a written opinion to you through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. The process is simple: once you become a client, you'll be able to upload documents to your clientspace, where they are retrieved and reviewed by your attorney. Prices vary, and are based upon the complexity of the document. Your attorney will give you a quote before work begins. Once your document is reviewed, your attorney will notify you by email and give you instructions on retrieving your legal opinion.   How do I purchase attorney prepared documents? Attorney Prepared Documents are the hallmark of the Esquire Direct practice. We provide a large library of legal forms for purchase by our clients through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. Many clients will also benefit from our Bundled Packages, which provide complete solutions for estate planning and business transactions. After you purchase the document or package of your choice, you will be presented with a simple questionnaire. Simply answer all the questions, paying special attention to spelling. The form will automatically save as you progress. Once you've completed the questionnaire, an attorney will review your answers and prepare your legal documents. Our automated process greatly reduces the amount of time an attorney spends on each task, while increasing accuracy and efficiency. Once your documents are reviewed and you've given final approval, the attorney will finalize them and upload them to your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. If you purchased a will or trust, your documents will also be printed on 100%cotton, museum quality archival paper and sent USPS Priority Mail to you for execution and storage. Esquire Direct currently offers attorney prepared documents in the following categories:     *       Business     *       Complaint Letters     *       Corporations & LLCs     *       Estate Planning     *       Family and Divorce     *       Human Resources     *       Intellectual Property     *       Internet Law Forms     *       Landlord Tenant     *       Living Trusts     *       Loans and Collections     *       Miscellaneous Legal Documents     *       Name Change     *       Personal Service Agreements     *       Sale of Goods What is MobileLegal and what can it do for me? MobileLegal is a new concept from Esquire Direct which will bring legal services to your doorstep. Esquire Direct is currently developing a mobile office platform that will utilize a purpose-built recreational vehicle to deliver legal services to clients who might not otherwise be reached. The mobile office will be a fully functioning legal office complete with waiting room, kitchenette, office, computer workstations, internet access and much more. Look for MobileLegal in late 2010.   X Our Guarantee Our Advantage How It Works Frequently Asked Questions X Our Guarantee Legal Document Preparation Services  We guarantee your satisfaction. If you are unsatisfied with our document preparation services, you can request a refund within 5 days of purchase or prior to receiving your documents in the mail, whichever is greater. We do not provide refunds for documents once they are mailed and received by the client. Prior to your documents being mailed, you will have a chance to review them in you MyLegalAffairs client space. You will have the opportunity to correct mistakes and make modifications free of charge. Once you accept the documents and they are printed and mailed, our services are considered rendered, and payment is transferred into our account. Our legal documents and legal services are 100% guaranteed to be accepted by the court where you file them. If your documents are not accepted by a court, we will refund your purchase price in full.   Legal Advice Services Due to the nature of legal advice, we cannot offer a refund on our legal advice services. However, if you are unsatisfied for any reason, we will provide an additional consultation free of charge.   Our Advantage Esquire Direct is Massachusetts' first premiere online legal service. We offer legal services at a fraction of the cost of traditional firms. Our low cost approach to legal services is attributed to our low overhead, excellent customer support and dedication to our clientele.   There was a time when you only had two choices to get your legal forms in Massachusetts: (1) retain a full-service lawyer and pay considerable, up-front costs and high hourly fees, or (2) purchase forms from a non-lawyer document preparation or legal forms company and pray that you are doing the right thing. Now there is a third way. We use the best components from the above two choices to provide you cost-effective and efficient, limited legal services* regarding Massachusetts law.   We are not just a document preparation web site. We are a Massachusetts business offering limited legal services to Massachusetts residents. A legal forms web site is not a law firm and cannot provide true legal services, such as legal advice. We provide you with true legal guidance from a licensed attorney affiliated with our firm. We are different from a legal forms site because: We stand behind and guarantee our work.  If you go to a non-lawyer document preparation service, any guarantee is limited or non-existent. As lawyers, we must keep any communications between us confidential, and we are required to avoid any conflicts of interest. We use the SSL protocol which is the most secure method of transmitting information over the Internet. You can be assured that our services are trustworthy, private, and secure. We must comply with all of the Professional Rules that apply to members of the Massachusetts Bar. The services that we provide are regulated by the Massachusetts State Bar. A legal forms web site offered by a non-law firm is not regulated in any way. If there is a problem, you have no recourse. We offer a 100% Guarantee. We comply with the American Bar Association's "Best Practice" Guidelines.  The American Bar Association House of Delegates recently approved "Best Practices" Guidelines for Legal Information web sites.  These guidelines also apply to law firms.  They serve as recommendations for how legal information web sites should publish legal information for use by the general public in order to increase the reliability and quality of the legal information and services provided. We support these guidelines and attempt to surpass them whenever we can. We are different from a typical law firm because: We are virtual.  