Online legal services firm LegalZoom jumps 31% in debut, valued at $7 bln

Shares of LegalZoom.com Inc opened 31% above their offer price on Wednesday, valuing the online legal services company at $7 billion in its Nasdaq debut. The stock opened at $36.75 per share, up from the initial public offering price (IPO) of $28 per share.

Shares of LegalZoom.com Inc opened 31% above their offer price on Wednesday, valuing the online legal services company at $7 billion in its Nasdaq debut.

The stock opened at $36.75 per share, up from the initial public offering price (IPO) of $28 per share. The company, which says its mission is to "democratize" law, was founded in 2001 and offers a range of services including estate planning, divorce, name change and residential leases.

The Glendale, California-based company was co-founded by Robert Shapiro, who was part of O.J. Simpson's legal defense team. He worked on the case with Robert Kardashian, the late father of celebrity Kim Kardashian. LegalZoom first filed for an IPO in 2012, which was postponed and then withdrawn after two years. It was valued at $2 billion after a $500 million investment led by Francisco Partners and GPI Capital in 2018.

The company sold around 19.1 million shares in its IPO on Tuesday, raising about $535.4 million. Shares were priced above the higher end of the $24 per share to $27 per share range announced earlier.

LegalZoom, which faces tough competition from solo attorneys and law firms, has been involved in several lawsuits alleging unauthorized practice of law or unfair competition. The company, however, denies these allegations. (https://bit.ly/3xbA1Ky) Certain funds managed by BlackRock Inc's subsidiaries and affiliates of Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers could each buy up to $75 million worth of shares at the IPO price, LegalZoom had said in its prospectus earlier this month.

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