Marketing Partners

Overview of Our Marketing and Referral Ecosystem

Legal Online Directory operates as a sophisticated bridge between consumers seeking legal assistance and a network of professionals, including licensed attorneys, law firms, legal funding companies, and ancillary service providers. Because we function as a lead-generation platform and directory—and not as a law firm—our data sharing practices are governed by a complex intersection of federal consumer protection laws and state-specific ethical rules regarding attorney advertising.

In compliance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act (15 U.S.C. § 45) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) (47 U.S.C. § 227), this page provides the transparency necessary for you to provide "prior express written consent" before we share your information with our partners. Specifically, we adhere to the FCC’s 2023 "Second Report and Order" (FCC 23-107), which mandates "one-to-one" consent. This means we do not share your lead data with a dynamic list of hundreds of partners; rather, we only share your information with the specific partners you select or those clearly identified during the consent process.

Categories of Marketing Partners

To fulfill our service obligations and provide you with the legal resources you request, we share data with the following categories of partners:

1. Licensed Attorneys and Law Firms

These are the primary recipients of consumer inquiries. They use your information to evaluate potential legal claims and offer representation.

• Compliance Protocol: All attorney partners must certify compliance with American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3, as adopted by their respective state bars, governing professional communications and solicitation.
• Data Shared: Name, contact information, and a summary of the legal issue or claim type.

2. Legal Service Providers and "Of Counsel" Networks

In complex litigation, such as Mass Torts or Class Actions, your inquiry may be routed to a coordinating firm or a "lead counsel" who manages a network of sub-investigators or specialized attorneys.

• Regulatory Basis: This sharing is performed under the provisions of ABA Model Rule 1.5(e) regarding the division of fees between lawyers of different firms, where permitted by state law.

3. Legal Funding and Finance Companies

If you indicate a need for pre-settlement funding or litigation financing, we may share your data with third-party funders.

• Regulatory Basis: These partners are subject to the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) (15 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.) and various state-specific "Consumer Litigation Funding" statutes (e.g., West Virginia Code § 46A-6N-1 or Nevada Rev. Stat. § 604C).

4. Administrative and Technology Sub-Processors

We utilize specialized software partners to facilitate lead delivery, verify phone numbers, and ensure contact compliance (e.g., checking the National Do Not Call Registry).

• Regulatory Basis: These partners are "Service Providers" under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the CPRA (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.140(ag)).

TCPA One-to-One Consent and the "Logical and Topical" Rule

In accordance with the FCC’s 2023 Amendments to 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200, Legal Online Directory has implemented a "one-to-one" consent model. This ensures that when you click "Submit" or "Get Started," you are granting permission to be contacted by a specific, identifiable partner or a strictly limited group of partners directly related to your inquiry.

We ensure that any partner who receives your data is "logically and topically related" to the interaction. For example, if you seek a personal injury lawyer, we will not share your data with a mortgage broker or a retail marketing company. This prevents the "lead selling" abuse targeted by the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) (16 CFR Part 310).

State-Specific Variations in Attorney Referrals

The ability of Legal Online Directory to share information and receive compensation varies significantly by state due to varying interpretations of "fee-splitting" and "referral services."

• California & Florida: We comply with California Rule of Professional Conduct 7.2 and Florida Bar Rule 4-7.22, which require that referral services be registered or qualify as a "qualifying provider." In these states, we operate strictly as a directory or advertising collective.
• New York: We adhere to NY Rules of Prof. Cond. 7.2, ensuring that no "referral fee" is paid based on a percentage of a legal fee, which would violate rules against non-lawyer fee-sharing.
• Texas: We operate under Texas Disciplinary Rules of Prof. Cond. 7.03, ensuring that our compensation is for the reasonable cost of advertising and that we do not exercise control over the lawyer's professional judgment.

Privacy Rights and Opt-Out Mechanisms

We respect the comprehensive privacy laws of several states, including the CCPA/CPRA (California), VCDPA (Virginia), CPA (Colorado), and UCPA (Utah). Under these laws, you have the right to know which categories of third parties have received your personal information.

Global Privacy Control (GPC)

Legal Online Directory recognizes "Global Privacy Control" signals. If your browser sends a GPC signal, we automatically opt you out of the "Sale" or "Sharing" of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, as required by Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.120.

Revocation of Consent

Per the FCC's "Revocation of Consent" Rule (47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(a)(9)), you may revoke your consent to be contacted at any time by any reasonable means. If you tell a marketing partner "Stop" or "Do not call," that partner—and Legal Online Directory—must honor that request. We maintain a centralized suppression list to ensure that once you opt out, your data is no longer distributed to our marketing partners for solicitation purposes.

Disclosures for Financial Services (GLBA and FCRA)

When we work with legal funding partners, some information may fall under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) (15 U.S.C. §§ 6801-6809) regarding non-public personal information (NPI).

• No Credit Reporting: Legal Online Directory is not a "Consumer Reporting Agency" as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) (15 U.S.C. § 1681a). We do not pull credit scores or use your data to determine credit eligibility; we merely pass your stated financial needs to potential funding partners.

Affiliate Marketing and Commissions

Some partners on this platform are affiliate marketers. If you purchase a legal form or a subscription service through a link on our site, we may receive a commission.

• FTC Endorsement Guides: In accordance with 16 CFR Part 255, we disclose that we have a financial relationship with some of the service providers listed in our directory. This compensation may influence where a partner appears on our site, but it does not constitute an endorsement of their legal competency.

Documentation of Consent

Legal Online Directory uses "lead-concordance" technology to document the exact moment, IP address, and visual state of the website when you provided consent. This documentation is maintained to comply with the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN Act) (15 U.S.C. § 7001) and is used to defend against unauthorized solicitation claims under state "Mini-TCPA" laws, such as the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act (FTSA) (Fla. Stat. § 501.059).

Contact

If you have questions regarding our marketing partners, or if you wish to exercise your right to opt-out of data sharing, please visit our Contact page to submit a request to our Privacy and Compliance Officer.