We communicate with you solely over the Internet by e-mail and also by telephone. You don't have to give up time away from work to come to our offices. By providing our services "virtually", we are able to keep our fees low and make it convenient for you.  You have the ability to send us an e-mail or complete our on-line questionnaires at a time that is convenient for YOU. We do not impose a costly retainer agreement or up-front fees: You buy only the legal services that you need - at a fixed price per task. You know what you will pay.  No hourly rates or hidden charges - just a simple fixed and reasonable fee. We do not have fancy offices in a major metropolitan area. We are a virtual law firm and provide our services via the Internet. We do not maintain expensive, physical offices in a downtown skyscraper. We conduct most of our business by e-mail and via the Internet; therefore, personal meetings are generally not needed.  This gives us the ability to pass those savings on to our clients. We give you state-of-the-art document assembly technology. We use a world-class, state-of-the art document automation technology.  This technology enables us to generate your documents more efficiently, thereby allowing us to pass savings on to you. We guide you through the process of representing yourself. We support the concept of "self-help law". Self-help law, also known as "pro-se" representation, is the process of filing your own documents and representing yourself in court.  This is a very effective method of saving on legal fees because you do part of the work yourself. Our role is to prepare your documents for you; give you the legal advice you need; and prepare you to represent yourself so that you can avoid making any crucial mistakes. We will also advise you as to whether or not you are a candidate for the "Self-Help" approach.   * "Limited legal services" means we provide you only a limited scope of legal services as requested and purchased by you. Our relationship with you will not exceed the limited scope of the work we agree to perform on your behalf. How It Works Esquire Direct works with a group of licensed Massachusetts attorneys to bring you quality legal services at an affordable price. Each attorney is an independent solo practitioner who has agreed to abide by our terms and pricing structure. The price you see is the price you pay. No fine print. No extra charges - ever. The process is simple: Legal Documents: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase one of our documents and complete the online questionnaire, 3) A staff member will assign your case to an attorney from our pool, 4) Your attorney will review your completed document, offer feedback, etc, 5) Esquire Direct mails your completed document to you - free! Legal Advice: 1) Register or login, 2) Purchase legal advice by email or phone, 3) Your attorney will contact you within 24 hours, 4) Discuss the matter with your attorney at your convenience, 5) After your consultation, your attorney will upload a written letter explaining the advice given to your personal MyLegalAffairs webspace. Each client of Esquire Direct has their own MyLegalAffairs web page. Registration is easy and free. MyLegal Affairs is a secure webspace that links you to your attorney. Only you and your attorney have access, so you can communicate and collaborate with complete confidence that your privacy is assured. Within your personal MyLegalAffairs web page, you can:   purchase legal documents bundled with legal advice; purchase legal advice on a per-incident/question basis; search a frequently asked questions (FAQs) database of legal questions; communicate with your attorney online; access legal information resources; and access other client support functions. Clients can pay for legal services online via credit card, our most popular method-- or you may choose traditional billing. Speak with a customer representative to see which method is right for you.   Clients complete an online questionnaire.  After completion of the questionnaire, the client clicks the Submit button and their legal document is created no matter how complex it is.  An attorney will access your  completed document(s) through a secure online Administrative Area; review the document; amend if necessary; and then return the document to your MyLegalAffairs web page with execution and/or other applicable instructions.   We understand that some clients will prefer to meet with an attorney in person ("offline").  In this case, your information is collected using a paper questionnaire.  Our paper questionnaires are tightly integrated with our interactive document templates. Your completed paper questionnaire is used by your attorney to enter your data into our web-based system.  The document(s) is instantly created and ready for your attorney to review.  This review is done prior to your appointment so you and your attorney can get the maximum benefit from your consultation. Export the document/form in rich text format (.rtf) or .doc format for use with MS Word for future editing (if needed).  Print the completed and reviewed document on your local printer; send it as an attachment to an email; or save it to your MyLegalAffairs web page -- the choice is yours.   Speak with an attorney at your convenience. Once you become a client, you will be assigned an attorney based upon your legal needs. Your attorney is a solo practitioner licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who agrees to our very stringent terms and conditions. You also have the option to switch attorneys at anytime. Esquire Direct maintains a pool of qualified attorneys so that any legal needs you have will be serviced by the right attorney with the relevant experience. View our complete list of affordable legal solutions. Feel free to contact us with any questions.   Frequently Asked Questions   What is e-Lawyering? e-Lawyering is a synonym for virtual lawyering. Both terms mean delivering legal service online. The true hallmark of a virtual law firm is one that uses digital applications to provide service to clients and increase the productivity of the law firm, while lowering overhead costs that add needlessly to the client's bill. Esquire Direct is a true virtual law firm that utilizes the most up to date technology to deliver legal services to its clients.   