Lawyers raise doubts over online legal help platform

The Macau Lawyers Association (AAM) is assessing the legality of online legal advisory platform “eAskLaw,” said the president of AAM, Jorge Neto Valente, during an interview with TDM Radio.
The assessment aims to verify if the legal services provided by the platform are in compliance with the rules of the profession, following complaints to the association from several legal professionals in Macau.
According to the information provided by their website, “eAskLaw” allows qualified Macau lawyers to directly provide information seekers with written advice regarding their legal queries.
The website, easklaw.com, adds that its purpose is to provide users with “user-friendly and easier access to the legal world.”
According to the website, the platform also ensures that all the Macau lawyers registered to the platform possess verified legal qualifications and the right to practice law in Macau.
According to Neto Valente, the reason AAM is investigating is related to complaints from several law practitioners about the platform. He noted that even those lawyers could not specify the nature of the illegality being committed.
The president of AAM believes that the complaints might be related to the fact that the platform provides legal advice to users without stating who the expert providing the response is.
Neto Valente also added that online legal services are common in many countries and regions such as Portugal, Brazil, and Hong Kong.
“eAskLaw” currently states that 16 law practitioners from several legal areas are accepting inquiries in Chinese and English.
According to the platform’s Facebook page, the reply users receive will include the name of the lawyer providing the legal advice, who they can contact and follow-up with.
Their social media page also notes that each legal inquiry carries the cost of 250 patacas.
Neto Valente recalled that although law practitioners are not allowed to advertise their services to solicit customers due to statutory rules, “this should not be the case on the internet,” he said, adding that the association will look into the matter with added care and attention.