Written by: Attorney, Charles McElwee
The key to realizing the benefits of your LegalShield membership is utilization. When is the last time you used your membership? Studies show that many members who are less satisfied with their membership have never used it. Those who use the membership tend to like it.
What might be called a “fee fear factor” will many times stop people from consulting a lawyer. This fear can carry over after a person signs up with LegalShield. Maybe you wanted to consult with an attorney but never did because of the expense or inconvenience involved. Paying to keep an attorney on retainer for miscellaneous phone consultations as might be needed would be expensive. Billing rates for attorneys are commonly in the range of $200 to $300 per hour. Setting up an appointment and going to an attorney’s office to get a consultation takes time. That can be as bad as going to a doctor.
We routinely help our members understand the law better and develop plans for dealing with all kinds of problems related to the legal system: divorce and family law, employment, consumer concerns with merchants of goods and services, landlord and tenant relations, credit card or other debt related problems including foreclosures and loan modifications, contracts, power of attorney, health care directives, wills, trusts, traffic tickets, taxes and real estate transactions are some of the areas we deal with regularly.
We can write a letter or make a phone call on your behalf in connection with almost any legal matter you have, when appropriate. We’ve had many successes with this benefit. On other occasions, if an issue is very complex or the opposing party is resistant to solving the problem, further assistance is available under the Preferred Member Rate benefit. The important thing is that this benefit is now available for you to bring to bear on problems that you might never have considered using a lawyer for in the past. It can be very powerful and effective.
Have you ever had someone tell you how the law works in some situation that made you wonder whether that information was correct? Now, accurate information about the law from attorneys you can trust is only a phone call away during our regular business hours.
We’ll give you information on estates, trusts and wills and will draft your will for you at no additional charge.
Many people have a specific reason for joining the LegalShield program. After using the membership for that purpose, letting it lapse or canceling may have a certain logical appeal. Our books are full of people who let their membership lapse or who dropped it, only to discover they needed to reinstate it again to deal with new issues. Once you get used to easily obtaining information about your legal rights and options, you become more and more aware of how often that benefit can really make a difference in your life. We deal with legal problems large and small, but the side effects sometimes include stress relief, peace of mind, increased confidence and a new sense of purpose and direction in a situation that was previously very confusing and uncertain.
Now you really do have a provider law firm on retainer for many common questions that can be addressed with you by phone at no charge beyond your membership fee. The first letter or phone call on your behalf does not require an additional charge. Other benefits spelled out in the membership agreement are available at no additional charge. Rounding out the benefits, making the program a way for you to get an attorney to do anything an attorney can do, is the discounted fee benefit. If you need a service that requires payment of a fee, you will receive a 25% discount from the attorney’s usual rate. As long as you keep the membership, you will never pay full price when you use it to hire an attorney.
So start to benefit from your membership by using it. Send in your will questionnaire. That’s all it takes to get us to prepare your will. Give us a call. We almost always make an attorney available to speak to you by phone that same day, sometimes within a matter of minutes. We are happy you have a LegalShield membership. We are eager to help you receive all of its benefits. Thank you.