Legal, compliance services on the go!

Hrishikesh Datar, while studying at National Law School, knew all too well about the legal system in India. “The system made it difficult for a lawyer to rise within it,“ said Datar.What started as an entry into an event at law school has now turned into a fullfledged business for him.
Vakil search, founded in 2011 is an online platform for le gal and compliance solutions.The startup provides a wide range of services from company registration, legal documentation, intellectual property filing, accounting and book-keeping, RBI and foreign exchange compliances.
For Datar, it was about providing friendly honest service that was fundamentally fair. With large advisory firms charging astronomical sums for basic services, he saw an opportunity to commoditise legal services by providing transparent prices and the same result, irrespective of the client.
“Technology and standardisation is what works today . Why do we need to take an appointment with a lawyer or CA, visit their office and get work done? When everything is online today, even these services can be taken online,“ he says.
The startup provides real time chat assistance and a dashboard for clients to upload required documents. Assistance by lawyers over calls or meetings can be done if required, though not mandatory . With clients such as Grofers, Bigbasket, TaxiForSure, Urban Ladder, Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospital, Vakilsearch is attempting to resolve the pain points of small business owners.
Kailash Nichani, Kapleshwar Optics said “Vakil search was the best thing to happen to our legal and regulatory issues -it solved them completely . It's a relief to be able to hand over your legal work to someone and get on with your life.“
The journey has not been an easy one for Vakilsearch.Managing expectations of clients is a challenge. Outcome and time based services, especially while dealing with the government is challenging. “We are building a team that is motivated and believes in our vision,“ said Datar.
Every time Vakilsearch is able to save money for its clients, it is a highlight for Datar. “Seeing a business grow, servicing clients countrywide, from Chennai is a great feeling,“ he says.
In Feb 2015, Kalaari Capital infused funds in Vakilsearch and over a year later, the startup raised another round from the existing investor and Dr Agarwal's Group in April 2016. “We chose to partner with Vakilsearch because of their mission driven dynamism, the nature of the business and the speed at which it is being built. Our quest together is to build the first and truly disruptive legal service platform,“ said Sumit Jain, partner, Kalaari Capital.
Datar aims to grab a market share of 15% by 2018 and claims for every 20 companies that are registered today at least one of them hires Vakilsearch. As the startup grows, the idea behind the company is also undergoing a metamorphosis.
“We started with the idea of helping businesses or client. We are now focussing on helping lawyers and move into a facilitator like role.The future of legal services is a technology platform for all lawyers to interface with clients online,“ adds Datar.
(This series captures the start-up ecosystem in the state)