Does Esquire Direct comply with the American Bar Association's Best Practice Guidelines for Legal Information Web Site Providers? Yes. We've made it our goal to be 100% compliant with these guidelines. We are not a fly-by-night operation. We are a genuine practice, dedicated to providing the best quality legal information and services available online. You can read the ABA guidelines here.   Do I need a will? While each individual circumstance is different, it is generally good advice for everyone to have a will. Some people believe that being unmarried or not owning substantial assets means that they don't need a will. This is wrong. Without a will, the Probate Court will determine how your estate is divided. Your estate is everything you own, including your personal property such as clothing, jewelry, cash in bank accounts, retirement funds, etc.   What is a trust and how can it help me? There are many types of trusts. Esquire Direct specializes in creating trusts for minors – called Crummey Trusts – and trusts for spouses. We also create trusts for special circumstances such as generation skipping trusts, irrevocable benefactor trusts, family trusts and trusts for pets.   Don't you have to have to be rich to have a will? Absolutely not! This is a common myth perpetuated by a number of non-credible sources. The bottom line is that a will helps protect you and your assets when you die. Without a will, the Probate Court decides how to divide your estate, and the outcome may not be what you would have intended.   What is self-help credit repair? Self-help credit repair is a service created by Esquire Direct to meet the growing demand for consumers worried about their credit scores. A good credit score is essential to getting a competitive rate on major purchases such as mortgages and car loans. There are plenty of “credit repair firms” on the internet that will charge you a hefty fee to help repair your credit. What these firms don’t tell you is that you have the right under the law to do the exact same thing yourself! These firms simply generate a letter, send it to the credit reporting agency, wait for a response and repeat the same process over again. For this “service” they charge you upwards of $90 per month. Also, since these agencies cannot obtain your credit report or receive correspondence from the agencies themselves, they require you to send in your reports monthly to them - at your expense! At Esquire Direct, we put the power in your hands. Our self-help credit repair kit allows you to take control of your credit situation using the exact same tools the credit repair firms use. We provide you with sample letters, resources to receive your credit report free, and software to track and manage your credit repair. Although there is no guarantee, with a little patience and diligence you should see erroneous or outdated information deleted from your credit report over time.   How can you represent me over the internet? We get this question a lot, and understand that legal representation over the internet is new to some. The legal services we offer are conducive to the internet representation model. We use the latest document assembly technology – RapiDocs – to assemble complex documents and tailor them to the individual client using a robust questionnaire. This is typically the same type of questionnaire used by a traditional law firm. The difference is that our process is automated, which produces a quality document that is then reviewed by a licensed attorney. The internet technology we use shortens the drafting process, and therefore significantly reduces the time the lawyer spends creating your document, which in turn reduces your cost. We use the same type of technology used by LegalZoom and RocketLawyer, plus you get the added benefit of attorney review. At Esquire Direct, we don’t believe you should spend you hard earned money on traditional legal fees when a low-cost effective solution is available.   Is our attorney-client relationship confidential? Absolutely. Our practice is required to follow the same ethical standards and a traditional brick and mortar law firm. We pride ourselves on our confidentiality and will always act according to the ethical standards adopted by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.   Is your internet web site secure? Absolutely. We use industry standard 128 bit encryption on our website. Our data is secured through Secure Socket layer (SSL) technology provided by GoDaddy and McAfee – both industry leaders in secure internet technologies.   How do I get my documents? All wills and trusts are mailed to the address you provide on 100% cotton archival paper. Other documents are mailed to you on 50% cotton archival quality paper. These documents and any other document you produce using our service is also stored on your MyLegalAffairs client space. This is a secure storage area that only you and your attorney has access to. You can download and print these documents or any document you upload to the client space at your leisure.   Are all of your documents reviewed by an attorney? All Attorney Prepared Documents generated by through our website are reviewed by an attorney at no additional cost. If you choose to use our Document Review Service, Documents uploaded to your MyLegalAffairs client space for legal review are also reviewed by a licensed attorney after the client accepts the quoted price.   What about the free templates? Esquire Direct offers a large number of self-help documents as a free service to our clients. Due to the nature of these documents, and the continuing changes in the law we do not guarantee their accuracy. It would be virtually impossible for Esquire Direct or any law firm to provide templates to fit every legal situation. Therefore, these documents are provided “caveat emptor.” If you would like a document tailored to fit your legal situation, Esquire Direct can assist at a very low cost.   How do I know you are licensed in Massachusetts? You can check the status of our license at the Board of Bar Overseers website – http://www.massbbo.org/bbolookup.php   Do you offer legal services in other states? We are currently developing partnerships in New York State, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Eventually Esquire Direct hopes to expand our offerings to clients in all 50 states.   