It’s on the Internet – it must be true and accurate!
There are many sources of legal information on the internet for individuals to review and gain knowledge. There is so much information that it can be difficult for the person with no legal training to separate trash from treasure.
Here are our suggestions as you troll through cyberspace looking for legal solutions:
1) Don’t fall for fool’s gold. Any site that makes outlandish promises is probably too good to be true.
2) Read the tone of the information. If it tells you must act immediately then you may want to be a little more skeptical. You certainly do not want to sit on your legal rights and let a legal claim be lost, but very few legal claims have a deadline that is immediately due unless you’ve sat on your legal rights for some time.
3) Separate the sales pitch from the information. Evaluate the information and determine if it is trying to inform you or sell you something. This can be difficult because most firms, including ours, provide you information with the hope that you’ll see a need and believe that that firm is the appropriate place to help you with your legal need. There’s a balancing point – if it seems to be more of a sales pitch than useful information, you may want to be skeptical of the information.
4) The Information on the Internet doesn’t come with a warranty. There are many reasons that most, if not all legal web sites have disclaimers. Laws can change without website being updated and the reader may misinterpret or misunderstand what is written.
5) Making the best use of information that is on the internet. Much of the legal information on the internet can be used to give you background on a legal topic. Getting a general overview of how your legal problem is addressed prior to visiting an attorney can help you prepare for the visit and will allow you and attorney to accomplish more during the visit.