Legal Services -I-I4-

details

Tue, 21 Oct 2014 12:57:46 GMT

Legal Services - Additional Information

Legal Services provides you with the tools necessary to help you better understand the legal system and give you access to thousands of qualified lawyers who will provide you with free & discounted legal services. You and your immediate family have access to this benefit.

Contacting an Attorney

You can reach an attorney by calling our Member Services Department. There is no limit to the number of referrals you may receive, but you may only receive one referral at a time. When contacting the Member Services Department, you will be asked to briefly describe your legal issue and you will be referred to a plan attorney that practices the appropriate area of law, speaks your language and is conveniently located.

When contacting a Legal Services plan attorney you must notify the attorney's office that you are a Legal Club of America member. If for any reason the plan attorney is unable to assist you please call back for another referral.

Plan attorneys may be out of the office attending to other clients. As such please allow up to three business days for the plan attorney to respond to your call.

Free Legal Services*

You and your family have access to a nationwide network of plan attorneys that have contracted with Legal Services to provide free and discounted legal services. Upon contacting our Member Services Department, you will be referred to a plan attorney based on language, area of law, and location.

The following nine services are available at no charge:

Initial phone consultations for each new matter (no time limit)
Initial face-to-face consultations for new legal matter (no time limit)
Review of independent legal documents (6 page maximum per document, no limit to the number of new independent documents)
Plan attorneys will prepare a free Simple Will for you and your family, as well as update the Will annually for free (See definition of Simple Will in Definitions and Miscellaneous Information section)
- Alternatively, members have access to a more comprehensive and customized web based Simple Will
A state specific, web based, free Living Will form is available to Members and can be notarized by a Notary Public
Plan attorneys will help Members represent themselves in small claims court
Assistance in solving problems with government programs, such as INS and Welfare
When deemed appropriate by your plan attorney, he or she will write letters on your behalf (one letter per legal matter, with no limit on the number of new legal matters)
When deemed appropriate by your plan attorney, he or she will make phone calls on your behalf (one phone call per legal matter, with no limit on the number of new legal matters)

*In certain situations, attorney liability may require plan attorneys to ask for a retainer from the member prior to providing some of the free Legal Services.

Discounted Legal Services**

The following eight legal services are available at a discount:

Legal Services	Member Rate	Non-Member Rate
Traffic Ticket Defense	$89.00	$199.00
Name Change	$155.00	$365.00
Simple Will with Minors Trust	$250.00	$530.00
Chapter 7 Bankruptcy	$750.00	$1500.00
Non-Support (Spouse/Child)	$275.00	$1490.00
Simple Divorce	$275.00	$1100.00
Regular Incorporation	$295.00	$585.00
Personal Real Estate Closing	$250.00	$675.00

**Court costs, filing fees and time charged for travel to and from any courts are additional.

Detailed Legal Services definitions can be found in Definitions and Miscellaneous Information section.

Guaranteed Low Hourly Rates

Plan attorneys have contracted to charge no more than $125.00 per hour, or 40% off their usual and customary hourly rate, whichever is greater, for legal care that goes beyond the free and discounted services described above.

Retainers

In the case of extended legal care, plan attorneys may ask you for a retainer. Any retainer sought will be computed by multiplying the number of hours a plan attorney believes a case will take, by the plan’s discounted hourly rate. For instance: 10 hours x $125.00 = a retainer of $1,250.00. Any unused portion of the retainer will be returned to you.

Contingency Fee Discounts

The contingency fee discount will be a 10% reduction of the state maximum rate or the attorney's usual rate, whichever is lower.

Definitions and Miscellaneous Information

BANKRUPTCY CHAPTER 7: Includes preparation of the petition, documents, and scheduling of a 341 hearing. Filing fees, court appearances and costs are additional. Attorneys may charge one fixed rate, which would include the basic fixed fee plus costs, court time and expenses. To qualify for the discounted rate, income cannot exceed the state’s median income in which the bankruptcy is being filed. If income exceeds state’s median income, plan attorneys can assist members at the guaranteed low hourly rate.

