Rocket Lawyer

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Founding Year

2008

Hourly Rate

Undisclosed

Company Size

100-249

Min. Project Size

Undisclosed

Locations
Headquarters

United States , California, San Francisco

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Summary

With over 20 million clients under its belt, Rocket Lawyer is one of the most prominent firms in the business services industry. It offers a subscription to legal services for $39.99/month that includes free incorporation, attorney consultations, and other features. Clients turn to this experienced provider when they need advanced legal support for a fraction of the cost.

Categories
Service focus

Company Formation

Business Services

Legal Services Consulting

Making Legal Help Accessible for Everyone Since 2008

“We believe everyone deserves affordable and simple access to legal services,” says Rocket Lawyer's founder and CEO, Charley Moore. Established in 2008, the company has revolutionized the legal industry, making attorney advice accessible to everyone. Since 2012, it has been present in the UK market, and in 2016, it launched in continental Europe, growing into a global self-help legal service provider.

By combining free legal information and documents with a network of licensed attorneys for a low monthly subscription fee, Rocket Lawyer reduces the legal complexity and expensive hourly rates. You can test the monthly membership before purchasing by subscribing to the Rocket Lawyer free trial. With its premium subscription plan, clients gain access to reliable legal forms, consultations to attorneys, incorporation services, registered agent, and more; either for free or for discounted Rocket Lawyer fees. 

The company offers many small business services; from starting a venture and other types of filings to corporate compliance and personalized legal help. Although it's more popular as a self-help legal document service, Rocket Lawyer is a strong contender in the business formation industry. It offers filing assistance for LLC, S-Corporation, C-Corporation, and non-profit organizations.

 

A One-Stop Shop for Incorporation and Affordable Legal Help

Rocket Lawyer reviews show this is not a classic incorporation services company. It’s one of the most popular online legal document creation service providers that offers ongoing legal support for an affordable monthly subscription rate. The firm can also assist you with a range of filings that you can order separately or as a premium subscription member. Its most significant advantage is the network of attorneys specializing in diverse areas that provide personalized legal advice at lower fees than regular industry rates. In this Rocket Lawyer review, we break down all of its services.

 

Business Formation Services

Rocket Lawyer can assist you in forming different entity types, including LLC, S-corporation, C-corporation, and non-profit organization. These filing services are available for $99.99 if purchased separately, which is quite expensive considering that companies like IncFile form businesses for free. 

Rocket Lawyer offers one free business formation if you become a premium member for $39.99/month. As a member, you will receive a 25% discount on every other formation filing, which is still more expensive than rivals, mainly because you don't get any extra features, except filing and handling your documents. As for business formation, Rocket Lawyer reviews state that the team takes care of everything; from name search and filing with the state to the delivery of hard copies of your documents.

 

Registered Agent Service

Every business is required to have a registered agent as an official contact with the state and legal institutions. It also keeps your address off public records, protecting you from unwanted mail and other unpleasant situations. You can have the Rocket Lawyer registered agent service for $149/year, a not-so-competitive price considering that some alternatives charge $99/year for the same thing. Premium members get $25% off, a price that falls within industry standards. 

 

EIN Registration

Almost every company needs to obtain a Tax ID number to perform operations essential for running a business. Rocket Lawyer offers to handle this process for a competitive price of $59.99, only if you hire it to incorporate your entity. After comparing EIN prices for this Rocket Lawyer LLC review, we can confirm that MyCompanyWorks charges the lowest fee on the market — $49.

 

LLC/Corporate Kit and Seal

Some companies prefer to store their documents online. Having a personalized company kit and seal allows you to keep them in a secure place and leave a professional impression on official documents. After evaluating rival fees for this Rocket Lawyer review, we verified that the firm charges average market prices. You can get a corporate seal separately, for $59.99 or order the following customized bundle for $99:

  • Stock certificates
  • Custom embossed company binder in a matching clip-case
  • Personalized corporate seal
  • Sample business forms

 

Online Legal Document Library

As the case is with LegalZoom, one of the biggest Rocket Lawyer competitors, this firm too has a library of legal documents that you can customize to your state and circumstances. The process includes a series of questions related to the type of document. After you provide answers, the firm offers two payment options. You can either go for the Rocket Lawyer free trial to test its subscription plan for seven days and obtain your document for free, or pay $5 for a full-featured trial. After the trial period, you will be charged $39.99/month for the Rocket Lawyer premium membership, which you can cancel any time. 

This plan entitles you to an unlimited number of legal documents that you can share, download, or print on demand. The firm’s online legal document builder lets you obtain different business forms and contracts, real estate forms, as well as family and personal documents. The company charges a flat fee of $39.99 per document if you don’t subscribe for a membership. If we compare Rocket Lawyer vs LegalZoom, the former charges a lower price for separate purchases of similar documents. 

