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Are you contemplating about a prepaid legal plan? Here’s a run-down of the services you’re most likely to receive and also some legal papers you need to sign before you subscribe.
Office and Telephone Consultation: You have unlimited telephone access to a panel of attorneys regarding any legal matter of interest to you. You can also make short consultation visits to your lawyer for up to half an hour a day at no cost to you. The only condition placed on these two benefits is that you inquire about a different legal matter. This feature of coverage afforded by legal plans is one of the most beneficial because it promotes preventive law. Preventive law is very much similar to preventive medicine — it helps in foreseeing potential problems and taking the proper legal methods so that unnecessary legal risks or problems are avoided. With a simple phone call to your lawyer, you can avoid being embroiled in a hellish legal situation, and you can even be familiar with legal rights you don’t even know you had.
Follow-Up Service: The panel of lawyers will place phone calls and write letters on your behalf to adverse third parties. Such follow-up service may be all it needs to correct many of your legal problems.
Legal document review: Basic personal legal documents, such as your leases, insurance policies, and sales contracts will be reviewed. Any questions of legal nature that you have about the documents would also be answered by your lawyer.
Drafting of wills: A will is a written document that controls how you want your property allocated upon your death. Your attorney would draft your testament in accordance with your state’s laws so that it’s valid when you die. The attorney would also advise you on any provisions you may want to consider, such as establishing a trust and appointing a guardian.
Discount on regular fees: Any additional services not included in the written fee agreement would be at regular fees — either flat or hourly — with a discount between 20 to 30 percent. These services normally cover family matters, such as divorce and the custody of children, and court representation, such as traffic tickets and lawsuits.
Some of the legal documents you should read carefully, agree on and sign include the following:
Written fee agreement: This is the agreement that outlines what services are bounded in the plan, how much it costs and the manners of payment.
Grievance procedure: This document specifies the procedures that will be taken by the provider to settle any complaints about attorneys or disputes regarding service fees.
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Filed under: Legal Problems