LegalZoom is one of the oldest online legal form companies with an easy-to-use, modern website.
Is LegalZoom legitimate?
LegalZoom is a quality and established online legal service, which was accredited by the Better Business Bureau in 2001:
- A- Better Business Bureau rating
- All attorneys are vetted and “speak plain English”
- Flat-fees only — no surprise bills
- 100% money-back guarantee
- LegalZoom claims 4 million customers
Does LegalZoom work for divorce?
LegalZoom helps families going through a mediated, uncontested, amicable divorce for a fee far lower than if each spouse hires an attorney — which can easily start at $10,000 per person, and go up from there.
However, for online divorce services, LegalZoom’s $499 fee is expensive, compared with competitors who offer very similar online divorce services:
| BBB rating | Live attorney consultations? | Price | |
| LegalZoom | A- | No, legal review costs $39-$99/ document, or $71.94/ 6 mo. for prepaid legal advice | $499 for all papers + filing instructions |
| 3StepDivorce | A+ | No, but 24/7 phone and chat support | $299 for all papers + filing instructions and online storage. Get started for $84. |
| Rocket Lawyer | A+ | Free 30-min phone consult | $39/ month after free 7-day trial, or per-document fee of $39 |
Still interested in exploring LegalZoom for your divorce? Here’s what you need to know:
- How does filing for divorce with LegalZoom work?
- How is a divorce on LegalZoom?
- LegalZoom divorce reviews
How does filing for divorce with LegalZoom work?
- Go to divorce.legalzoom.com and answer a few questions to make sure that your divorce is indeed uncontested, and therefore qualifies for LegalZoom. These include:
- Names and location of yourself and your spouse
- Date and location of your marriage
- Number of children and whether you are pregnant
- Properties and debts—and whether you plan to split either equally
- Confirm and pay $499 with a credit card or Paypal, creating a LegalZoom account.
- You will then be provided with the actual filing documents you will need to file your divorce, along with filing instructions.
It is on you to do the actual filing in your state, which can cost an additional $200 to $400.
7 things every mom should ask for in divorce
LegalZoom’s divorce papers product does not include name-change forms, though the site does offer that service at an additional fee.
How long does a LegalZoom divorce take?
A Nolo survey found that on average, divorces in the United States take 11 months. LegalZoom does not report the average time for finalizing a divorce for its clients.
How much does a LegalZoom divorce cost?
LegalZoom’s online divorce papers service costs a flat $499, plus the filing fees in your state, which can cost up to $400.
You can also pay extra fees for contract review, or legal advice on the phone with a LegalZoom attorney, as part of the company’s prepaid legal advice service which provides unlimited, 30-minute phone consultations, and free review of documents up to 10 pages.
For individuals, the fee is:
- $71.94 / 6 months ($11.99/month)
- $119.98 / 12 months ($9.99/month)
For LegalZoom prepaid plan members, you can pay an additional $39 for review of documents of 11-15 pages, or $99 for documents of 16-25 pages.
You must be a plan member to access the document review.
LegalZoom divorce reviews
A few Better Business Bureau reviews for LegalZoom from June 2021:
LegalZoom Divorce alternatives
Read our reviews of online divorce services.
How LegalZoom helps single moms with custody
First, LegalZoom, as well as its competitors, provide separation and divorce documents to establish custody, co-parenting, child support and other child-related divorce matters.
Also, divorce has a huge impact on children, particularly in cases with emotionally charged child custody battles.
By committing to a low-conflict, DIY divorce path, without the angry attorneys encouraging conflict, there is a much greater chance of successful co-parenting long-term — and lower chance of trauma for the kids.
Pros of LegalZoom for divorce
- Established, reliable online business.
- A- Better Business Bureau rating.
- LegalZoom has TONS of blogs and articles on their sites to help you make informed decisions. (These are free to everyone!)
- For most legal matters, online forms and pre-paid legal advice is a very good value, and LegalZoom is a leader in the online legal space.
- Access to a deep network of attorneys for an affordable price for document review and phone advice.
Cons of LegalZoom for divorce
- LegalZoom’s divorce service is more expensive than the leading online divorce papers service by $200, for nearly identical services.
The bottom line: Is LegalZoom worth it for divorce?
LegalZoom is a quality product, but way too expensive for no discernible benefit.
Other companies to consider:
Complete Case review: A good option for divorce papers?
LegalZoom's online divorce papers service costs a flat $499, plus the filing fees in your state, which can cost up to $400.
LegalZoom is a quality and established online legal services, which was accredited by the Better Business Bureau in 2001.
LegalZoom helps families going through an uncontested, amicable divorce for a fee far lower than if each spouse hires an attorney, but their service is more expensive than similar services.
Start by going to https://divorce.legalzoom.com and answer a few questions to make sure that your divorce is indeed uncontested, and therefore qualifies for LegalZoom.
One Comment
Terrible. They made several errors, had unexplained delays, lied about what their services cover, and were difficult to work with. And it turns out LegalZoom doesn’t even do the work. They outsource it to CompleteCase.com, an entirely different company. They won’t tell you, but even if you call LegalZoom divorce customer service, you’re actually talking to CompleteCase.com.