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LegalZoom provides an online platform for comprehensive legal and compliance solutions, serving individuals and businesses. The company delivers services including business formation, operational compliance, intellectual property protection like trademarks, and personal legal planning such as wills and trusts. It integrates self-service tools with access to independent attorneys, simplifying complex legal processes.
Co-founded in 2001 by Brian S. Lee, Brian Liu, Edward Hartman, and Robert Shapiro, LegalZoom emerged from the insight to democratize legal services. Their goal was to make legal assistance affordable and accessible for individuals and small enterprises. They utilized technology to standardize routine legal tasks, thus lowering entry barriers to essential legal support.
LegalZoom serves individual consumers and small to medium-sized businesses. Its vision positions the company as the trusted destination for customers navigating significant legal affairs, operating as a comprehensive legal partner. The company aims to empower users by transforming their engagement with the legal system.
LegalZoom has raised $66.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at LegalZoom.
LegalZoom was founded in 1999 by Brian Liu (Co-Founder) and Robert Shapiro (Co-Founder) and Brian Lee (Co-Founder) and Edward Hartman (Co-founder & CSO & CTO).
LegalZoom has raised $66.0M in total across 1 funding round.
LegalZoom was founded in 1999 by Brian Liu (Co-Founder) and Robert Shapiro (Co-Founder) and Brian Lee (Co-Founder) and Edward Hartman (Co-founder & CSO & CTO).
LegalZoom has raised $66.0M in total across 1 funding round.
LegalZoom's investors include Accel, Bond, Creandum, DST Global, First Round Capital, Founders Fund, Graypes GmbH, Helium-3 Ventures, IVP, Lakestar, Northzone, rocketship.vc.
Key people at LegalZoom.
LegalZoom has raised $66.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $66.0M Series B in July 2011.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2011 | $66.0M Series B | Accel, Bond, Creandum, DST Global, First Round Capital, Founders Fund, Graypes GmbH, Helium-3 Ventures, IVP, Lakestar, Northzone, rocketship.vc, Sequoia Capital, SV Angel, Marco DeMeireles, TCV, Jabez Dewey, Matt Bellamy, Stefan Blom, Tim Ringel |
LegalZoom is a legal technology company that provides online legal services, including business formation, estate planning, intellectual property protection, compliance, and attorney referrals, primarily serving individuals, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.[1][2][3][5] It combines self-service technology with an independent attorney network and its own law firm (LZ Legal Services) to make legal processes more accessible and affordable, solving the problem of high costs and complexity in traditional legal services for those who can't afford full lawyers.[1][3][5] With over 20 years in operation, LegalZoom has supported more than 9 million legal milestones, gone public in 2021, and shifted toward subscription-based revenue for sustained growth.[1][2][4]
LegalZoom was founded in 2001 by Brian S. Lee, Brian P.Y. Liu, Edward R. Hartman, and Robert Shapiro as the first company to offer LLC formation and will services online, pioneering the legal tech space.[1][2][3] The idea emerged from a vision to disrupt traditional legal services by making them accessible via technology, with early expansion into intellectual property, nonprofit formation, and real estate services from 2002–2008.[1][2] Key milestones include launching an independent attorney network in 2010 for personalized advice, becoming the first publicly traded U.S. company to own and operate a law firm (LZ Legal Services) in 2021, and acquisitions like Earth Class Mail (2021) and Revv (2022).[1][2][3] CEO Jeff Stibel, who joined the board in 2014 and became CEO in 2024, brought expertise from scaling tech subscription models at prior firms like Web.com, aligning leadership with major shareholder interests.[2]
LegalZoom rides the legal tech trend of democratizing access to legal services through digitization, addressing market forces like rising lawyer costs and demand for affordable solutions amid small business booms.[1][3][5] Its 2001 timing capitalized on early internet adoption for self-service tools, evolving with trends like AI integrations and subscriptions to influence the ecosystem by enabling entrepreneurship—e.g., two-thirds of its small business clients in 2020 were pre-operational.[2][5] As a disruptor, it pressures traditional firms, expands via acquisitions and partnerships (e.g., Novo for fintech), and sets precedents like owning a law firm post-IPO, fostering a hybrid model now emulated by competitors like Rocket Lawyer.[3][4]
LegalZoom's subscription pivot under CEO Stibel positions it for steady revenue growth in a maturing legal tech market, with AI partnerships accelerating personalized services and potential for international expansion beyond early UK ventures.[2][3] Trends like AI-driven automation and small business digitization will shape its path, potentially boosting margins as it scales compliance and tax tools. Its influence may evolve from pioneer to ecosystem leader, empowering more startups while navigating regulatory shifts in legal tech. This builds on its core mission: transforming legal navigation for the underserved.[1][5]