DIVORCE (SIMPLE): Plan attorneys will review and prepare the documents and/or petitions necessary for a simple divorce. Plan attorneys will represent you, one time, at the final hearing. To qualify for a simple divorce, the plan member’s spouse is not represented by separate counsel, there are no minor children under age 18, marital assets are less than $70,000 and all issues are agreed to without aid of counsel. Additional court appearances, mediations, the filing or preparation of documents affecting property, costs, or separation agreements, are not included and would be handled at the guaranteed low hourly rate.

ELIGIBLE FAMILY MEMBERS: Are defined as the plan member’s spouse or domestic partner, dependent children who are under the age of 25 and any categorically dependent individuals living in the plan member’s home such as a parent or grandparent. Where applicable, please note the identity theft insurance and identity monitoring coverage are limited only to the member.

INCORPORATION (REGULAR): Includes preparation of the incorporation documents, (articles of incorporation, by laws, and the minutes). This does not include filing fees, costs or the corporate kit. Any extended work for the new corporation is not eligible for family plan discounts. Not-for- profit organizations, limited liability companies (LLC’s) and limited liability partnerships (LLP’s) are not included in this definition. Plan attorneys can assist members choosing to set these entities up at the guaranteed low hourly rate.

NAME CHANGE: Plan attorneys will assist you and your family in obtaining a name change when it is not contested or challenged by another party. This includes preparation of the petition, attendance at the hearing, and preparation and review of the final judgment document. This fee does not include additional court appearances, filing fees, or the attorney’s travel time to and from the courthouse.

NON-SUPPORT (SPOUSE/CHILD): The discounted fee for you and your family includes the preparation for and the attendance at a single hearing for judgments or contempt citations for non-payment of alimony and child support maintenance. Additionally, the plan attorney will provide one hour of collection efforts after the hearing, which may include an initial phone call made and/or a collection letter written on the your behalf.

Preparation does not include obtaining discovery evidence, extended court time and extended collections work. All extended legal care will be provided to members at the guaranteed low hourly rate.

PLAN/PARTICIPATING ATTORNEYS: Are defined as licensed and qualified to practice law in their state, to maintain professional liability insurance if required by their state, and have contracted with Legal Services to provide legal services to plan members as outlined in this Plan Member Guidebook for the law areas that they handle and the cases that they accept.

PLAN MEMBER: Is defined as any person who has purchased a Legal Services™ membership and is current with their payments.

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE CLOSING: The discounted fee for a residential real estate closing includes a free initial consultation and the review of the member’s purchase or sales agreement. Additionally, the plan attorney will provide one hour of representation at the closing for the purchase or sale of residential real estate. Additional hours will be billed at the guaranteed low hourly rate.

All research including Title insurance, liens, deeds, property judgments, flood, hazard, or mortgage insurance, and fees associated with filing real estate documents in your state are not included in the definition or covered by this discounted rate. Additional work will always be done at the guaranteed low hourly rate.

SIMPLE WILL (NO CHARGE WILL): Is defined as a will distributing personal property and homestead, not involving trusts, specific bequests, real estate, tax matters, guardianships, living wills, health care proxies or partitions.

SIMPLE WILL WITH MINOR’S TRUST: The discounted fee includes the preparation of a Simple Will with a Minor’s Trust for the surviving minor children of the plan member. This document will contain information related to minor children (specifically; name, date of birth, social security number), real estate, specific bequests, and information pertaining to the appointed guardian of the estate of our member.

This fee does not cover extensive information regarding retirement plans, investments and their tax treatment, other kinds of trusts, complex tax matters, or estate planning. Counsel for these additional areas of law will be provided to plan members at the guaranteed low hourly rate.

TRAFFIC DEFENSE: The discounted fee applies to first time non-criminal traffic infractions including but not limited to; violation of traffic control device, failure to stop at a stop sign, improper change of lane, illegal turns, improper or unsafe equipment, expired tag, no proof of insurance, unlawful speed, improper passing, failure to use turn signal, failure to yield the right of way and safety belt violations.

The special privileged rate applies to each individual non-criminal traffic infraction. The discounted fee includes the preparation of any necessary court documents and attendance at a single court hearing to settle a single, first time, non-criminal traffic infraction.

