What legal tasks would you handle yourself if it was easier?

[Disputly]

Hi everyone,

I am a lawyer who has mostly worked with larger companies, but I am really interested in building something that would actually help small businesses and start ups day to day. I know that late payments and chasing invoices can be a big issue, so one idea I had was a simple tool that generates the right kind of letters for you when a client will not pay.

Before I put too much time into it, I would love to hear from people who actually run businesses. Would a tool like that be useful, or are there other legal or admin headaches that you think are bigger priorities?

Really keen to get honest views, as I want to build something that is genuinely useful rather than just another thing that sits on the internet unused.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

 

[gpietersz]

I think good and well explained templates for things like shareholder agreements, privacy polices, non-disclosure agreements - all the stuff you need to start trading, are potentially very useful.

There are systems that try to customise templates for you, but without good explanations of what they have done and why its very hard to know whether they have done the right thing. Maybe something on pitfalls to look out for, when you really do have to pay a lawyer.....

 

[fisicx]

Agree with @gpietersz that a full set of templates would be great.

Even better, provide an online form where I fill in all the necessary details and a custom template is delivered. Most of the current systems that offer this service require you to sign up and join whatever and don't actually deliver a very good product unless you pay.

And a proper way to complain about a solicitor where you know the old boy network isn't going to fob you off.

 

[gpietersz]

@fisicx not even the ones you pay for (at least the one I have tried) seem to deliver a good product.

I think its actually quite a hard thing to do well.

 

[fisicx]

I agree. I started a project with a member here on UkBF to created personalised shareholder agreements and it was coming along nicely. What we did discover it no two will ever be alike. But the process can be automated.

 

[WaveJumper]

@fisicx not even the ones you pay for (at least the one I have tried) seem to deliver a good product.

I think its actually quite a hard thing to do well.

Second that after a meeting with mine two weeks ago and the ridiculous lack of advice or even knowledge on said discussion topic I was left speechless when I received the email with their estimated costs going forward. Meeting Monday, emailed me Tuesday, parted company with them Wednesday, a shame previous partners had been pretty good in the past just a shame they retired.

 

[jack52]

If there was a legal AI which provided as good legal advice as a human lawyer at a fraction of the cost then imo thats a huge business.

perhaps tackling one legal topic well is a good start but I feel its an area where 'does ok at low cost' is not good enough (i certainly would not use such as tool) and it needs to perform as well as or better than the average human lawyer.

 

[jack52]

I agree. I started a project with a member here on UkBF to created personalised shareholder agreements and it was coming along nicely. What we did discover it no two will ever be alike. But the process can be automated.

I am surprised by this (assuming we are talking about small business with only a few shareholders). i am party to a number of such shareholder agreements they are all basically the same.

The whole point of a shareholder agreement is to avoid litigation and to have clearly agreed paths to follow in the common scenarios.

 

[Disputly]

I think good and well explained templates for things like shareholder agreements, privacy polices, non-disclosure agreements - all the stuff you need to start trading, are potentially very useful.

There are systems that try to customise templates for you, but without good explanations of what they have done and why its very hard to know whether they have done the right thing. Maybe something on pitfalls to look out for, when you really do have to pay a lawyer.....

Thanks so much for sharing this! That makes a lot of sense — I can see how well-explained templates for shareholder agreements, privacy policies, NDAs, and guidance on pitfalls would be really useful. I’ll start thinking about building something along these lines.

 

[Disputly]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, really helpful to hear the practical frustrations. I’m planning to focus on making templates that are actually clear and usable, with the reasoning behind each part explained, so people can feel confident in what they’re signing. The idea of an online form that produces a tailored template is definitely something I’ll explore. Once I have a prototype, I’d be happy to share it here for feedback from anyone who wants to test it.

 

[GLAbusiness]

How does HMRC know this?

The whole point of a shareholder agreement is to avoid litigation and to have clearly agreed paths to follow in the common scenarios.

Common scenarios are easy and straightforward. It's the edge cases that can trip you up

 

[jack52]

Common scenarios are easy and straightforward. It's the edge cases that can trip you up

Sure but these edge cases will not be in the shareholder agreement. It is never going to cover every possible scenario.

 

[GLAbusiness]

Edge cases are something I always consider when working with corporate clients. For the OP looking for a USP, guidance on edge cases for small businesses may be something to consider

 

[greyster]

If legal tasks were simpler, I’d handle drafting contracts, sending late payment notices, and filing basic compliance documents myself. A user-friendly tool for generating demand letters or managing simple trademark registrations would save time and money, letting me focus on running my business without legal headaches.

 

[GLAbusiness]

Just a further thought. You need to be able to differentiate your offering from the things which AI can do ( such as " give me a daft of a letter before action")

Would conflict resolution be a sensible option?

 

[BubbaWY]

From personal experience, divorce I went litigant in person (after spending a few thousand on solicitors) and saved a small fortune through reading books, online resources, etc. However, there isnt one decent go-to online source out there and if there was, it could be extremely successful.