Considering today's lawyer’s fees, subscription legal services seem like a good idea— but are they?
As almost everybody and every company knows, legal issues can come up without warning. One way many families and businesses have legal assistance readily available to them is through a prepaid or subscription legal services plan. These plans typically offer access to legal help for a fixed yearly or monthly fee.
Currently, the most well know are:
- LegalShield (primarily discounted legal services & free consultations);
- Syndicate Legal Plans (individual, family & business legal services for a flat fee up to a certain number of billable hours per month);
- RocketLawyer (like LegalShield, offers discounted legal services & free consultations – more of a referral service).
But are prepaid / subscription legal services plans worth it? These plans have upsides and downsides and, in the end, using prepaid / subscription legal services might save you a significant amount in legal fees.
What Does a Prepaid / Subscription Legal Services Plan Cover?
The coverage under prepaid legal services plans varies, depending on the provider and the plan. Common covered areas include:
- LegalShield, Syndicate Legal Plans & RocketLawyer each provide consultations and advice on basic legal matters.
- LegalShield, Syndicate Legal Plans & RocketLawyer each provide general document review and preparation.
- LegalShield & RocketLawyer each provide representation in specific legal proceedings and matters at a “membership discounted price,” whereas Syndicate Legal Plans have it included in the Subscription Pricing.
- LegalShield & RocketLawyer provide basic estate planning services, like preparing a simple will (extras costs more, but at a membership discounted price), whereas Syndicate Legal Plans provide the “extras” as part of its Subscription Service.
Be sure to carefully review the terms and conditions of any plan you're considering so you understand the extent of coverage and any limitations that apply.
Are There Coverage Limits?
Yes, prepaid / Subscription legal services plans usually have coverage limits, which might include:
- LegalShield, Syndicate Legal Plans & RocketLawyer each have a maximum number of hours of services per month;
- LegalShield & RocketLawyer offer only “basic services” and only a handful of legal issues or cases are included in your plan’s coverage, whereas Syndicate Legal Services is a vast number of services included in each plan. Syndicate Legal Services pretty much picks up where LegalShield and RockLawyer stop; and
- LegalShield & RocketLawyer have waiting periods before you can use certain benefits, whereas Syndicate Legal Plans do not.
Pros of Prepaid / Subscription Legal Services:
- Affordability and Predictable Costs – All three named providers clearly state their services and plan prices on their websites.
- Access to a Network of Legal Industry Professionals – All three named providers are nationwide, but Syndicate Legal Plans includes Canada and some international locations.
- Preventative Legal Care – By having a legal plan readily available to you might help you address a legal issue before it becomes a bigger problem, which can potentially save you time, money and stress.
Cons of a Prepaid / Subscription Legal Service:
- Limited Coverages and Exclusions – LegalShield and RocketLawyer have small coverages of legal issues, whereas Syndicate Legal Plans cover almost all issues. But this is where the cost factor comes in, LegalShield and RocketLawyer have lower cost plans while offering less for services, and Syndicate Legal Plans cover much more at an increased monthly cost. This part comes down to individual needs.
- Unused Benefits can be a Waste – LegalShield & RocketLawyer do not allow you to rollover any unused benefits from a previous month, whereas some Syndicate Legal Plans allow you to rollover unused benefits.
Who Should and Should Not Consider Prepaid Legal Services?
A prepaid legal services plan might be suitable for you if:
- If you frequently need basic legal help or think you'll need legal help on relatively simple matters. Here again, the purchaser needs to do a cost benefit analysis of needs… LegalShield and RocketLawyer offer less services for a lesser monthly subscription cost, whereas Syndicate Legal Plans offers much more at a greater cost.
- If you prefer to have predictable legal costs (even if they might not cover everything you need, like with LegalShield and RocketLawyer.... whereas Syndicate Legal Plans cover everything, and something you may never need).
- If you like having legal help readily available and are willing to deal with the downsides of this kind of plan.
- Finally, all small businesses… When profit margins are slim and every dollar counts, having a fixed cost legal subscription is a must. LegalShield and RocketLawyer offer limited business services, whereas Syndicate Legal Plans focus more on businesses than families.
·?????? LegalShield: www.LegalShield.com
·?????? Syndicate Legal Plans: www.SyndicateLegalPlans.com
·?????? RocketLawyer: www.RocketLawyer.com
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7 个月I have had two legal plans and each time that I’ve had them I’ve requested assistance from attorneys that are provided by the plan and I either get the runaround delays. They’re not too sure what to do or it’s not within the realm of what I’m asking what is outlined in the contract so my experience over 20 years using multiple legal plans it’s not worth a subscription, limited a narrow amount of information and the current plan I have I had a request for demand three attorneys and never got calls back so weather is $25 a month $22 a month $30 a month is not worth it and when you do need an attorney, it’s very hard to find an attorney one and take the time to really understand the case and they always say nothat’s my opinion