Prepaid Lawyer
What is an Attorney?
A lawyer, also referred to as an attorney at law or an attorney, is a licensed professional who can practice law in the state or states in which they are licensed. Attorneys practice law and help their clients be providing services such as:
- Representing them in court;
- Drafting needed legal documents; and
- Providing legal advice.
Lawyers and attorneys practice in many different areas of law, including:
- Family law: This includes various conflicts and issues, including:
- divorce;
- child custody and visitation;
- spousal support;
- child support;
- paternity, and
- other topics;
- Employment law: This covers work-related disputes, including:
- hour and wage claims;
- wrongful termination;
- hostile work environments;
- harassment; and
- discrimination;
- Criminal law: This area includes a variety of violations, including:
- theft crimes;
- assault and battery;
- homicide crimes; and
- other crimes;
- Real estate law: This area governs transactions and disputes, including:
- property sales and transfers;
- landlord and tenant issues;
- construction;
- property improvements; and
- other aspects related to property;
- Business law: This area governs a wide range of subjects, including:
- contracts between businesses;
- business disputes;
- buying and selling a business; and
- other business activities;
- Immigration law: This area governs many issues, including:
- visas;
- citizenship;
- removal or deportation from the country; and
- green cards;
- Personal injury law: This area includes various claims, such as:
- negligence claims;
- slip and fall cases;
- car accidents;
- malpractice; and
- other instances where a person suffers harm;
- Wills, trusts, and estates: This area includes financial matters, such as:
- distribution of property after an individual’s death through their will;
- creation and management of trusts; and
- estate planning;
- Bankruptcy law: This area includes:
- consumer and business bankruptcy;
- debt collections;
- consumer credit; and
- certain tax issues;
- Government law: This area governs public concerns, including:
- schools and education;
- social security;
- governmental discrimination;
- various civil rights issues; and
- veterans benefits;
- Defective products law: This area includes instances where consumers are harmed, injured, or killed by a defective product. It may also cover other issues, including warranties and defective services; and
- Intellectual property law: This area includes:
- trademarks;
- copyrights;
- patents;
- trade secrets; and
- other protections for non-tangible assets.
What is a Prepaid Attorney?
In some situations, prepaid lawyer services, also called prepaid legal services or prepaid lawyers, may be available. A prepaid legal service is a membership in a plan that provides its members with access to attorneys for services, including:
- Consultations;
- Legal review of documents;
- Preparation of documents;
- Legal representation in court; and
- Access to legal forms.
A member pays a monthly fee to receive plan benefits. These plans may be sold directly by a company, through an independent sales representative, or through certain employers.
A lawyer will enter into an agreement with the companies that sell prepaid legal service plans. Members of the plan can select an attorney from the plan-provided list. Companies that offer prepaid legal services provide benefits including consulting with attorneys regarding:
- Employment or insurance disputes;
- Personal injury cases;
- Criminal issues; and
- Various other issues.
Prepaid attorney services often include legal review of deeds, contracts, and other types of legal documents. These services may also include preparing documents such as:
- Contracts;
- Powers of attorney; and
- Wills.
Members in these plans may also have access to a database of legal forms and documents which can be accessed through the company that sells the plan. The services that will be provided by prepaid lawyers are dependent on their practice areas as well as the coverage of the plan.
In general, a prepaid legal plan may offer services for the following issues and more:
- Estate planning, such as:
- will planning;
- living trusts; and
- powers of attorney;
- Financial issues, including:
- taxes;
- bankruptcy filings;
- lawsuits; and
- legal agreements;
- Family issues, including:
- divorce;
- child support;
- custody; and
- marriage;
- Document preparation; and
- Traffic violations.
One benefit to prepaid legal services is cost savings. Legal fees may add up quickly and are often not part of an individual’s monthly budget.
A prepaid legal plan may be deducted from an individual’s paycheck monthly. This monthly fee would provide them access to the entire network of pre-qualified lawyers.
In addition, covered services are paid for by that monthly payment. With some plans, an individual may be able to enroll their spouse or dependent on the plan.
Having coverage from a prepaid legal plan means an individual has access to legal assistance when they need it. They will not be required to obtain recommendations or engage in searching for their own lawyer, such as online searches for “prepaid lawyers near me.”
In many situations, all an individual has to do is make a phone call and they can schedule a consultation. An individual can then determine what legal services will be necessary to resolve the issue.
If an individual is purchasing a prepaid legal plan through a sales representative, it is important to keep in mind that the terms of the plan will govern, and not the statements of the sales representative. Additionally, the attorney will operate independently from the company that sold the plan.
The attorney will provide their services pursuant to the terms of the plan. If there are services needed outside of the plan, the individual will be required to pay those costs out-of-pocket.
Prepaid legal services plans may also provide members with legal representation if they have to go to court. Representation in court may be available for a wide variety of matters.
This representation may only be provided at a discounted rate for a predetermined number of hours. This may mean that the membership fee will not cover the entire costs of legal representation in court.
It is important to be aware that many low-cost plans only cover a few phone consultations, brief office visits, as well as some uncomplicated services, such as reviewing basic legal documents or preparing a simple will. Outside of these, a discount may be provided for other types of legal services.
There may be better or more expensive plans that completely cover specific legal issues, including:
- Divorce;
- Bankruptcy; and
- Drunk driving defense.
If an individual does not need prepaid attorney services but they do need legal assistance, LegalMatch provides free-of-charge attorney matching services that can help an individual find the right attorney for their issue in their location. It only takes about 15 minutes to enter case details online.
Within 24 hours, the individual will receive responses from attorneys ready to help with their case. These responses will include information about the attorney’s background and education, fee structure, and reviews from other LegalMatch clients.
Do I Need Prepaid Lawyer Services?
When you are deciding whether you should sign up for a prepaid legal attorney or prepaid legal lawyer plan, you should consider how likely it will be that you will need to use the covered services. You may also consider how many of the services provided, such as writing a will, that you can do on your own.
Because the majority of individuals only use a lawyer a few times during their lifetime, a prepaid legal service plan may not be a necessity. If you do decide to enroll, you should make sure to find out exactly what costs will be covered by the plan.
It is also important to determine whether or not consultation lawyers are permitted to recommend their own services. If they are, it may set you up for a bait-and-switch scheme.
If you are considering enrolling in a prepaid legal services, a LegalMatch attorney can help you review the terms of the agreement and determine if it is a good fit for your needs.