New users don’t have the option to purchase documents separately, but must leave their payment details and go through the Rocket Lawyer free trial subscription to obtain the desired document. Note that the firm will bill you automatically if you don’t cancel before the 7-day trial period ends.

Rocket Lawyer can help you obtain the following documents and many more:

  • LLC operating agreement
  • Corporation bylaws
  • Meeting minutes
  • Non-disclosure agreement
  • Independent contractor agreement
  • Business contract
  • Lease agreement
  • Eviction notice
  • Quitclaim deed
  • Last will and testament
  • Living will
  • Rocket Lawyer divorce settlement agreement
  • Child care authorization
  • Rocket Lawyer business plan

 

Statement of Information

Rocket Lawyer helps you determine whether you need to file a Statement of Information (Initial Report or Annual Report) and handles the filing process. These documents are essential for maintaining a good standing with the state. 

 

Fictitious Business Name/DBA

If you wish to do business under a different official name, this company can handle the DBA filing process. Rocket Lawyer fees start at $99 (excluding state fees). Our research for this Rocket Lawyer review confirms that this price is similar to what competitors charge. 

 

Articles of Amendment

To update any information in your official formation documents, you need to file the Articles of Amendment. Rocket Lawyer offers to do it for you for $119.95 (excluding state fees), a price that falls at the higher end compared to alternatives like MyCompanyWorks, Swyft Filings, and IncFile whose fees start at $99+ for the same service. 

 

Articles of Dissolution

While a lot of LLC service providers can start your business, not many deal with dissolution. Rocket Lawyer can help you legally close your company and avoid penalties and taxes that can occur from keeping a non-active business. You need to provide a few simple details to receive a pricing quote. Rocket Lawyer reviews state that clients would prefer to see prices upfront. Average industry fees for basic filing service and standard processing time range from $99 to $149 (excluding state fees).

 

Trademark Registration

Rocket Lawyer is one of the few places where you can both form your business and register a trademark. The company promises to tailor a trademark package to best suit your needs. You can choose from a basic plan covering all the essentials to a comprehensive package that includes a consultation with a trademark attorney and expedited service. The Rocket Lawyer pricing for trademark registration is not one-size-fits-all. There is a form that you need to fill in with some personal details to receive a quote within 24 hours. This could be a deal-breaker if you are just researching options. 

 

Sign Documents

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ESIGN Act, a law that made electronic signatures legal, Rocket Lawyer is offering its Rocket Sign tool for free, for a limited time. It allows you to upload and store documents for easy access and make them legally-binding with digital signatures. 

 

Legal Advice

Researching for this Rocket Lawyer review, we found out this is one of the rare firms in the business formation industry that can connect you with a network of attorneys affordably. To get these services at a discount, you have to sign up for premium membership, which costs $39.99/month. LegalZoom, one of the most well-known Rocket Lawyer alternatives, provides attorney advice and similar features on a subscription basis, for a slightly lower price of $31.25/month for an annual membership, and $36 for a six-month subscription. 

Rocket Lawyer’s plan entitles you to ask real lawyers any legal questions that you might have through the website or schedule 30-minute consultations on new legal matters. Both features are highly praised in rocketlawyer.com reviews. It comes with unlimited access to the legal forms library that you can use to obtain personalized documents online, one free incorporation, and exclusive discounts on other services. We’ll elaborate on pricing details a bit later, but generally speaking, the firm’s premium membership makes an excellent option for small business owners and other individuals who need ongoing legal help.

 

Easy Online Business Formation Process

The Rocket Lawyer incorporation process takes longer to complete compared to most alternatives with the exclusion of LegalZoom. As the case is with this firm, Rocket Lawyer starts the session with a series of questions related to your business, like name, address, primary contact, members, etc.

It then offers a few upsells like Rocket Lawyer registered agent, EIN, LLC/Corporate kit, and seal. While all these services are beneficial for new business owners, according to Rocket Lawyer reviews, the firm should present them more conveniently. Some competitors like IncFile showcase all available features, services, and formation packages on the same page. This layout provides a more user-friendly experience as clients can control the process and finish the order faster. At Rocket Lawyer, the pricing options are shown at the very end of the session. 

The company creates a separate page where it neatly organizes all the collected information. At this point, you can review your answers and go back and change anything if needed. 

Rocket Lawyer doesn’t offer business formation packages like other similar firms. It gives an option to either subscribe to its premium membership or pay a flat filing fee for the service. According to Rocket Lawyer reviews and complaints, clients prefer to see prices upfront, so they can form a base cost without investing too much time in the process. 

Once you select an option, you have to enter your payment details and click “Confirm Purchase”. The process is well-guided, but since it consists of multiple new windows rather than one page, it can take more than 10 minutes. 

