I am not an attorney, so I can't give legal advice, but I'd be happy to share with you what what has worked for me. I use Legal Shield, a pre-paid solution to inexpensive legal aid anyone can use. For a low monthly fee of about $17-25, you can have access to the best attorneys 24/7 for any problem that arises. I use mine all the time! Just recently my bank was charging excessive fees on top of excessive fees and all I had to do was make one phone call and they handled it.
Prepaid Legal Sheild Services are available for every state in the US. We are based in Michigan, but can help you regardless of where you live.
Prepaid Legal Services = Peace of Mind
Like you, I want value for my dollar but am naturally skeptical of something that sounds too good to be true. When I was approached by a friend about Prepaid Legal Services I thought "what kind of scam is this?" However, after using it over 20 times for just everyday questions and contracts the past year, I'm sold. Now I won't shut up – it's been wonderfully useful in all aspects of my life. I have a family, a small web design business and occasionally breed my show dogs – so there is always some question I need an expert opinion on. It's been invaluable. For just a few dollars a month, I have access to some of the area's top attorneys for even minor questions. I'm married, have two kids and live in Michigan. We have several large dogs and like everyone else is squeezed in this tight economy. Prepaid Legal services have been great for many reasons, but the best of all is peace of mind.
Should You Buy A Prepaid Legal Shield Plan?
Many Prepaid Legal services are scams and others have gotten a bum rap. There are good ones and bad – but the determining factor is do you need legal representation at some time that you are ill-prepared to pay for it? Prepaid Legal gives you a way of spreading the cost of legal services out over a longer period of time and gives you access to higher-quality attorneys and legal representation than you would likely find on your own.
Prepaid legal services plans work in a variety of ways. Depending upon the plan, features may include some or all of the following:
* Discounts on legal services through a network of attorneys;
* Free legal services, such as the preparation of a property deed or simple will; and
* Access to a database of legal forms and documents.
Our plans include all of the above. One of the major legal services plans reports that more than half of new subscribers drop out of the plan after their first year. One of the reasons for this may be that they only purchased it for a specific purpose, or didn't find the benefits worth the price. I also wonder if it's because they were not informed about how to use the services and were not using them to the fullest. That is why I am starting a newsletter to give you tips and tricks to using your Legal Shield services to the fullest! There IS no point in paying for something you'll never use…but if you realize all the things Legal Shield can do for you, you'll use it. You'll soon realize it's very economical and VERY useful for many of life's occurrences – especially in today's society where our rights are threatened every day and people are suing for frivolous reasons. You never know when something may affect you.
I'm not an attorney, and cannot give legal advice. However, I know where to go to get excellent legal services quite reasonably and I'll share that with you as an associate of Legal Shield. Legal Shield is a provider of low-cost legal services, available 24/7 for a low monthly fee. I use it myself and love it! It takes the pressure off when you have a legal problem but just don't have the money right then and there to deal with it. It's like having a good friend or staff attorney only a phone call away.
When you consider a plan, pay careful attention to what the plan does and does not cover. If you don't anticipate having legal needs in the coming year that would e covered by the plan, you should think carefully before purchasing it. On the other hand, it's convenient to have instant access to an attorney when you least expect it – traffic tickets, complaint letters, and unexpected legal issues come up without warning. In some cases, your need may go beyond your prepaid membership. In that case you will be referred to an associate attorney who will take your case on contingency or at a discounted rate. When I had a problem with a malpractice situation, the attorney took it on contingency, but when it was apparent it would be a difficult and drawn out case that could not be covered by a contingency, he offered to do it at a significantly reduced rate because of Prepaid Legal. $50/hr is a significant reduction in fees! So not everything is included, but a majority of your everyday needs are.
I have also found that if I don't like the attorney available through the plan, it's quite easy to change attorneys. All you have to do is simply ask. If you have a particular attorney you'd like to use, Prepaid will contact him/her and try and get you the reduced rate by encouraging the attorney to participate in the plan. When you need an attorney in your area, they are excellent about referring you to someone who is sympathic to your plight who has good pull with the local judges. In my situation, I was referred to a dog friendly attorney that went above and beyond what was asked of him because he had pets. I would have never found someone this understanding of my situation on my own.
Real Estate & Foreclosure Assistance
An excellent use of a prepaid legal services plan is for a real estate transfer. If you are expecting to buy or sell a home, before you buy is the perfect time to sign up. Prepaid Legal can review all your documents at significantly less than you would otherwise pay. Once the home was sold/bought, some clients cancel the policy. However it may pay to keep it a bit longer making sure there are no unexpected problems with the house and the ability to review contracts for home repairs/improvements can be quite helpful.
While not every situation or plan is amenable to this type of use, this does illustrate that a well-chosen prepaid legal services plan can benefit a consumer with an expected legal need and even for a longer period of time. One of the best uses I've found for it is reviewing contracts for my business as well as fighting a traffic ticket- an unexpected occurance. I've been able to help friends with their legal questions by reframing them from my perspective and asking for advice. The uses are endless if you think creatively and realize just about everything these days requires a legal opinion.
If you are purchasing a plan through an independent representative such as myself, as opposed to directly from the corporation that sponsors the plan, you'll find having someone to ask about your plan quite valuable. You might even be so convinced you'll want to become an independent agent yourself – and I'd be happy to help you attain that goal! Michigan Prepaid Legal Shield is something I believe in!