Need Legal Advice? Do You Know the Difference Between a Discount Legal Program and a Pre-Paid Plan?

The obvious free option for general advice and information is to do a Google search on your topic. A wealth of information can be found on most any question, however, the accuracy and reliability of information found on the net can often be questionable. The old adage, "You get what you pay for", holds especially true on the internet.

Obtaining access to an actual attorney does not have to be expensive. There are numerous plans available for which you pay a small fee per month and have virtually unlimited access to legal advice. These plans come in a different varieties and most people do not understand the difference.

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The least expensive plan is called a legal discount plan. Typically, this type of plan will charge a small monthly fee and give you access to a network of attorneys. The attorneys are not paid by the plan. They become a part of the referral network to grow their client base. In return for the referral, they agree to provide certain free services and a menu of additional services at a fixed reduced rate. If a problem goes beyond the free or discounted services, they also agree to reduce their normal hourly fees. If you are shopping around, find a legal discount plan that has arranged for a specific rate cap as opposed to the typical 25% discount off usual and customary fees which you typically find.

Free services in a discount legal plan include unlimited phone and face to face consultations, a free will, writing letters and making phone calls on the member's behalf, and help with small claims court. Fixed fee services include traffic ticket defense, name change, chapter 7 bankruptcy, simple divorce, and personal real estate closings. Additional services are usually bundled with these plans and offered at one low price. They include identity theft protection, income tax and audit assistance,financial advice, and credit counseling.

On the flip side of the coin are pre-paid services. I will use the features of the largest such plan as a comparison. It uses one attorney firm in each State to coordinate all referrals as opposed to the network of individual attorney firms used by the discount plans. A pre-paid plan does pay its attorney firms a part of each customer's membership fee. This puts these plans in a different category and causes sales agents to be licensed in many States in order to offer the plan. A discount plan does not require agent licensing.

The free services offered by both type plans are similar, however, the pre-paid plan does include traffic ticket defense and income tax audit in its free services. The biggest difference in the two plans is that the pre-paid plan includes pre-paid defense hours. This means that if you are sued, you will have a certain amount of hours of attorney representation included in your benefit. An important note is the use of the word defense. You can not use this benefit to sue someone else. For services not otherwise covered, the pre-paid plan offers a 25% discount off attorney usual and customary fees.

In final comparison, we return to "You get what you pay for". The pre-paid plan offers more services, but is more expensive. Additional services, such as identity theft protection and emergency attorney access will cost you extra. A typical bundle for an individual from a pre-paid plan will cost between $27 - $36 per month. The discount plan offers a wide range of services for around $14 per month. Compare the benefits of each and determine which plan fits your needs and your budget.

If you run a small business, both type plans offer business versions which include extra benefits for the business owner.

Additional details on the discount type plan can be found at Best Discount Benefits http://www.bestdiscountbenefits.com/legalc.htm


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