 

Different Turnaround Time for Each State

Rocket Lawyer doesn’t disclose its internal processing time but gives a total turnaround estimate based on the formation state. Rocketlawyer.com reviews show that customers appreciate that the company provides an accurate standard and rush time estimates for each state. It gives you an option to choose a standard processing time for which you have to pay only government fees or a pricier rush filing option where you have to pay for an expedited processing fee on top of your state fees. These Rocket Lawyer fees and time estimates are different based on the formation state, and expedited service is not available in every state.

Some competitors promise the same timeframe regardless of the chosen state, which is not always accurate since turnaround times can vary significantly. Some states will form your business in 1-2 business days if you select a rush filing option, while others can take over a month to approve your application. In any case, our in-depth research for this Rocket Lawyer LLC review shows that its turnaround times align with industry standards. 

 

Superior Customer Service

You can reach Rocket Lawyer via phone, email, and live chat. Its support team is available Monday through Friday, from 6 AM to 6 PM, PT, working 12 hours a day, which is more than alternatives with typical business hours. The Rocket Lawyer phone number is (877) 881-0947. You can email the outfit through the contact form on the website, or use the live chat to talk to a representative. 

Rocket Lawyer has accumulated a massive amount of customer feedback on multiple review sites. Out of 2,038 reviews on Trustpilot, 95% have rated their experience as excellent or great. SiteJabber, another popular review platform, counts 1,211 reviews, out of which 96% are positive. The Rocket Lawyer customer service and the platform’s ease of use are the reason for the majority of glowing reviews.

Clients appreciate that they can talk to a real person without getting stuck in multiple phone trees or waiting half an hour on the line. They describe reps as knowledgeable and polite, taking the time to assist each customer thoroughly. Some Rocket Lawyer complaints, however, state that the team is more focused on closing a sale rather than addressing inquiries. 

Emails get answered within one business day. The chat support offers prompt assistance. We were able to get in touch with a representative only minutes after filling the form with our questions. But most of the time, the chat support team directs you to a Rocket Lawyer contact number from the department that can best answer your inquiry. It seems that the firm prefers phone communication, as even the email support team encouraged us to call a certain number. 

Rocket Lawyer reviews show that while helpful, the free trial is a source of frustration for some users. Customers are not happy that the company automatically charges them after the trial period ends. Rocket Lawyer openly shares this information on the website, but some users fail to notice it or expect to receive an invoice before their money is withdrawn. While the firm claims you can cancel it online, most customers had to call the service’s hotline number or still got charged despite reacting on time, which adds to the frustration. Most negative Rocket Lawyer reviews and complaints are centered around the automatic charges and the inability to cancel online. 

That said, Rocket Lawyer's team members reply to almost every negative feedback, offering to discuss the matter further, or issue a refund. If you go through LegalZoom reviews, for example, you can see that this alternative has significantly lower customer scores and hasn't addressed many unsatisfied users' concerns. Overall, Rocket Lawyer has excellent customer support backed by thousands of positive reviews. 

 

Free Incorporation and Exclusive Discounts for Premium Members

Rocket Lawyer is not primarily focused on business formations, so it has a different approach than similar firms. Most competitors bundle essentials and extras in three packages, from basic to premium level of service. The Rocket Lawyer pricing comes in two options. You can either pay for your LLC formation as a member or non-member. 

 

Non-Member Pricing

The non-member option includes: 

  • Preparation and filing of Articles of Organization
  • Business name availability search

The Rocket Lawyer cost for non-members is quite high. The outfit charges a flat fee of $99.99 (excluding state fees) to file your application. After in-depth research for this Rocket Lawyer review, we can confirm that it's far more expensive than almost every popular LLC formation provider. Only Northwest Registered Agent charges a $100 filing fee but makes up for it with personalized customer service. Given that cheaper alternatives like IncFile offer free filing service and a year of free registered agent, the Rocket Lawyer price seems unreasonably high for basic filing assistance. 

 

Legal Membership Pricing

Rocket Lawyer’s legal plan comes with one free incorporation and a 25% discount on further business formation filings, which is a great deal according to Rocket Lawyer reviews. Its ongoing legal help costs 39.99/month, which is slightly more expensive than what competitors charge for similar plans. This Rocket Lawyer price entitles you to a full range of legal services that are either included in the plan or purchased at discounted rates. Here is a full list of everything you get with the monthly membership:

  • Access to a vast legal library that you can use to create unlimited personalized documents for various purposes
  • Document defense — an attorney review of your documents
  • Free online tool for electronic signatures
  • Unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations on new legal matters
  • Ask a lawyer legal questions (up to 600 characters long)
  • Up to 40% discounts when you hire a Rocket Lawyer On Call attorney
  • One free Rocket Lawyer incorporation for new members
  • A 25% discount on future formation filings
  • A 25% discount on the Rocket Lawyer registered agent service

You can test the monthly legal subscription with a seven-day free trial, which allows you to create one document from its legal library, ask a lawyer one legal question, and form your business, for free. Remember that if you don’t subscribe to a premium membership, you won’t have access to the Rocket Lawyer customer service once the free trial ends. 

