Legal Cover Plans
Sunday, November 30th, 2008There is nothing new about a legal plan service; in fact they were in Europe back in the thirty’s but they have started to become more commonplace in mainstream America. Many people in America including large and small businesses have seen the advantages of signing up to a service like this as law firms around the country have decided to provide it. The legal plan service works a little like an insurance policy whereby a monthly of yearly fee is paid as a form of membership to a law firm or individual attorney and the member has access to their services.
The concept is quite simple; by providing legal help on issues as they arise, it is hoped that many situations will not progress into full scale law suits and the additional costs involved with them. However, other facilities are included with the plans that are used by individuals and businesses regularly as consultation with your attorney is included. You can usually call the attorney on as many different legal issues as you want, and you will receive a free consultation for each question or issue which can be a powerful tool, as you can often get many of your legal questions or issues handled this way.
Other services are also included in legal plans and normally a free ‘Last Will and Testament’ will be included, with yearly updates and many plans will also write a letter or a make a call on your behalf. This is a powerful tool especially where disputes are with third parties, which can often be cleared up very quickly once the party knows that a lawyer is involved. In addition, you will also have coverage for contract or document review, where your attorney will review documents, such as agreements or sales contracts, and answer any of your questions.
Of course if you require your attorney’s representation in court or another matter that is not included in the legal services plan, an extra hourly fee will be chargeable but you can expect a reduction in this fee. The basic prepaid legal plan normally just covers the person and their family and business versions available will cover issues that are business related only and tailored to that environment. Other specialized versions of the legal plans are available, one in particular is for truck drivers and it is worth looking for these plans on your work notice board; they are sometimes free but are usually offered at a discounted rate.
Like many health plans, legal plans will not normally cover ongoing complaints as they are designed to be a preventative type of service with the lawyer freely available. If you have a major legal issue, such as a law suit, a divorce, or bankruptcy, a legal plan will be of limited assistance, although you will probably get a discount of the hourly rate you would normally pay an attorney. For a regular monthly outlay, an American citizen can have access to his or her own attorney whenever they want to help deal with everyday legal issues that might cause them distress in their lives.