Can I instruct a lawyer online?

Today, you can instruct a lawyer entirely online: describe your case, book an appointment, sign the power of attorney digitally, upload documents. The mandate is then just as valid as after a visit to the office. This article explains how this works on Rechtigo, what the platform does in the background and what you should look out for.

The mandate agreement does not require any particular form

The agreement between you and your lawyer, the mandate agreement, is not bound to any particular form. It is formed when you instruct the lawyer and they accept the instruction, whether in a meeting, on the phone or via a platform. For reasons of evidence, lawyers record the scope of the instruction in writing: should the lawyer only advise, or also represent you towards the opposing party and in court?

On Rechtigo, the order is clear: booking an appointment does not yet start a mandate. After the meeting, the lawyer requests the power of attorney via your case file, together with their terms of engagement. You read both and sign if you agree. Only then does the mandate begin.

The power of attorney, signed digitally

For the lawyer to act on your behalf, they need a power of attorney. On Rechtigo, you see it as a preview before signing and then sign on screen, with your finger on your smartphone or with the mouse. The power of attorney covers what is needed in your case, for example contact with your legal expenses insurer, with liability insurers involved and with authorities. In administrative fine cases, you can add your date of birth so that the authority can clearly identify the matter. Only the person who owns the case can sign.

For most activities, this power of attorney is sufficient, for example for letters to the opposing party, to authorities or to your insurer. In court, a paper power of attorney with a handwritten signature may be required in certain cases. The lawyer then sends you the form and you submit it afterwards. This is rare and does not change the fact that the mandate has long been running.

What the lawyer needs from you, and what Rechtigo has already done

The more complete the information, the faster the lawyer can work. Rechtigo has already asked for most of it when you described your case, or read it from your documents:

• Your description in your own words. It is in the case file and summarised for the lawyer, together with the area of law Rechtigo has assigned.
• The documents. You upload the notice of termination, official notice, contract, correspondence or photos; Rechtigo reads documents along with you and picks up details such as the opposing party and date of service, marked as “from document”.
• Deadlines. When you describe your case, Rechtigo asks for the dates of service and receipt, and the case roadmap shows the deadline traffic light. Keep envelopes showing the date.
• Your legal expenses insurance. You enter the insurer, policy number and excess once; they are then stored in your account and in every case.
• The opposing party. A lawyer may not represent both sides of a dispute. On Rechtigo, the lawyer checks the opposing party you named against the clients in their case files with one click before acting for you; the platform provides the matches, and the decision remains with the lawyer. All you need to do is give the name of the opposing party.

If the lawyer is missing something, they do not search through e-mails but select the items from a checklist for your area of law. You get a message saying which documents are still missing and upload them to the case file. There you immediately see confirmation that the file has arrived and your lawyer has been notified.

Legal expenses insurance: coverage before work begins

If you have legal expenses insurance, the lawyer submits a coverage request to the insurer, ideally before acting for you. The insurer checks whether the case is covered and either confirms the costs or declines. You don't need to do anything else; the lawyer has the insurance details from your case. If the insurer confirms, the lawyer releases this in your case file, and you see the note “Coverage confirmed” there.

Right of withdrawal for online contracts

If you conclude the mandate agreement exclusively via the internet or by phone, you as a consumer may have a 14-day right of withdrawal, as with other distance contracts. The lawyer will inform you about this. If you want them to start immediately because a deadline is pressing, you expressly confirm that they should act before the withdrawal period expires. If you then withdraw, you must pay for the work carried out up to that point.

Working together afterwards

After you instruct the lawyer, communication is mostly in writing: the lawyer asks follow-up questions, sends drafts for approval and informs you about replies from the opposing party. On Rechtigo, this happens in your case file, not in scattered e-mails. The case tracker shows you the status like parcel tracking, with stages that match your area of law: for a dismissal, for example, “Mandate granted”, “Documents complete”, “Legal review completed”, “Claim filed”, “Conciliation hearing” and “Outcome”. The platform sets the first two stages itself as soon as the power of attorney is signed and the documents are complete; the lawyer completes the rest, with a short message to you if desired. So you no longer have to ask, “What's the status?”

In short

• You can instruct a lawyer online; the mandate agreement does not require any particular form.
• On Rechtigo, the mandate begins with your digital signature on the power of attorney, not with booking the appointment.
• Rechtigo has already captured your description, documents, deadlines, insurance details and the opposing party; the lawyer requests missing documents via a checklist.
• The lawyer carries out the conflict check with one click in the case file, the coverage confirmation also appears there, and the case tracker shows the status.
• For online contracts, there may be a right of withdrawal; the lawyer will inform you about it.

This article provides general information and does not replace advice on individual cases.

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