PartnerVine rolled out its "Ask a Lawyer" feature today, which lets PartnerVine's community ask questions and receive answers from law firms participating on PartnerVine. The service is free, and can be found on the product pages for the participating law firms. PricewaterhouseCoopers AG and Simmons & Simmons were the first law firms to launch the "Ask a Lawyer" feature.
"Ask a Lawyer" is managed through PartnerVine's Seller's Portal, which allows sellers to manage their products on PartnerVine directly. The Seller's Portal lets law firms and their software subsidiaries control their product strategy and further integrate PartnerVine's common portal into their product and services stack. With "Ask a Lawyer", participating law firms can build the digital marketing footprint for their products and engage directly with PartnerVine's community.
For users, the "Ask a Lawyer" feature provides direct access to PartnerVine's participating law firms. PartnerVine's chat, hotline, and email customer service have proven enormously helpful to users, and the "Ask a Lawyer" feature provides a way for users to contact product owners directly.
Frequently asked Questions
Is "Ask a Lawyer" free on PartnerVine?
Yes. "Ask a Lawyer" on PartnerVine is free.
Where can I find "Ask a Lawyer" on PartnerVine?
"Ask a Lawyer" is listed on a law firm's product page. Because there is a team of lawyers behind each product, law firms can decide whether to offer "Ask a Lawyer" for each of their products. An example of a Simmons & Simmons product is here, and a PwC product is here.
Where is the answer to my question posted?
The answer to your question is posted in a "Frequently asked questions" section next to the "Ask a Lawyer" feature. If you are the first person to ask a question for a particular product, you will not be able to see the "Frequently asked questions" section until your answer has been posted.
How does "Ask a Lawyer" work?
On a product page, the "Ask a Lawyer" feature looks like this:
- A user types in a question and agrees to the terms by clicking the checkbox.
- On pressing send, if the user is signed in, the question will be sent to the law firm. If the user is not signed in, the user will be asked to sign in or sign up before sending the question.
- When the law firm has answered the question, the user will be sent an email notifying them. The answer will be posted on the product page.
Why do I have to sign in to PartnerVine to ask my question?
PartnerVine manages our community of users, and one way we do that is by asking users to sign in or sign up before asking a question on "Ask a Lawyer". We think that promotes the responsible use of the feature in accordance with our terms and conditions.
Is my question on "Ask a Lawyer" confidential?
No. Your question and the law firm's answer will be publicly posted on PartnerVine. Please do not post confidential information.
Is my question anonymous?
- PartnerVine knows your identity when you post a question.
- Unless you disclose your identity or identifying information in your question, the participating law firm does not know your identity.
- Your question and the law firm's answer are posted publicly, so there will only be identifying information in the public information if you post it yourself or the law firm coincidentally provides identifying information in its answer. Due to the public nature of the correspondence, we recommend you don't use the feature if you are concerned with anonymity.
When I ask a question on "Ask a Lawyer", do I have an attorney-client relationship with the participating law firm?
No. The terms of "Ask a Lawyer" are that you do not have an attorney-client relationship with the participating law firm.
Can I rely on the answer to my question or other questions?
No. The terms of "Ask a Lawyer" are that you can not rely on the answer. If you need an answer that you can rely on as a legal matter, we recommend hiring qualified counsel. "Ask a Lawyer" is provided for information only.
