
UpCounsel
Online marketplace connecting businesses with vetted attorneys for affordable, on-demand legal services and document templates.
- Built for
- In-house legal teams
- Funding
- Acquired
- Team size
- 1-10
- Founded
- 2012
- Industry
- Legal Services
Use cases
Legal researchContract draftingContract review/RedliningDue diliganceDocument summarizationCompliance monitoringClient intake / triageKnowledge managementPricing
Practice areas
Corporate / M&AIP (patents, trademarks)Employment / laborReal estate
Company
UpCounsel (upcounsel.com) operates an online marketplace that connects businesses with experienced attorneys for legal services. The platform allows businesses, especially small businesses and startups, to post legal jobs and receive proposals from vetted lawyers. UpCounsel also offers free legal documents and cost-effective legal services, making it easier for companies to access legal help without hiring a full-service law firm.
There is no clear evidence from recent sources that UpCounsel offers a dedicated AI product. The platform primarily focuses on connecting clients with human legal professionals and providing legal document templates. The target audience is small businesses, startups, and management teams seeking affordable legal assistance.
Use cases in depth
UpCounsel is an online platform that connects businesses with experienced attorneys for a variety of legal needs. Here are the main features and functions of UpCounsel:
- On-demand access to experienced business attorneys, averaging 14 years of experience.
- Custom proposals from lawyers within hours, allowing businesses to compare detailed proposals and transparent pricing.
- Cost savings, with claims of up to 60% savings compared to traditional law firms.
- Legal services across a wide range of areas, including agreements, business formation, patents, trademarks, immigration, general counsel, labor & employment, and securities & finance.
- Nationwide reach, enabling users to find specialized lawyers anywhere in the U.S.
- Online consultations and secure online payments.
- Streamlined document management, including free storage and e-signature tools.
- 24/7 customer support.
- Free access to a repository of legal documents, forms, and resources for self-help legal guidance.
- Ratings and reviews for each attorney, helping clients make informed choices.
- Service for businesses of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 1000 companies.
UpCounsel is not a law firm but a platform to facilitate connections between clients and independent attorneys.
Practice area fit
UpCounsel primarily supports the following legal practice areas:
- Corporate / M&A (including C Corporation, S Corporation, and LLC formation, startups, outside general counsel)
- IP (patents, trademarks, copyrights, intellectual property)
- Employment / labor
- Real estate
- Contracts
- Franchise
- Internet law
- Commercial/business law
Key features and functions of UpCounsel:
- Centralized communications: Manage all messages with your legal team within the platform or via your existing email client.
- Time-tracked phone calls: Transparent tracking of call durations with lawyers.
- Document management: Free storage, e-signature, document sharing, and version tracking.
- Billing & payments: Detailed time tracking, invoice management, spending oversight, and flexible payment options (credit, debit, ACH).
- Easy team collaboration: Post jobs, receive custom quotes, and manage legal projects with multiple attorneys.
- Access to free legal documents and resources for patents, trademarks, and startups.
Security & compliance
There is no public evidence that UpCounsel is covered under SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA compliance certifications based on available information from upcounsel.com and related search results. UpCounsel does offer access to attorneys who can help with these compliance areas, but there is no indication that the company itself holds these certifications or compliance statuses.
Data handling
UpCounsel’s data handling practices, as described in their EULA and privacy policy overview, include the following:
- The privacy policy outlines what data is collected, the purpose of collection, user rights (such as access, update, or deletion), data sharing with third parties, data security measures, and data retention periods.
- The privacy policy is required by law in certain jurisdictions (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and must specify how long data is stored.
- There is no explicit mention of "No data retention," "Client data not used for training," "On-prem deployment," "Private cloud," or "Customer-managed encryption keys" in the summary provided.
- The company emphasizes transparency, user consent, and compliance with data protection laws, but does not state that client data is not used for training or that customers can manage their own encryption keys.
- The policy does not mention on-premises or private cloud deployment options.
In summary, UpCounsel’s public documentation focuses on standard privacy policy elements and legal compliance, but does not explicitly state the specific data handling features you listed.