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Is A
Legal Plan Right For You?
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Background information on prepaid legal plans & services
+ Features & functions of prepaid legal law firms
+ How to choose the best prepaid legal plan/service for you
Background
information on prepaid legal services
'Prepaid legal' is a term that refers to legal services that are paid
for on a subscription basis. For a monthly fee, you are entitled
to specified legal services that are made available by participating
attorneys & law firms. Prepaid legal subscriptions provide a wide assortment
of benefits including answering general questions on legal matters, as
well as specific assistance with wills, identity theft, contracts,
traffic violations, trial defense, tax-related matters, and other legal
issues. For some legal matters, the benefits provided are unlimited
(i.e., you can call an attorney about an unlimited number of legal
questions), and for some legal issues, there are limits placed on the
benefit (i.e., they will send up to three letters per month on your
behalf). Having a subscription to prepaid legal services often provides
discounts to concerns above and beyond those benefit limitations.
Features
& functions of prepaid legal companies
As mentioned above, prepaid legal subscriptions cover a wide range of
legal services. Here are the most common services provided:
Telephone
consultations- consult with your member attorney or law firm over the
phone regarding any legal personal or business matter.
Telephone
calls and letters- often, when you have a dispute with a company or
person, a letter or phone call from an attorney will often create some
movement to your benefit. Many prepaid legal services provide a certain
number of phone calls and letters per month.
Contract
review- member attorneys & law firms will review legal documents or
contracts. Contracts may range from buying or selling a home to
Internet law agreements.
Identity
theft- some prepaid legal services offer identity theft protection that
will monitor your credit for a separate monthly fee, notify you of any
adverse information, and help with certain costs that are incurred to
restore your credit report.
Wills-
most prepaid legal services will provided will-related services for you;
they may also give a certain number of updates allowed on an annual
basis.
Traffic
Offenses- you may be entitled to representation against minor traffic
violations such as traffic tickets, and major traffic-related incidents,
such as vehicular homicide and other crimes.
Trial
Defense- if you are accused of a crime or are sued in civil court, your
prepaid legal services will cover legal assistance for actions
specifically related to a covered person's activities in certain areas.
Often, the benefit for trial defense will increase as the subscription
continues from year to year.
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