There's now a law firm inside one Springfield Walmart

For years, Kurt Benecke says, it made sense for law firms to be clustered around town squares. They were the hub of cities across America.

But downtowns don't play that role as much anymore, says Benecke. He's the chief operating officer of The Law Store, a Joplin-based company opening legal offices in what it considers the modern-day equivalent of the town square: the world's largest brick-and-mortar retailer.

"Walmart is the new marketplace," Benecke said in a Tuesday interview. "It's where people go. It makes sense to be there."

On Oct. 15, The Law Store — which attempts to bring a more consumer-driven focus to an industry that the public often views with apprehension — opened inside the Walmart Supercenter at 3315 S. Campbell Ave. in Springfield.

It's near the north end of the front of the store, in the string of small offices and storefronts across from the row of check-out aisles. Besides the law firm, there's a branch of Academy Bank, Walmart's Vision Center and customer service desk and a clinic operated by CoxHealth. Closer to the entrances, there's a hair salon and a Subway restaurant.

It's The Law Store's third location, following June openings inside Walmarts in Joplin and Neosho. And more stores are planned, inside Walmarts in both Springfield and elsewhere.

The Law Store developed from what the company describes as a yearlong dissection of both the traditional brick-and-mortar legal model and currently available online legal service models, which includes sites like LegalZoom.

The results of that review, Benecke said, was that "we thought that there was a huge void in the market." He cites a 2016 report by the American Bar Association on "the access to justice gap in America," which found that, in some communities, over 80 percent of the civil legal needs of lower-to-middle income individuals went unmet.

The company is led by CEO Edward Hershewe, who also runs a personal injury law firm in Joplin.

The Law Store aims to, in Benecke's words, "use state of the art technology to try and be much more efficient — and we're trying to pass those savings on to the consumer."

Customers walking up to the space in the South Campbell Walmart — which is about 500 square feet in total — are greeted with a menu listing services and the generally fixed costs associated with each.

A simple will costs $99, while representation for minor traffic tickets not involving a crash runs $79. A prenuptial agreement runs $599, while Chapter 7 bankruptcy costs $999. The initial consultation is free.

"Your traditional law firm, often you get faced with an hourly rate, so you don't know what you'll end up paying," Benecke said.

The legal industry, Benecke said, has been slower to adapt than other service-oriented industries. And law firms are, in his mind, often "very behind the times technologically."

At The Law Store, customers complete an initial intake application on an iPad. Appointments can be scheduled in advance on the company's website or in person.

The location is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

“We want to make it as convenient as possible for individuals and small businesses to see a lawyer," Benecke said. "You should not have to miss work to get legal help.”

The Law Store leases its spaces inside the Walmarts and isn't otherwise affiliated with the retailer.

It's not the only law firm that has pursued a similar setup. The first to move into the space, according to legal trade publication ABA Journal, was Kaine Law, which opened its first of three Walmart locations in the Atlanta area in 2012. Additionally, Axess Law is in 10 Toronto-area Walmarts.

The Law Store, meanwhile, is looking to expand quickly. Benecke said the company is opening stores in Dallas and Kansas City by January and is eyeing additional locations inside Springfield Walmarts. Within 18 months, the company says it is also eyeing stores in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina as part of a planned national expansion.

While the Joplin and Neosho stores have only been open for about four months, Benecke said, "the feedback so far has been tremendous."