When Jim Angelopoulos opened his first restaurant 10 years ago, he hired a lawyer to help him incorporate. When he later decided to trademark the name with an eye toward expansion, he used a different route: A website called LegalForce.
“The cost itself is night and day,” said Angelopoulos, who owns Scrambl’z Diner in south San Jose.
Angelopoulos said LegalForce helped him register his trademark nationally and block another restaurant from using a similar moniker. “I thought registering a name was only for large companies,” he said, “but they make it really smooth” for the little guy.
Indeed, a host of other startups with names like LegalZoom, LegalMatch and LegalReach (see a trend here?) have set up shop to help John Q. find a lawyer, prepare legal documents online and even get questions answered for free.
“Main Street can’t afford the law today,” said Charley Moore, founder and chairman of San Francisco-based Rocket Lawyer.
