A prepaid legal plan is some kind of an insurance that assures the subscriber access to a lawyer or legal services, depending on the type of plan purchased. Plans may be personal (mostly dealing with family law), for small business, or identity theft, etc., typically for $25+/month. Yes, there is a plus sign because you pay for add-ons and upgrades. Plans may be for lawyer consultations or document review and preparations or both. It must be a lucrative business judging by the number of prepaid legal companies in the market. And why not? Every activity we have is governed by the law, regardless of our status or station in life. But is it really worth it to have a prepaid legal plan? Online reviews vary – some say that their prepaid legal plan saved them a lot, others are happy with the service they got, but then there will always be an unhappy lot. There are companies that do not tell you upfront how much you are going to pay for the insurance, and some will just make deductions from your credit or debit card. For this reason, it pays to monitor your bank statements to make sure that you are not overcharged. Some say that after signing up they learned that the plan did not cover matters they need legal advice on. They were supposed to have gotten a 25% discount on lawyers fees but doing the math revealed that it was overpriced; and worse, the lawyer assigned to them wasn’t local and had no idea about the client’s local laws. Cancelling the plan is not as easy as 1-2-3 either, and there are no refunds, from what we have gathered, but a few lucky ones had no problems cancelling. Many have noted that that a well known prepaid legal plan provider operates like on a pyramid scheme and therefore smells like a scam. You pay on a regular basis, just as you pay for a typical insurance; but when you do have a legal problem, the system is supposed to work for you. The question is, do you have a legal problem every month that makes you get your money worth? Do you really need an attorney to be at your beck and call? If not, then you are paying for a service you do not need, and in fact by the time you actually need the service, you would have already paid more than the present legal need is worth. While the services of a prepaid service may be great, you will want to consider also that most plans are for limited legal services; it is not for every legal need you could possibly have. Although it is true that the money you spend on prepaid legal plans are far less than hiring an attorney on your own, keep in mind that when you rely on a prepaid legal plan, your hands are tied. You don’t get to choose the lawyer who will be handling your case, and this also means not having a say on the specialization of the lawyer assigned to you, and the same holds true whether your case is civil or criminal. We believe that it is better to have a bit of control when you want a lawyer to represent you. Choose a lawyer who specializes in your need, someone you get along with and are comfortable in divulging confidential information. There are free lawyer match services out there that you could avail of. Lawyers’ fees aren’t free but when you let lawyers bid for your service, you can get a good deal. Remember, there is a proliferation of lawyers nationwide (have you checked the telephone pages?); too many lawyers but too little clients. Surely, there is someone out there willing to work with you if you are worried about their fees. Moreover, there are lawyers who also work on a contingency fee basis, especially in civil and personal injury cases. This means they only get paid if you win the case, and given this arrangement, the lawyer will, in all likelihood, do everything within his power to make sure that he is paid. Paralegal and document preparation services are aplenty too, and paying only when you need it might be more practical. The point of this blog is not to dissuade you from subscribing to a prepaid plan service. The objective here is to make the public aware of the pros and cons of a prepaid plan service. Some may need it more, others may not; in short, it is not for everyone. Before signing up with a prepaid legal plan provider: (1) Discern whether you will need and use the service often to be worth the cost; (2) Find out the coverage of the plan by knowing precisely what services are included and excluded; (3) Know how much you have to pay all in all for the service to prevent surprise charges; (4) Read online reviews about the company and find out about their operations; and (5) Know their cancellation policies and find out how much of the sums you paid will be refunded.
This blog is not legal advice, but shares information on the law. We are living in hard times; people lose their jobs and many are struggling to make ends meet. Legalbargain.net gives back to society by sharing it’s knowledge and producing advocacy videos to put justice within the reach of those who believe justice is only for those with money.
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