This article features a talk by the founder of Kenji, a startup hoping to match small business owners with attorneys through an online marketplace and ‘bidding’ system. The founder asserts that “legal is broken,” especially for small businesses and entrepreneurs, for three main reasons: “Addressing legal is Time Consuming, Expensive, and Frustrating” (talk at 0:52). Dovetailing off of this, the founder asserts that finding work is suboptimal for attorneys (likely he means small or solo practice) for three reasons: it’s “Time Consuming, Unpaid, and Frustrating” (talk at 1:15).
Kenji has instead created a “legal hub that guides, connects, and facilitates legal relationships.” (talk at 2:45). Essentially, it has created an online marketplace where potential clients can post projects, and attorneys can bid on those projects. It seems somewhat similar to fiverr for graphic design projects. This is an interesting idea–it finds a way to connect small or solo practice attorneys with small businesses. It will be interesting to follow the company as it continues to grow.
I also found this talk very interesting. It reminded me of a discussion we had earlier in class, that lead to some posts on this blog, about the future of the legal industry. There is definitely a market for connecting potential clients to practitioners that are hanging a shingle, and Kenji seems to have found that niche. Fiverr reached a $400 million valuation in January. I think that Kenji could find similar success.