Prepaid legal plans are advertised under the guarantee of cheap legal protection, an attractive substitute for the high fees charged by regular lawyers and law practices. However under the gloss of accessible legal services to the general public, lie a number of limitations.
First of all, there is a limit in the scope of the legal services given. Most of what is offered on an unlimited basis is telephone based: phone calls to your lawyer for advice and discussion on legal issues, or telephone calls made for your benefit to third parties. Some other advantages bundled in the plan are limited: regular appointments to your attorney’s office is restricted to a dozen or so hours each month, the wills you would like drafted or sample agreements reviewed will be carried out on 2 or 3 copies every year. More complicated legal issues involving more hours and effort on the part of your lawyer aren't provided outright. If you want representation in a court for a legal action on the recovery of damage, or a complicated lease agreement reviewed and approved, then you definitely have to pay regular attorney fees. Some special discounts of up to 20% apply, but you can get a similar discounts if not better by the simple virtue of simple negotiations on terms and clever deal comparison.
Second is the restriction on your selection of lawyer and also the quality of legal job provided. Although you are free to select your own lawyer, client-lawyer relationship and also the building of rapport are more difficult to come by in this system. Prepaid legal plans are fraught with the “rookie” syndrome: the providers generally resort to taking the help of newly-licensed or trainee lawyers in a cost cutting exercise. Somebody who does mostly wills, trusts and sample agreements may not be a good fit for more complicated legal issue like the custody of kids. In such days of age of increasing specialization, it is advisable to ask somebody with specialized information and years of experience after that it is to rely on a novice having a limited professional track-record.
When you go down the traditional way, and then there is limited “pool of lawyers” you can select from. Your research will be less difficult and a lot more detailed. It is possible to set up interviews with attorneys, ask for recommendations from friends, previous clients or look at your local bar association. You are very likely to get a top notch attorney with who to develop rapport get competent advice and rely on the judgement.
