Online price comparison website Compare Legal Costs has partnered with East Midlands firm Nelsons to offer fixed-fee online legal documents to businesses and consumers.

Nelsons provides more than 200 online documents suitable for personal or business use, covering building work to prenuptial agreements, divorce, motoring, power of attorney and wills, and business start-ups to debt recovery and leases.

The online templates include step-by-step guidance on completion and are available for a fixed cost. Documents can be completed without input from a lawyer, but some require review by a lawyer, Nelsons says. Where that is required Nelsons solicitors will review the document, also for a fixed fee.

The trend towards fixed-fee DIY solutions is attracting strong commercial interest. Two US firms, LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer have announced ventures in the UK over the past two months. LegalZoom is partnering with legal marketing franchise QualitySolicitors and Rocket Lawyer is working with a panel of 25 firms in England and Wales.

Compare Legal Costs’ founder Michael Welsh said: ‘Most of our customers are looking to instruct a lawyer who can offer them quality legal advice at a fixed price.

‘However, we have seen increasing demand from customers for fixed-cost legal templates that they can complete themselves.’

Nelsons’ chief executive Tim Hastings added: ‘Compare Legal Costs is a business that echoes our own philosophy in harnessing technology and promoting transparency and fixed costs to improve services to the public. We are delighted to be working with them.’