LexMeet App Offers Easy Access to Lawyers, Affordable Legal Consultations Right At Your Fingertips

Wazzup Pilipinas!

One of the hardest task to do, aside from reaching out to our government to listen to our pleads, is to get the services of a capable lawyer to fight for our legal rights.

A visit to a lawyer could mean a very costly experience. The initial consultation may already be difficult on the budget, especially if you need to make efforts to visit the lawyer at his office. This becomes a real challenge if you are living at far-flung areas, or working in the provinces or other countries. Filipinos would often seek lawyers of their own race especially when against other races. Not to be discriminative, but it is always easier to converse and discuss the merits or demerits of a case when it is with our fellow Filipino.

I have been familiar with Lexmeet for quite some time now since I've been seeing promotional write-ups about it on the Facebook group which I manage. Some bloggers even recommended itvto me when I had problems with another online publication who was spreading negatively impacting messages to event organizers.

Now, I was recently invited to the launch of their mobile app which further adds convenience in looking for the better lawyer.

Though all these innovations do not change the quality or atittude of existing lawyers, the conveniences they provide are worthy to look at. Mobile apps have continued to rule the economy for its capability to ease the usually strenous activities. From manually hailing a cab, ordering food, booking a room or flight, shopping for groceries, purchasing new car batteries, or calling for road assistance, getting items delivered to or picked up from, even getting a haircut, or hiring cleaners for our homes, has been made a lot more easier thanks to companies that have implemented the use of mobile apps.

The Lexmeet founder deserves praise for such an innovation, but it would have been better if he could also make lawyers never to decline any case. The only hurdle with regards to lawyers is their option to choose only the cases they are comfortable in handling. The tedious search for a lawyer may have been mde more faster, however, only their initial consultation rates may have been made more affordable. Once they've accepted your case, then they can go back charging their usual exorbitant fees.

The primary targeted clients of Lexmeet founders are oyr OFWs, and could only provide pro-bono services to low-income and PWD clients.

Note that Senatorial hopeful and former Solicitor General Florin "Pilo" Hilbay, dropped by to support the Lexmeet mobile app launch.

For more details, below is their official press release.

Seeking legal advice on lawyers is now made more convenient and affordable as LexMeet (www.lexmeet.com), a real-time on-demand online legal consultation webspace where lawyers and clients meet to solve legal problems is now launching its mobile application.

Starting November 2018, the LexMeet App can now be downloaded in Google Play (http://bit.ly/LexMeetbeta) and its IOS version will be soon available for download in App Store.

LexMeet solves difficulties on clients getting proper guidance on their problems that need legal remedies. Aside from fake attorneys lurking in the web as well as the nuances of Philippine law, there are also the rampant misinterpretations of common legal issues that just add unnecessary confusion to a prospective client seeking legal advice. In addition, the lack of access—physical or online—to a lawyer also compounds the issue, especially for Filipinos working overseas. All these concerns are what LexMeet wants to address - lawyer and legal service accessibility to the masses - by making online legal consultations readily available for Filipinos everywhere without breaking the bank.

Using the LexMeet app couldn’t be any simpler. After the client registered their personal details for free, they can purchase credits—for as low as P500- via Paypal, Dragonpay, Coins.Ph and later on Google Pay payment gateways. Clients can initiate a legal consultation request where LexMeet will match their legal problem with a lawyer specialists that meets their requirements. Example, when a client submits his/her legal problem about the title of his/her condominium unit, LexMeet gives him/her a lawyers list with specialisation in Condominium Law. Clients have to submit in advance their legal inquiries and provide their stories, objectives and questions as well as supporting documents through LexMeet sign-up forms. All consultations are conducted over video or voice call— possibly imposing for non-tech-savvy folk, but nevertheless more effective than a lifeless chat window. Their credits are automatically paid to their matched lawyer after the meeting ends. Ratings and feedback mechanism help ensure that LexMeet’s crowdsourced network of 250 lawyers provide quality consults, which seems to be the case as it boasts over 7,500 clients and counting.

LexMeet, a wordplay on the Latin word for “law” and workplace verbatim for setting office meetings is founded by Atty. Marlon Valderama, Managing Partner of Valderama Law Office and the country's pioneer when it comes to e-lawyering. He introduced the e-lawyering concept as early as 2010 in his law office website, E-Lawyers Online.

“LexMeet serves as the Uber of lawyers, where client can seek lawyer’s advice by a mere click. Instead of a Uber vehicle matching with the nearest rider, LexMeet is where client’s legal problem is matched with the lawyer’s expertise, location and language and we serve as a bridge for them to meet via video or call conference,” Atty. Valderama said.

Since its inception in 2017, Lexmeet serves as the online go-to-place by OFWs and SMEs.

“As we all know, Philippines have more than 10.23 million migrant workers scattered all over the world. With Filipino diaspora, there is a demand for legal services for the legal issues left behind by our migrant workers such as marriage, support and custody issues, inheritance, investments, among others. Also, we have so many SMEs, almost 1M now, who are needing legal guidance from lawyers. The lack of online facility to help our OFWs and SMEs in solving their legal problems is our prime motivation on establishing a primary hub of e-lawyering, ” Atty. Valderama explained.

LexMeet has been recently awarded as the Best Life Helper in 2018 ASEAN Rice Bowl Startup Awards as it was recognize in its promising goal in making legal consultations inclusive for all Filipinos.

Fore more information, visit www.lexmeet.com.

The Best VPN For Travelers

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Nowadays, it seems that internet security is one of the only things people are talking about. Whether it’s thousands of people having their credit card information stolen or other types of massive privacy breaches, cybersecurity seems to be one of the hottest issues in the news.

