Warning: Google is NOT a lawyer
By Ambrose Moses, III
OhioMBE – May 1, 2014
It may be hard to believe, but not everything on the Internet is true. Likewise, even if a piece of information is true, it may not be true for you.
Every day, there are millions upon millions more websites, articles, Facebook posts, Youtube videos, and Twitter tweets added to the Internet. If you put in virtually any search term, you will get some results. There are “forms” and “how-to” articles all over the place. Google, and other search engines, pick up all of this stuff in the search results they give you.
When researching legal issues, how do you know what is good and what is not? How do you know what applies to you and what does not? How do you know what is true and what is not? How do you know what is true for you?
Instead of going to a lawyer, people have downloaded legal documents from the Internet and attempted to use them in their business or personal dealings. Some have been rocked by potential investors and business partners who refuse to do a deal because these Internet legal documents were not appropriate for the deal at hand and there was no attorney review or approval of the document. Others have signed a document or filed it with a government agency, only to find out later that the document does not say or mean what they thought it did. As a result, they end up in a nasty dispute or lawsuit.
The Internet is a helpful secondary source of information. But always remember that Google is not a lawyer. For legal advice concerning your business or personal affairs, see a licensed lawyer in your state.
For more information contact Ambrose Moses, III, an attorney with Moses Law Office. Email: info@MosesLaw.pro. Telephone: (614) 418-7898.
