Veteran real estate agent Bill Kerbox missed the digital revolution that helped reshape homebuying.

But the revolution continues, and Kerbox, 62, is looking to apply the same technologies that help consumers determine what a new home would cost to the legal profession.

His Video Case Evaluator, which began testing in October, is a digital tool designed to connect the public with lawyers using a smartphone or tablet. A user facing a possible legal dispute could use the case evaluator to record an audio or video summary of the situation and send it directly to a lawyer’s mobile device for review. Think of it as a kind of Tinder for legal services: Lawyers check out the particulars, figuratively swiping right if they are interested in taking on the case, left if they are not.

It’s still early, but Kerbox is convinced his idea will be the next “Zillow for attorneys,” insisting that Video Case Evaluator is more than a new tech fad that’ll come and go.

“Consumers are reading less and less and they want to communicate fast,” he said. “Video, in many ways, is the future.”

The product, still in its prelaunch beta phase, has enticed just one firm – San Francisco’s Cartwright Law Firm Inc. – to sign up. But the Video Case Evaluator fits into a rapidly changing landscape in which many law firms are looking for fresh ways to stay ahead of the competition in the search for new clients.

“Lawyers who used to be more conservative with advertising are now competing with each other,” said Rick Kraemer, chief executive at Koreatown legal consulting firm Executive Presentations. “If one puts an ad on the back of a bus, the other puts their ad on a bus. It’s monkey see, monkey do. If the big guy is doing it, you’ve got to do it.”

Looking for stories

The key, said Kerbox, is social media.

Last month, for example, he researched a few San Francisco businesses that had recently fired a number of employees. He then created a Facebook ad directing viewers to the Cartwright firm, paying for placement on pages of people affiliated with the companies that had just laid off workers.

“Been laid off from work?” the ad says, “Wondering what to do?”

For $40, Facebook placed the ad as requested – and it worked. The law firm received its first video from a Facebook user who was recently fired and curious if there was any potential for a successful employment lawsuit.

“You can spend your money on more of a targeted ad on Google or Facebook,” Kerbox said. “You can put the ad in front of the customer before they even search.”

Such advertising strategies are not only growing in popularity, but they’re also increasingly imperative for businesses, said Norel Mancuso, chief executive at downtown L.A. social media agency Social House Inc.

“I think if your business isn’t on social media, it probably won’t exist in five years,” she said. “It’s about creating a story; whether you’re a giant Fortune 50 brand or a startup, you need to have a story.”

Kerbox’s Video Case Evaluator is coming online just as many law firms are seeking to advance their use in technology to better engage with potential clients.

Gabriel Green, partner at the downtown L.A. office of Archer Norris, said law firms have historically been slow to try new tools, but in recent years they have become more open to new technology to stay competitive.

“Any time you go out and adopt a new technology that enables you to better communicate with your client, it’s beneficial, especially when representing businesses,” Green said.

Soaring start

Kerbox, who’s been in the residential real estate business for 27 years, said he realized the power of video three years ago when he hired a company to fly a miniature remote-controlled helicopter over his real estate listings and shoot video of the properties. At the time, he was just trying to get a leg up on his competitors, but that quickly evolved.

The possibilities surrounding video, he thought, are endless. So he invested about $150,000 to learn about and develop innovative uses of video.

At first, his focus was on real estate. In June, Kerbox launched Mobile Minute, a business that builds websites for listings, creates short videos about properties and offers tutorials on the basics of buying and selling property. He said about 25 brokers have subscribed to the service thus far, each paying an initial $500 fee plus a $100 monthly subscription.

As that started to gain traction, Kerbox looked to the legal industry as a market that was potentially even more lucrative.

Video Case Evaluator will operate along the same structure as Mobile Minute, but prices haven’t been finalized. Kerbox said the law product would likely be pricier, because it’s a more labor-intensive offering. Subscribers also pay to market the product on social media, which takes more research to determine where specifically to target the ads, etc.

Plaintiff’s attorneys practicing employment and personal injury law will be the company’s primary focus, he said, because they’re more likely to benefit from heavy interaction on social media.

Some lawyers, however, might be more difficult to sell than others.

“The biggest hurdle is to educate the attorneys,” Kerbox said. “We have to get their attention and get them to embrace technology.”