If you’re a traveler, you’re at an even higher risk of facing security issues. This is because when we travel, we’re often using public Wi-Fi hotspots, which are significantly less secure than our home-based, password protected networks.

Public Wi-Fi networks are more dangerous because they provide internet access to dozens (sometimes hundreds) of internet users at the same time. Theoretically, this means that anybody using the same network could gain access to your unencrypted data as you surf the net.

Leaving your data unencrypted means that things such as your internet cookies, credit card numbers, usernames, and passwords could potentially be nabbed by any malicious person using the same Wi-Fi network as you.

Protect Yourself with a Virtual Private Network

Fortunately, using a VPN, or a Virtual Private Network, can protect you while using public Wi-Fi hotspots. Not only does a VPN protect your valuable information, but it also allows you to circumvent geographical internet filters.

This means that websites which are banned, or simply unavailable in certain regions, can still be accessed simply by connecting to a VPN. In other words, you can still access sites like Netflix or Hulu when traveling overseas.

Now, you might be wondering how to choose the best VPN while traveling. But there are so many types of VPN plans and providers that it can be overwhelming trying to figure out which one is best for you.

Fortunately, we’ve come up with a list of a few critical factors to consider when choosing a VPN for travel.

Quick Installation and Ease of Use

Installing and using a VPN shouldn’t be a very complicated process. This means that whether you’re using Mac, iOS, Windows, or Android, installing one shouldn’t be any harder than downloading the program and running the installer.
With most VPNs, you will be asked to sign up for an account before being able to complete the installation process. Next, the installer will likely ask you a few simple questions, such as whether you’d like the VPN to connect automatically or manually.

In most cases, it’s best to simply use the default options at first, and then if you wish, you can go back and change your preferences later on.

No Added Fees or Restrictions for Multiple Connections

When traveling, it’s a good idea to look for a VPN by reviews and comparisons.

Remember that everything from your laptop, phone, and tablet are all at equal risk when using an insecure Wi-Fi connection. Therefore, it can be extremely inconveniencing if you have to disconnect one device every time you want to switch to another.

With that in mind, make sure that the VPN you choose allows you to connect several devices at the same time, without charging any extra fees.

Use a VPN That Works in Many Different Countries

Not all VPNs are designed the same, and while one might work while you’re visiting Spain, it might not work when you cross the border into France.

We recommend using a VPN that uses the OpenVPN protocol. It’s also a good idea to read a VPN’s user reviews to see if it works in countries such as China or Russia. These countries’ governments are notorious for blocking VPNs, therefore, if you can find one that works there, it will likely work anywhere else that you go.

Look for a VPN That Connects Automatically

It might sound obvious, but a VPN won’t protect your data if you forget to connect to it. But, when your flights been delayed 12 hours, you haven’t slept since Tuesday and you’re suddenly coming down with a cold, forgetting to connect to your VPN can be an easy mistake to make.

Therefore, we recommend looking for a VPN that connects automatically as soon as your device connects to a public Wi-Fi network. Making sure that your VPN auto-connects mean that even when you’ve got a thousand other things on your mind, your data will still be protected without you even thinking about it.

Choose a VPN With Fast Download Speeds

Typically, when you use a VPN, your connection will already be slowed down a bit because your data needs to pass through a secondary server before reaching its destination. This speed can, of course, be affected by several other factors such as bandwidth restrictions, your distance for the server, as well as how many other people are using the network.

However, it’s a good idea to choose a VPN that is known for having fast download/upload speeds. For this, we always recommend using a trial version first, before deciding if a VPN is worth paying for. It’s also a good idea to read its reviews to see what other users have to say about its speed.

PHLPost Releases Villaflor Sr. Hospital 50TH Anniv Stamps in Dagupan City

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) released new stamps to mark the 50^th Founding Anniversary of the Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital (DDVMH) on December 7, 2018.

The Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital is a private tertiary hospital in Mayombo District Dagupan City. With more than 150 highly-trained medical practitioners and paramedical personnel, it is considered one of the leading health care institutions in Northern Luzon.

The commemorative stamps was issued in honor of the founder Dr. Vivencio V. Villaflor, Sr., a surgeon and visionary from Pitogo, Quezon.

His son, Dr. Vivencio Villaflor Jr., a veteran stamp collector (Philatelist) and President of the hospital also displayed his rare personal collections of stamps from 1854 Queen Isabella, which is the first stamp issued in the Philippines and Asia up to Hollywood personalities which he acquired from friends and travel. 

“Each stamps has its own story and history to tell”, he said.  The exhibit will be part of the students educational tour for them to appreciate the history and value of stamps which is "irreplaceable against today’s technology”, Dr. Villaflor added.

His father, Dr. Villaflor Sr. opened a humble clinic along Arellano Street in 1968 to make quality medical care accessible to Dagupeños.

PHLPost Assistant Postmaster General Luis D. Carlos said that the recent commemorative stamps underscored a milestone in the history of the as it looks back at 50 years of dedicated service based on the vision of its founding patriarch – Dr. Villaflor Sr.

An ISO 9001:2008 certified hospital, the Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital (DDVMH), joined the ranks of hospitals in the world that meet international quality standards.

PHLPost has printed 60, 000 copies of the DDVMH stamp sold for P12.00 each.

The layout of the stamp was done by PHLPost in-house graphic designer Mr. Victorino Z. Serevo.

The stamps and official first day cover shall be available starting December 07, 2018 at the Philatelic Counter, Central Post Office, Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila and selected Area Post Offices.