Look before you take the leap into pre-paid legal services

These are some of the question you should ask if you are considering a 
pre-paid legal plan.


What is covered? Legal plans are offered in different models and differ in 
the specifics of what they cover. While phone consultation and simple 
drafting and reviewing of simple contracts are included across the board, 
more elaborate and complicated legal matters are not covered.
It’s best to review your own legal needs before you choose a legal plan. 
Ask which legal services will you need most and then choose a plan that 
provides the best coverage given those needs. For instance, if you are a 
business owner, lawsuits, lease and contract negotiations could be high on 
your list and you would be looking for a legal plan that provides coverage 
accordingly. 

What legal coverage do I already have? Don’t pay for coverage twice! If 
you 
have car insurance, then you are covered for liability and medical 
protection, home insurance covers you for injuries sustained on your 
property… Your existing insurance policies already cover some of your 
legal costs and there is no need to pay for that coverage when you select 
with a legal plan. 

Does the company have an in-house procedure to handle complaints? One of 
the stumbling blocks of pre-paid legal services is quality of service. 
Newly-licensed attorneys, phone calls not getting answered and that 
ointment on any client –lawyer relationship: fee disputes, typically 
involving bills made to your credit car to cover for services not included 
in your contract… This is just a specimen of the many problems people face 
with their plan providers. 
Make sure you select a plan that has clear guidelines as to how to settle 
dispute when they arise. A company that has a good in-house mechanism to 
handle complaints will generally assign a senior attorney with the 
authority to handle customer complaints of and disputes with any attorneys 
in the network. Secondary sources of resolution may include your state 
insurance department or bar association. Check their outlet for complaints 
against pre-paid services.  

What is the quality of the work they provide? You’ll need to do some 
homework before you select your legal provider. Ask these questions: 
What’s the firm’s reputation in my area? How many years have they been
in business? Have they been operating in my local area for at least a year 
without complaints? How skilled are they attorneys? Do they cover the 
locale where my business operates? Some good places to start your 
background research are your state bar association, the Better Business 
Bureau and the Consumer Affairs Office. 


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