Prepaid Legal Services
Prepaid legal services plans work in different ways. Depending upon the plan, features may include some of the following:
- Discounts on legal services through a network of attorneys
- Free legal services, such as the preparation of a property deed or simple will
- Access to a database of legal forms and documents
When you’re looking at a plan, pay careful attention to what it does and does not cover. If you don’t think you’ll have any legal needs in your future, you should think carefully before purchasing a plan. Also, if you think that you might take advantage of a service under the plan, such as the preparation of a simple will, be mindful that attorneys who accept the plan will likely try to sell you an upgraded service. In some cases, it will make sense to obtain the upgraded service but there may not be any cost savings as a result of plan membership.
Also, if you find that you don’t like the attorney available your plan provides, you may find that you are unable to change attorneys through the plan, or that there are no other attorneys in the area who participate in the plan. You may want to ask for local attorneys who accept the plan before making the decision to purchase any given plan.
