by Sisi Maseko

People in the United States are now finding that an old concept that has been used in many countries in Europe since the 1930’s, that of legal plans is the way forward to ensure legal representation in many areas. The popularity of legal plans is growing and legal firms are increasing the number of types and levels of membership to individuals and other companies. Legal plans work by providing basic coverage and attorney services for a membership, or a prepaid fee that is usually paid monthly or yearly; by paying the membership fee, you have access to an attorney and their services, which without the plan you would have to pay, in some cases, a substantial fee.

The concept is quite simple; by providing legal help on issues as they arise, it is hoped that many situations will not progress into full scale law suits and the additional costs involved with them. Prepaid legal plans also have the benefit of supplying the client with free meetings regarding any legal issues they need to resolve. You can usually call the attorney on as many different legal issues as you want, and you will receive a free consultation for each question or issue which can be a powerful tool, as you can often get many of your legal questions or issues handled this way.

Even ‘Last Will and Testaments’ are included in these legal plans with the option of yearly updates plus they usually provide for the lawyer to make phone calls and write letters representing your interests. This is a valuable service if you are having a dispute; as an awareness of attorney representation can clear up many issues with a 3rd party. It is also useful when legal contracts are presented, or sales agreements to have your lawyer look over them for any problems that could arise once they have been signed.

You will only have to pay extra but usually discounted, if you require your lawyer to attend court with you or additional legal help not part of the legal plan. Although many different prepaid legal plans exist, the most popular or basic version is geared to look after the individual and those in their immediate family; the business model also deals with issues that affect companies. Many companies are now arranging legal services plans for their workers, usually at a reduced premium; if you are really fortunate, for free and now very specialized areas of the workforce have their own legal plan like truckers for instance.

One of the restrictions is that of existing complaints or legal issues which are not covered by this type of plan as the whole idea behind them is to stop legal issues from forming in the first place. If there is a legal issue still to be resolved when you sign up for one of these legal plans like a bankruptcy or lawsuit ten it will be of no help to you but you may get a reduced hourly rate from your lawyer. A legal plan service is a way for middle class Americans to have the access to attorneys that used to be the province of the wealthy; having a plan is a great way to help keep yourself out of legal trouble with preventative assistance, but it won’t solve all of your legal problems.

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