Reddit Legal Advice: Should you ever use it?

Reddit legal advice can be risky, just like lifting a book report form a Wikipedia article. Who is behind all this information? Is it true? Are you going to get into more trouble if you trust it? You’ll be better off either reading the book or speaking to a lawyer.

Reddit’s Legal Advice subreddit is where Reddit excels, answering the most popular legal question: “Do I need to hire a lawyer?”

If and when

We are speculating (hoping, maybe), that we are not the only ones using Reddit’s subreddit r/legaladvice and paired Twitter accounts to find legal topics for our blogs. Topics such as “Using a Power of Attorney for Kicking Kids Out of the House” or “How Rich Do You Have to Get Sentenced to a Country Club Prison?” For example. However, most forum users ask serious questions about serious legal issues. Reddit clarifies that the responses to questions posted on the subreddit are not legal advice.

Nicole Clark, Vice’s Vice Editor, wrote that many of the most useful and helpful threads on R/legaladvice answer the question of whether an individual needs an attorney or if legal action is warranted. Reddit users need to be able to determine if they require legal assistance. This is in addition to filling the ever-widening gaps between the average person’s access to the court system and the perception of lawyers being too costly. Clark pointed out that r/legaladvice also fills the gap by telling people when they have a legal problem. This is often the most crucial advice of all. The most common reason people didn’t seek out a lawyer was because they didn’t realize they needed one.

Where can you turn?

As the article stated, you don’t have to hire an attorney to learn about prisons in country clubs. Experts who are not lawyers, such as those moderating or contributing to the legal advice reddit, can provide you with the same and sometimes even more precise information than attorneys.

We always emphasize the importance of a lawyer as your best source for legal advice. If you are wondering if you should speak to a lawyer, it is likely that you do. Many people will be happy to answer your preliminary questions and provide consultations for free. Reddit isn’t the best place to go for legal questions. FindLaw should always be your first stop.