We met Matthieu Sarrazin, founder of Legal Finder, the newest LegalTech platform launched in July. We discussed Startup Weekend and the journey of a startup. Find out more below.
Photo: Matthieu Sarrazin and his team have developed an algorithm that recommends the 3 best lawyers for each client, based on the criteria entered / Credits © Kaori Anne Jolliffe / Silicon Luxembourg
From an idea to a prototype
The idea of Legal Finder was brewing in Matthieu’s mind for a while but always remained an idea. “Any entrepreneur can rely on that: you have several startup ideas but an idea is nothing concrete until you share and validate it with others,” began Matthieu.
One of his friends suggested he participated in the Startup Weekend organized by Technoport and powered by Google Entrepreneurs. “I needed to make sure that my thoughts could go beyond just theory,” said Matthieu.
Startup Weekend is all about getting out of your comfort zone and understanding how others react to your startup’s proposition. “I needed to stop thinking and start acting,” declared the founder.
In 54 hours, participants share their projects with others and work on how to transform these projects into real ventures. “It only lasts 54H but it feels like we have worked for 3 months! The progress we made over a weekend I could have never achieved on my own! You have to view this weekend as a laboratory where you have nothing to lose but only to gain,” said the founder.
“This idea started as a booking.com for lawyers. We wanted to increase lawyers’ visibility.”
The founder especially emphasized the value of the feedback received from other participants and mentors during the weekend. “This weekend is about failing quickly bouncing back with other solutions!”
Another benefit of Startup Weekend is the team you build over those 3 days. “6 people were interested in my project and 3 of them are still working with me on Legal Finder! The weekend allows entrepreneurs to create a team with motivated people, interested in launching a new startup and bringing their own expertise in it,” pointed out the founder.
As a winner of Startup Weekend 2018, Matthieu won a spot in the Founder Institute program. “During the 3.5 months, I had the chance to work on many aspects of my venture. At the end of the program, we must have a company and a product ready to be launched”.
Once again, this formation has enabled Matthieu’s team to work quickly and efficiently on their project. “We did in 3 months what we could have done alone in a year maybe! This program is key to anyone interested in understanding that he has what it takes to become an entrepreneur,” emphasized Matthieu.
A LegalTech platform that lets you choose your legal professional wisely
“This idea started as a booking.com for lawyers. We wanted to increase lawyers’ visibility. Thanks to the Startup Weekend and Founder Institute’s program, we pivoted to a platform that allows individuals to not only find a lawyer but find the most suitable lawyer for his or her needs. Taking it a notch further, we will also be expanding to all legal professionals (notaries, bailiffs, and fiduciaries),” declared Matthieu.
Matthieu and his team have developed an algorithm that recommends the 3 best lawyers for each client, based on the criteria entered.
As a client, you simply need to go on the platform and fill in various fields, such as experience, language of preference, prices, or field of expertise of your “dream” lawyer. All this is free of charge for the client. Lawyers or other legal experts, on the other hand, need to pay to create a profile. “We want to make sure that the relationship between a client and a lawyer is right from the beginning. A client should not have to waste time with a lawyer who is unable to answer his or her queries.”
“We are named Legal Finder as we intend to allow any legal professionals to register on our platform.”
Legal Finder takes a fixed fee on any accepted booking, regardless of the project amount. When the project is completed, clients are asked to provide feedback on the lawyer, his/her pricing and availability. “Ratings can be tricky so we simply ask for a yes or a no, based on an objective criteria,” said Matthieu.
The startup has more ideas to implement in the near future. “We are named Legal Finder as we intend to allow any legal professionals to register on our platform. These include notaries, bailiffs, and fiduciaries. We could then propose a full package to our clients,” concluded the founder.
The platform launched in July and the team will be refining it this summer based on feedback from users.
