Niche online lawyer directory

Lawyers and small law firms pay to be listed. Some may also pay for featured spots or profile upgrades.

Flat monthly or annual listing fees from lawyers, plus optional featured placements. Even flat fees may be treated as referral fees under some law society rules, so confirm with the law society in each province you operate in that your fee model is allowed before charging anyone.

• Building a simple website or working with a developer
• Selling to busy professionals
• Clear, plain-language writing

• Law society rules may limit or ban lawyers paying non-lawyers for referrals, and flat listing fees can still count as referral fees, so check with each provincial law society before you sign anyone up or expand to a new province
• Never present yourself as giving legal advice, and check your province's rules on unauthorized practice of law
• Check that each lawyer is in good standing with the law society, and re-check regularly
• Privacy law (such as PIPEDA, or Quebec's rules) applies to the enquiry details you collect
• Check anti-spam law (CASL) before emailing lawyers or visitors
• Some provincial law societies run their own referral services, so explain clearly how yours differs
• Immigration advice is regulated, so only list properly authorized practitioners

Estimates suggest startup costs typically run around $1,500 to $8,000, depending on whether you build the website yourself or hire a developer, and how much you spend on marketing.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $500 to $5,000, depending on how many lawyers list with you, your fees and the focus of your directory.

Check with each provincial law society, since rules may limit lawyers paying non-lawyers for referrals, even through flat listing fees. Also check unauthorized practice of law rules, privacy law such as PIPEDA, and anti-spam law (CASL).