The discounted fee does not include court costs, fines imposed by the presiding judge, additional scheduled hearings or other traffic matters that the court deems to be criminal in nature.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Participating attorneys are bound by their state’s professional code of ethics. They will advise you if they have a conflict of interest in taking your case. Attorneys have the inherent right to decline a case for any reason. However, plan attorneys have agreed not to reject any eligible plan member seeking services by reason of the amount of fees to which he or she may be entitled to charge under the Legal Services plan. If this occurs, you may be referred to another attorney on the plan by calling Legal Services’s Member Services Department for assistance.
Attorney fees are paid directly to your plan attorney. Participating attorneys are not employees of Legal Club of America or Legal Services and have no financial obligation to the company.
Legal Club of America, Legal Club Financial or Legal Services or any of their agents, officers, or subsidiaries are not liable to indemnify or reimburse any plan member or participating attorney for any attorney fees or costs generated by the plan member.
Legal Club of America, Legal Club Financial or Legal Services, its subsidiaries, State Bar Associations and other regulatory agencies do not guarantee the quality or quantity of legal services that are provided by plan attorneys. However, all participating attorneys are required to provide certificates of liability insurance if required by their state associations, and background checks are performed periodically to verify that they are in good standing.
The plan attorneys in their attorney/client relationship have the sole responsibility for providing legal services to the plan member.
Legal Club of America, Legal Club Financial or Legal Services is not a law firm, insurance carrier or a provider of legal services.
The term “guarantee” refers to the guarantee that Legal Club of America, Legal Club Financial or Legal Services will use its best effort to locate and refer its members to an attorney that will abide by the fee schedule outlined herein. If an attorney cannot be found for a member, the member’s only recourse is a refund of the most recent month’s membership fee.
Court filing fees, expert witness fees, court costs, court reporter fees, transcript expenses, photocopying costs, postage, telephone toll charges and any other incidental expenses incurred by the plan member are excluded from discounted rates under any of the three pricing formulas described. Travel expenses are not eligible at discounted rates when the attorney must travel to represent a plan member’s interests.
Information and terms are subject to change.

Terms & Conditions

The following matters are excluded from your plan privileges:

Legal matters involving the laws of jurisdictions outside the United States or its subdivisions.
Legal matters where the plan member has already retained participating counsel at their usual rates prior to enrollment in Legal Club of America, Legal Club Financial or Legal Services.
Frivolous legal matters as determined by the plan attorney in accordance with the professional code of ethics in their state.
Any action involving Legal Club of America, Legal Club Financial or Legal Services, plan attorneys, affiliated companies or any of their company’s or affiliated company’s directors, officers, employees or agents in any matter in which they have interests adverse to the plan member’s.
Legal matters against the plan sponsor, employer, directors, officers, agents or employees, where Legal Club of America, Legal Club Financial or Legal Services membership was gained through the sponsor or employer’s efforts.
In matters where the plan member and eligible family member have adverse interests, only the original plan member is eligible for plan discounts and not the family member unless both parties provide written authorization and consent otherwise.

detailed_b2c_SP

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 21:59:57 GMT

Servicios Legales

¿Tiene preguntas legales? Obtenga respuestas legales de abogados experimentados a tarifas de descuento. Los abogados prestan ayuda con multas de tránsito, bancarrota, divorcio, y manutención de cónyuge y niños. ¡También se encuentran disponibles servicios adicionales sin costo!

Los servicios gratuitos* incluyen consultas personales, llamadas por abogados, ayuda con documentos legales, asistencias con representación de bienestar social e INS en el tribunal de reclamos menores y Testamento Simple y en Vida
Los abogados solo cobrar $125 por hora o un 40% menos de su tarifa horaria, lo que sea mayor
10% de descuento en todos los casos basados en contingencia
Será derivado a abogados del plan en base a su ubicación, idioma y área de derecho

*En determinadas situaciones, la responsabilidad del abogado podrá requerir que el abogado del plan solicite un contrato antes de brindar algunos de los servicios legales gratuitos.

short_b2c_SP

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 21:59:19 GMT

Servicios Legales

oneline_b2c_SP

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 21:58:53 GMT

¿Tiene preguntas legales? Obtenga respuestas legales. Servicios sin costo y de descuento de abogados experimentados.

detailed_b2b_SP

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 21:57:24 GMT

Servicios Legales

Con una tarifa horaria nacional promedio de $381, contactar a un abogado puede parecer fuera del alcance. Bríndeles a sus miembros acceso a tarifas gratuitas y con descuentos en servicios de parte de abogados experimentados. Los abogados prestan ayuda con multas de tránsito, bancarrota, divorcio, y manutención de cónyuge y niños. También se encuentran disponibles servicios adicionales sin costo.

