Pre-paid legal - Are you seriously going to use it?

Are you registered in a pre-paid legal plan and worried your service provider is tallying up your tab for any service you will never get to use? Continue reading as we explain the probability of using pre-paid legal services in legal difficulties you might be face with. 

In their life time, everyone is most likely to make use of legal services that fall into 4 types: civil plaintiffs, civil defense, legal help and criminal defense which involves a number of business law or transaction.

The liability insurances already covers you for the legal related to civil defense. Your insurance provider hires the attorney who will defend you and also have every incentive to protect your well considering they are the ones who endure your legal costs regardless of the final outcome. Due to that, you already have “prepaid legal coverage” in place and a legal plan will not add much to your coverage. 

Civil plaintiff lawyers in the Unites States work on a “no win no fee compensation claim” basis. Which means that they do not charge fee unless they win you damages in an insurance claim or legal action against somebody who caused you physical injuries. Their contingency fees are computed as a “commission” on any  money won, consequently there is every incentive for the plaintiff attorney to defend you and protect you well. As more you win, the more he earns. There's no need to pre-pay for any service where you stand to lose nothing, and where guidance is easily accessible to you from plaintiff attorneys wanting to work on your case. 

On the uncommon occasion you have to bring criminal charges if you are involved in a serious car accident or defend your self against criminal charges brought against you, lining up an attorney to stand for you in advance is not the beneficial choices. During these situations, client-lawyer rapport is vital: you need somebody which you have confidence in, build a rapport with and experienced enough to protect you in a court. You seldom have the opportunity to speak to your lawyer face-to-face in a pre-paid legal plan, and a number of lawyers in the network usually do not do criminal defense cases.

Transaction as well as business law may be the area where you will most likely find pre-paid legal services most reliable. If you often need anyone to draft your wills, review simple agreements and set up advance health-directives or would like capable legal advice available, then proceeding pre-paid can save you the difficulty of looking for an attorney and spending “a la carte”.