How do I access my legal documents? Every documented generated using our system, or uploaded for attorney review is stored on your personal MyLegalAffairs client space. MyLegalAffairs is a secure webspace that can only be accessed by you and your attorney. You can store any legal document on your space, including those generated by other firms.   What is MyLegalAffairs and how does it work? Each client of Esquire Direct is assigned their own, individual, secure "My Legal Affairs" clientspace. This client space organizes the various applications that our clients purchase. It enables you to store completed information and completed legal forms on a secure server for review, printing and long-term storage. The page also has a section for personalized legal links, a calendar for important legal dates, and a web-enabled case manager. These tools allow you to communicate directly with your attorney through the MyLegalAffairs platform and review, edit, store and examine your legal documents. This creates a more effective client/attorney relationship and relieves you of the necessity to travel to and from the attorney's offices.   Can you review documents produced by other attorneys or that I downloaded from the internet? Yes. We can review any legal document you provide, and produce a written opinion you can rely on.   Can you review contracts such as leases, car purchases and mortgages? Yes. Once you join our firm as a client we can review any legal document or contract you provide. Our document review fees are very low – starting at $1.00/page or $25.00/hour, whichever is less and our turn around time is typically one day or less.   What kind of legal services do you offer? We offer most standard traditional legal services you would find in a traditional law practice, including estate planning, family law, business law and landlord-tenant law. We also provide non-traditional services such as self-help credit repair and basic financial planning. You can find a complete menu and description of our services here.   What is your contact information? Do you have a physical location? Our physical address is Esquire Direct Legal Services, 8 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA 02109. We do not utilize physical office space on a regular basis as this increases the cost of our overhead which would result in higher fees for our clients. However, we do rent executive office space – also known as shared space – in downtown Boston which we utilize on a limited basis as the need arises. You can also email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us at 617-674-4429.   How do I purchase legal advice by phone? We currently do not offer legal advice by phone. In order to create a consistent client record, all of our legal advice is administered by email or written correspondence. There are several advantages to this process: (1) the client can continually refer to the written advice in the future, (2) our written advice is guaranteed to be legally accurate, (3) we restate the scenario you described in detail so you are assured we answered the correct question. Once you become a client, you will be able to send correspondence to your attorney at anytime day or night.   How do I purchase legal advice by email? Purchasing legal advice by email is easy. Simply follow the Legal Services link on the left and click on “Legal Advice Email” to open an account or login. From there, you will be presented with a screen for payment, followed by a screen where you can enter your legal question. An attorney will provide you with an answer within 48 hours. Each purchase is good for one legal issue and both the question and answer are stored in your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. After you purchase your first question, you will be accepted as a client of the firm and eligible for discounts on future purchases.   What is Legal Document Review? How do I upload a document for legal review? Legal Document Review is a service offered to clients of Esquire Direct. Oftentimes clients have legal documents they want reviewed before they sign, such as leases, contracts and wills. The attorneys at Esquire Direct can review these documents and provide a written opinion to you through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. The process is simple: once you become a client, you'll be able to upload documents to your clientspace, where they are retrieved and reviewed by your attorney. Prices vary, and are based upon the complexity of the document. Your attorney will give you a quote before work begins. Once your document is reviewed, your attorney will notify you by email and give you instructions on retrieving your legal opinion.   How do I purchase attorney prepared documents? Attorney Prepared Documents are the hallmark of the Esquire Direct practice. We provide a large library of legal forms for purchase by our clients through your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. Many clients will also benefit from our Bundled Packages, which provide complete solutions for estate planning and business transactions. After you purchase the document or package of your choice, you will be presented with a simple questionnaire. Simply answer all the questions, paying special attention to spelling. The form will automatically save as you progress. Once you've completed the questionnaire, an attorney will review your answers and prepare your legal documents. Our automated process greatly reduces the amount of time an attorney spends on each task, while increasing accuracy and efficiency. Once your documents are reviewed and you've given final approval, the attorney will finalize them and upload them to your MyLegalAffairs clientspace. If you purchased a will or trust, your documents will also be printed on 100%cotton, museum quality archival paper and sent USPS Priority Mail to you for execution and storage. Esquire Direct currently offers attorney prepared documents in the following categories:     *       Business     *       Complaint Letters     *       Corporations & LLCs     *       Estate Planning     *       Family and Divorce     *       Human Resources     *       Intellectual Property     *       Internet Law Forms     *       Landlord Tenant     *       Living Trusts     *       Loans and Collections     *       Miscellaneous Legal Documents     *       Name Change     *       Personal Service Agreements     *       Sale of Goods What is MobileLegal and what can it do for me? MobileLegal is a new concept from Esquire Direct which will bring legal services to your doorste