Rocket Lawyer's membership prices and features are far more attractive than its non-member rates. For instance, asking a question as a non-member costs $49.99 per question and $59.99 per consultation. To create a document with the online legal form builder (a free feature for members) you have to pay $39.99 per piece as a non-member. An attorney review costs $9.99 per document. While the regular $149.99 price tag is at the higher end of the spectrum, members can appoint the firm as a registered agent for a discounted price of $111.99/year, a cost that falls within industry standards. 

Altogether, the Rocket Lawyer pricing is designed to make the monthly subscription plan far more attractive than ordering services separately. It's a great deal for new business owners who need ongoing legal help at affordable prices. It entitles you to free LLC formation and a range of either free or reasonably priced features. Purchasing formation service separately, on the other hand, is overpriced given that it doesn't include a whole bundle of features, but only filing assistance. 

 

Is Rocket Lawyer Really Free?

Rocket Lawyer offers one free business formation for members that you can utilize even in the seven-day free trial period. But unless you upgrade to the paid plan, you won’t have access to the Rocket Lawyer customer service after the trial ends. To gain access to the membership features and services, you have to leave your payment details. If you don’t cancel the service before the seven-day trial period ends, Rocket Lawyer will automatically charge you. The subscription meanwhile entitles you to one free incorporation.

 

Are Rocket Lawyer Forms Really Free?

Rocket Lawyer’s legal forms are free for members. The firm has created a library full of diverse legal forms that you can personalize to your situation through its online legal document builder. You can make as many documents and contracts as you want, sign them electronically for free, and store them online on your account — a service highly praised in Rocket Lawyer reviews. 

To become a member, you have to pay $39.99/month. You can cancel the service anytime, but the forms are free only while your membership is active. Even if you cancel the membership, you can access all the documents you have created through your online account. Non-members have to pay $39.99 per document, which is quite expensive, given that you can receive a full month of legal help and exclusive discounts on other services for the same price.

 

Are Rocket Lawyer Forms Legal?

One of the main questions people try to find in the Rocket Lawyer reviews is whether these documents are enforceable and will hold up in court. Here is the answer to this question in Rocket Lawyer's words:

"Yes. When you complete a document interview, our software will build a document that is tailored to your state and situation. Be sure to review the Next Steps as outlined in the Legal Checklist to get additional information about how to make your document legally binding in your state. Next Steps may include instructions for signing, finding witnesses, filing, and notarization."

In this Rocket Lawyer LLC review, we must note that the firm’s legal document service is not a substitute for lawyers' advice. This firm provides self-guided services, but can't engage in the practice of law. It can connect you with a network of attorneys specializing in different fields, allowing you to ask questions, and schedule consultations. As a premium member, you can also receive deep discounts on regular rates.

 

How Do I Cancel Rocket Lawyer?

After testing the service for this Rocket Lawyer review, we can confirm that you can cancel your free trial or premium membership at any time. The company provides the following steps as guidance on how to do it yourself, through your online account:

  1. Login to your account
  2. Go to the Dashboard
  3. Select 'Account settings' in the top right-hand corner under your name
  4. In the Current Plan section you can click 'Cancel' to downgrade your account to a free account and end your trial. You will then not be charged.

Note that unless you perform this action, you will be automatically charged every month, even if you only subscribed to the free trial to test the service. Most Rocket Lawyer complaints are centered around the automatic charges, but the firm has issued refunds to almost everyone who forgot to cancel. If you need help canceling your free trial or membership, the company advises contacting its customer support team. 

 

Final Verdict

Rocket Lawyer is not merely an incorporation service company. It’s one of the most established online legal help providers. It offers ongoing legal support through its fairly-priced premium membership. Rocket Lawyer complaints, however, state it’s quite expensive to form your business as a non-member. 

Subscribing to its monthly services, on the other hand, entitles you to one free incorporation, which is an excellent deal. Unlike some competitors that include operating agreement, registered agent, and incorporation service in even the most basic packages, this outfit doesn’t bundle different features, making the $99.99 flat fee seem unreasonably high for only filing services.

If you need ongoing legal help, the company can navigate you through different challenges affordably, primarily through its network of experienced attorneys. Judging by Rocket Lawyer reviews, the firm has a superior customer support team that provides fast and premium-level service.  

It makes sense to use this company to start your business if you subscribe to the monthly membership, which is slightly higher-priced than similar plans, yet provides a great overall value. Otherwise, forming a business with Rocket Lawyer is expensive as you get very little for the price.