Editorial

Legal Document Preparation at Affordable Prices

A franchised business called We The People is making it possible for everyone, regardless of income, to take care of simple, uncontested legal matters at very affordable prices.

Chances are that sometime in your life you will need to make a will, incorporate a business or file for divorce. You may put it off as long as possible because the cost of hiring an attorney is just too high. A franchised business called We The People is making it possible for everyone,
regardless of income, to take care of simple, uncontested legal matters at very affordable prices.

Located in Berwyn, PA, We The People is a legal document preparation service with Franchise opportunities available throughout the U.S. A franchise owner will locate in a retail storefront with a visible presence. Customers who want to represent themselves in uncontested legal matters will come in and purchase a workbook for a specific service (i.e.: divorce or incorporation). Once the workbook has been completed by the customer, the franchisee
or store employee will send the workbook to the processing center where
the legal document is prepared for the customer and emailed to the
store location.

Next, the franchisee receives the completed form via email and calls the customer who picks up the document and takes it to the courthouse to file. The customer saves a significant amount of money and the franchisee has the satisfaction of really helping people, many of whom would not have been able to take care of the legal matter without this low-cost alternative.

We The People provides document preparation for many of life’s events, including living wills or trusts, incorporations, divorces, powers of attorney, and many more. Our Franchisees generally charge about $399 for a dissolution, while a will is typically $69.

We The People has been in business for 20 years and has been Franchising for over seven years. They have 175 stores open in 32 states, 22 of which are corporate locations. “We are the only retail storefront business providing this service,” says Melissa Soper, general manager for We The People.

The ideal franchisee is someone with a good business acumen and a talent for exceptional customer service. “Our franchisees do not require a legal background because they do not give legal advice. We simply help customers represent themselves in uncontested legal matters.” says Soper.

“This is an easy retail business to operate,” Soper adds. “Your retail storefront will be about 1,000 to 1,200 sq ft with a casual setting of tables and chairs to meet with customers. Aside from our workbooks, there is no other inventory required. Many franchisees operate their stores with one or two employees with daytime hours, generally from 10am to 7pm, with some Saturday hours. It’s also a great business for a husband and wife team, especially if one of them enjoys networking in the community to market the business.

“As for attracting customers, it’s all about Location, Location, Location! Our stores are located in retail centers or street fronts where there is plenty of visibility,” says Soper. “Besides physical visibility, there is tremendous word-of-mouth from former customers. Potential franchisees need to be good marketers and connect within the community.”

We The People provides marketing materials that franchisees can customize with information specific to their location. They also produce TV ads which can be used at the local level. The franchisee will receive training in office procedures and the preparation of legal documents as well as ongoing training and support.

Single or multiple unit territories are available and they are exclusive. Generally, a territory is defined by a population of 125,000 as a starting reference point. “We may suggest more in some areas and less in others. There are a number of factors we take into consideration other then just population. We serve a very broad demographic of people,” says Soper.

“Our franchisees are passionate about the service they provide,” says Soper. “This business is not like selling Fast Food or retail goods. We are providing a very important service to the customer. Most of the time it is a major life event that brings them to us, like divorce or guardianship, and we not only make it affordable, we make it simple.

“A franchisee,” says Soper, “will know the location and hours of the local courthouse and be able to give their customers information on how and where to file their documents. In return, many customers shower gratitude upon the franchisees for their help in making these often traumatic events more bearable. We’re very proud of the service we provide and we’d like to see even greater expansion across the U.S. so that more people can take advantage of what we offer.”