About Us
Our Mission
At GetLegal.com, our mission is simple but far-reaching—to become the go-to destination for two kinds of consumers: those in need of basic legal information and those looking to hire a lawyer. We employ cutting-edge technology to offer accurate, accessible, and reliable legal content.
Our History
GetLegal launched its first successful online venture, TheAttorneyStore.com, in 1999, as a marketplace for everything a lawyer needs in the daily operation of a law practice, including supplies, books, and equipment. The response from the legal profession was immediate and enthusiastic. As we continued to observe and respond to the demands of our market, we added an attorney directory, as well as original articles and commentary. We answered the need for informative, consumer-focused online law firm marketing, establishing our award-winning attorney website development business with customized website design, state-of-the-art search engine optimization, and comprehensive web analytics for attorneys.
By 2007, we had formulated a broader vision—to build and make available to general consumers a comprehensive online legal resource, with access to understandable legal information, user-friendly research tools, a library of legal forms, and tools to find and communicate with legal counsel. With that objective, we launched GetLegal.com in 2008. Though the initial portal was, in many respects, the framework for what we envisioned the final site to be, we nonetheless received the People’s Choice Webby Award for Best Legal Website in 2009.
When the economic recession hit in 2009, GetLegal’s management team wisely chose to delay full implementation of their vision, opting instead to strengthen and build the company’s online marketing products, including website design and development, search engine optimization, social media programs, and blogs and other custom content. The decision paid off, as GetLegal solidified its core business, building highly effective websites for some of the nation’s premier law firms. This aspect of GetLegal’s operations continues today as GetLegal Practice Builder.
In 2013, with the continued recovery of the American economy, company founder Phillip Galyen renewed his commitment to GetLegal’s original vision—to become the best-known, most comprehensive online source of legal information in the United States. To bring his vision to reality, Galyen established a partnership with Jeffrey A. Rattikin, long recognized as a pioneer in applying technology to provide Internet-based legal services to consumers. The partnership has been the linchpin to the realization of Galyen’s original vision, culminating in the launch of GetLegal’s new portal, the gold standard for consumer-focused legal information on the Internet.
Founders
Phillip Galyen
Co-Founder
Phillip Galyen, an attorney with more than 40 years of experience, has been an online legal services pioneer since the 1990s. Phil is the sole shareholder of Bailey & Galyen, a leading consumer law firm with 24 offices in the States of Texas and Arkansas.
Jeffrey A. Rattikin
Co-Founder
Jeffrey A. Rattikin, AV-rated and board-certified in residential and commercial real estate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, has been at the forefront of the application of online technology to legal information since the early days of the Internet, as a thought leader and early advocate of bundled legal services and online law practice tools. The founder of TexasLegalDocs.com, Jeff has practiced law in the state of Texas for a quarter of a century.
Akhil Saklani
Chief Operating Officer
With more than 25 years of experience in online consulting, Akhil has long been a trend leader in online marketing, website development and web analytics for lawyers, law firms and their clients.
Rick Cruz
CPA, Chief Financial Officer
Rick Cruz serves as the Chief Financial Officer for LawConnect Inc. dba GetLegal, overseeing the financial strategy and operations of the company. He brings over 30 years of experience in the legal industry. He currently serves as Executive Director for Bailey & Galyen, one of the largest consumer law firms in the state of Texas. He previously served as Executive Director for Cantey Hanger, one of the oldest and largest full-service law firms in the state of Texas. Mr. Cruz is actively involved in the Association of Legal Administrators, having served as past President of the Fort Worth Chapter, and as Chair-Elect of the Diversity Committee and member of the Fee Arbitration Committee for the Tarrant County Bar Association. He received his accounting degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and obtained his CPA in 1990.
John Gutierrez
Editor in Chief
John Gutierrez is an attorney admitted to practice in California, Texas and Mississippi. He received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1999. He graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in American civilization and holds a master’s degree in library and information studies from the University of California at Berkeley.