Law.com reports that online legal matching, a business model that uses automated technologies that match specific needs of a person seeking a lawyer to lawyers whose practices focus on those areas, is quickly picking up momentum. Several companies, including Legal Match, have automated software that matches the needs of a client with listed attorneys who fit the criteria that the client has specified.

As noted by Law.com, most State bar associations are issuing opinions that, when certain specific guidlines are followed, online legal matching services pose no risk to ethical standards. Further, the FTC has reported that online legal matching violates no ethical boundaries. The Professional Ethics Committe of the State Bar of Texas has joined in and issued an opinion that supports allowing Texas lawyers to participate in for-profit Internet sites that help match lawyers with people seeking legal services.

What online legal matching doesn’t do, however, is create complete transparency between the consumer and the potential lawyer. Indeed, the consumer is left to trust that the matching service’s software will identify the best lawyer for that consumer based on the idenitifed criteria, taking some control away from the consumer in making that decision. Online legal matching certainly is a step in the right direction in empowering the consumer — but it’s probably just the beginning of a movement that completely changes the traditional model of how consumers hire lawyers (and how lawyers attract new clients).

The Future of Client Acquisition is Upon Us [Law.com]