Los servicios gratuitos* incluyen consultas personales, llamadas por abogados, ayuda con documentos legales, asistencias con representación de bienestar social e INS en el tribunal de reclamos menores y Testamento Simple y en Vida
Los abogados solo cobrar $125 por hora o un 40% menos de su tarifa horaria, lo que sea mayor
Los miembros recibirán 10% de descuento en todos los casos basados en contingencia
Los miembros serán derivado a abogados del plan en base a su ubicación, idioma y área de derecho

*En determinadas situaciones, la responsabilidad del abogado podrá requerir que el abogado del plan solicite un contrato antes de brindar algunos de los servicios legales gratuitos.

short_b2b_SP

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 21:56:46 GMT

Servicios Legales

oneline_b2b_SP

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 21:56:07 GMT

Los miembros tienen acceso a servicios sin costo y de descuento de abogados experimentados.

oneline_b2c

Wed, 16 Apr 2014 15:24:30 GMT

Have legal questions? Get legal answers. Free and discounted services from experienced lawyers.

detailed_b2c

Wed, 16 Apr 2014 15:23:30 GMT

Legal Services

Have legal questions? Get legal answers from experienced lawyers at discounted rates. Attorneys help with traffic tickets, bankruptcy, divorce, and spousal and child support. Additional services are also available at no cost to you!

Free services* include one-on-one consultations, attorney-made phone calls, help with legal documents, assistance with welfare and INS, representation in small claims court, and a Simple and Living Will
Attorneys only charge $125 an hour or 40% off their hourly rate, whichever is greater
10% off all contingency-based cases
You’ll be referred to plan attorneys based on location, language and area of law

*In certain situations, attorney liability may require plan attorneys to ask for a retainer prior to providing some of the free legal services.

short_b2c

Wed, 16 Apr 2014 15:22:51 GMT

Legal Services

detailed_b2b

Wed, 16 Apr 2014 15:20:01 GMT

Legal Services

With a national average hourly rate of $381, contacting an attorney may seem out of reach. Give your members access to free and discounted rates on services from experienced lawyers. Attorneys help with traffic tickets, bankruptcy, divorce, spousal and child support. Additional services are also available at no cost.

Free services* include one-on-one consultations, attorney-made phone calls, help with legal documents, assistance with welfare and INS, representation in small claims court, and a Simple and Living Will
Attorneys only charge $125 an hour or 40% off their hourly rate, whichever is greater
Members receive 10% off all contingency-based cases
Members are referred to plan attorneys based on location, language and area of law

*In certain situations, attorney liability may require plan attorneys to ask for a retainer prior to providing some of the free legal services.

short_b2b

Wed, 16 Apr 2014 15:19:31 GMT

Legal Services

With a national average hourly rate of $381, contacting an attorney may seem out of reach. Give your members access to free and discounted rates on services from experienced lawyers.Attorneys help with traffic tickets, bankruptcy, divorce, spousal and child support. Additional services are also available at no cost.

oneline_b2b

Wed, 16 Apr 2014 15:18:56 GMT

Members have access to free and discounted rates on services from experienced lawyers.

FAQ Spanish

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:35:38 GMT

Preguntas Frecuentes de Servicios Legales

P. ¿Puedo cambiar de abogados por cualquier motivo?
R. Sí. Comuníquese al número que se encuentra en el reverso de su tarjeta de membresía para que lo remitan nuevamente a otro abogado participante en cualquier momento.

P. ¿Qué áreas del derecho están disponibles?
R. Todas las áreas del derecho que sean elegibles para los descuentos, incluidos, entre otros, las infracciones de tráfico simples y los juicios de custodia, penales y civiles.

