When it comes to starting your business, there are a number of legal steps you need to take to ensure you are on the right track. Even after you have incorporated your business, you’ll have compliance matters that you will have to deal with and prepare for.
Rocket Lawyer and VirtualPostMail (VPM) are two services that can help you with the formation and compliance maintenance of your business. Read on to find out which service is best for you depending on your needs.
What is Rocket Lawyer?
Rocket Lawyer is a legal services website that connects customers with attorneys and provides a variety of business formation help. You can receive legal advice, create custom legal documents and contracts, form an LLC or corporation, and get connected with lawyers for legal sessions. Some of the services that will be most useful for someone starting a business include:
- Easy-to-use contracts and documents with an intuitive form builder that ensures you comply with the laws set out by the state in which you incorporate
- Get quick legal answers from a real attorney if you run into a legal problem or are unsure if your business is compliant with state laws
- Ask a lawyer questions or have them review your documents before you sign any contracts or make binding agreements
- A 30-minute consultation for a flat fee is available for you to ask general business questions or discuss legal matters
Rocket Lawyer has a monthly subscription model, which means that for a low monthly fee, you gain access to business attorneys and unlimited legal documents. This model can be great for small companies that require legal documents on a regular basis. However, for businesses with simple operations, a monthly subscription may not make fiscal sense.
Rocket Lawyer’s pricing is simple - you’re either a member or not. If you are a member, you get most features for a monthly fee. If you are not a member, you have to pay full price every time you need a legal document.
Rocket Lawyer Member Benefits:
- Free Business Registration
- Unlimited Legal Documents
- Unlimited Legal Questions
- Free 30-minute Attorney consultation
- 40% discount on ongoing Attorney
- Registered agent: $122.50 per year
Not a Rocket Lawyer Member:
- Business Registration is $99 per LLC
- Legal Questions are $49.99 each
- Legal Documents are $39.99 each
- Registered Agent Service is $149.99 per year
- 30-minute Attorney Consultations are $59.99
Overall, Rocket Lawyer can help you when you need to get in touch with a real attorney or lawyer and want another set of eyes to look over your operations, documents, and agreements. It is also best if you need continual legal advice and support if your industry is complex, highly regulated, or you plan on hiring often.
What is VirtualPostMail (VPM)?
VPM is a virtual mailbox service that also provides registered agent services. A registered agent is responsible for communicating with the Secretary of State on behalf of the designated LLC and ensures the business owner receives all legal documents and government correspondence. By doing so, the business owner is made aware of any legal action taken against them or action that they need to take. With VPM’s registered agent service, you can protect your privacy by using VPM’s registered agent address instead of your home address, plus get same-day access to service of process and communication from the Secretary of State. The best part - VPM’s registered agent is FREE with any virtual mailbox plan!
In addition to a registered agent, VPM also offers business address and mailing services, such as mail forwarding and scanning, digital record-keeping, shipping, and check depositing.
How Rocket Lawyer Compares with VPM
Rocket Lawyer and VPM both offer services meant to help you with business formation and compliance. However, there are differences based on what the cores of each service provide to you and your business.
Mail and Package Forwarding
Like VPM, Rocket Lawyer also offers a registered agent service that receives legal correspondence on behalf of your LLC. However, because Rocket Lawyer’s service is a registered agent, it will receive specific legal correspondence on your behalf as listed below:
- Tax-related documents from the IRS, the Franchise Tax Board, and other government tax entities.
- Normal corporate filing documents, such as reminders for filing the statement of information and other information sent by the secretary of state.
- Notice-of-litigation mail (mail that initiates lawsuits) and legal documents when others want to contact you or send you notices.
On the other hand, since you’ll get a virtual mailbox in addition to your registered agent with VPM, you’ll be able to receive all legal correspondence as well as business-related items like invoices, contracts, bills, etc. This way, everything that you need for your business will all be in one place, and you can have them forwarded to you when needed. Whether it’s packages, business documents, or legal correspondence, you’ll be able to manage it all from your virtual device, from anywhere!
VPM has the ability to send and receive everything that Rocket Lawyer can PLUS business, personal, and any other kind of mail you need. That’s just one of the benefits of combining a VPM virtual mailbox and registered agent.
Check Depositing
A service that Rocket Lawyer does not offer is check depositing because they are focused on formation, compliance, and legal services. However, with VPM because it is a virtual mailbox service you’ll also get the ability to use VPM’s check depositing service. You can deposit your checks after receiving them in your mailbox from your device. This remote check deposit service scans your checks and then deposits them into the specified bank account on your behalf.
This option is also cost-effective. There are no minimum commitments, expensive monthly fees, or set up costs. Pay only for the deposits you make. To bundle even greater savings, deposit multiple checks together.
Save time by letting VPM manage your legal documents, but also continue to get paid by customers without ever having to step foot inside a physical bank again!
Choosing Between Rocket Lawyer and VirtualPostMail
When it comes to choosing between Rocket Lawyer and VPM, it comes down to figuring out what you and your business need.
Do you foresee your business requiring a lot of legal advice, defense, or protection? Is your business in a highly regulated industry? Will you need contract help and review often? If so, then Rocket Lawyer is a better choice for you.
Rocket Lawyer is more focused on providing quality legal services. If you want to start a small business and do not need additional legal help, the better option is VPM.
Do you want a business address that receives personal and business deliveries? Is check depositing important to you? Are you in a simple business industry and care more about protecting your privacy and a separate address to use?
If you want services such as mailing (personal, business, and registered agent), shipping, check depositing, opening a business bank account - all of which are recommended for your business - then VPM is the match for you. VPM specializes in providing address solutions focused on starting and running your remote business.
Get a Registered Agent To Form Your LLC
If you’re in need of a registered agent, VPM is the way to go. VPM provides you with a FREE registered agent for as long as you have an account. With Rocket Lawyer, you’ll get the first year free, but then you’ll need to pay to continue using the service. With a VPM registered agent, you can enjoy the benefits of combining a virtual mailbox with a registered agent.
