Look before you take the leap into prepaid 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.