P. ¿Son los miembros de mi familia elegibles para recibir estos servicios?
R. Sí. Tanto usted como su cónyuge y sus dependientes legales pueden utilizar este beneficio.

Q. ¿Dónde puedo obtener una descripción completa de los beneficios?
R. Visite legalcaredirect.com para obtener más información.

Video-General Information

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:01:55 GMT

Gen Info-Consumer Spanish

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:22:25 GMT

Servicios Legales

Los servicios gratuitos* incluyen consultas personales, llamadas por abogados, ayuda con documentos legales, asistencias con representación de bienestar social e INS en el tribunal de reclamos menores y Testamento Simple y en Vida
Los abogados solo cobrar $125 por hora o un 40% menos de su tarifa horaria, lo que sea mayor
10% de descuento en todos los casos basados en contingencia
Será derivado a abogados del plan en base a su ubicación, idioma y área de derecho

*En determinadas situaciones, la responsabilidad del abogado podrá requerir que el abogado del plan solicite un contrato antes de brindar algunos de los servicios legales gratuitos.

Gen Info-Consumer

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:10:50 GMT

Legal Services

Free services* include one-on-one consultations, attorney-made phone calls, help with legal documents, assistance with welfare and INS, representation in small claims court, and a Simple and Living Will
Attorneys only charge $125 an hour or 40% off their hourly rate, whichever is greater
10% off all contingency-based cases
You’ll be referred to plan attorneys based on location, language and area of law

*In certain situations, attorney liability may require plan attorneys to ask for a retainer prior to providing some of the free legal services.

B2B-General Information

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:41:53 GMT

Legal Services

Free services* include one-on-one consultations, attorney-made phone calls, help with legal documents, assistance with welfare and INS, representation in small claims court, and a Simple and Living Will
Attorneys only charge $125 an hour or 40% off their hourly rate, whichever is greater
Members receive 10% off all contingency-based cases
Members are referred to plan attorneys based on location, language and area of law

*In certain situations, attorney liability may require plan attorneys to ask for a retainer prior to providing some of the free legal services.

Gen Info-Spanish

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:22:38 GMT

Servicios Legales

Los servicios gratuitos* incluyen consultas personales, llamadas por abogados, ayuda con documentos legales, asistencias con representación de bienestar social e INS en el tribunal de reclamos menores y Testamento Simple y en Vida
Los abogados solo cobrar $125 por hora o un 40% menos de su tarifa horaria, lo que sea mayor
10% de descuento en todos los casos basados en contingencia
Será derivado a abogados del plan en base a su ubicación, idioma y área de derecho

*En determinadas situaciones, la responsabilidad del abogado podrá requerir que el abogado del plan solicite un contrato antes de brindar algunos de los servicios legales gratuitos.

Intro

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:10:49 GMT

Nearly one in five Americans faced a legal issue last year. Legal Services offers 9 free services, including unlimited initial phone consultations for new legal matters.

FAQ

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:25:37 GMT

Can I change attorneys for whatever reason?
Yes. You can call for a new referral to a participating attorney anytime.

What areas of law are available?
All areas of law are eligible for the discounts; including but not limited to, simple traffic offenses to more complicated custody, criminal and civil suits.

Are family members eligible to receive these services?
Yes. This benefit may be used by you, your spouse and legal dependents.

Where can I find a complete description of benefits?
Click here for more information.

Statistics

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 09:45:09 GMT

Statistics

“The average 2012 hourly billing rate was about $536 for law firm partners and $370 for associates.” ABA Journal, 2013

“Fifty percent of Americans with children do not have a will and 41% of baby boomers (age 55-64) don't have one. The top three reasons cited by survey respondents for not having a will: procrastination, a belief that they don't need one and cost.” RocketLawyer.com, 2012

“Twenty-two percent of American adults say they had a legal issue in the last year that potentially warranted hiring an attorney. Twelve percent say they did hire a lawyer in the last year. Eleven percent said they could have hired a lawyer to handle their legal issue but elected not to. And 5% said they tackled the issue by representing themselves and appearing in court without a lawyer.” FindLaw.com, 2013

“Around 800,000 to 900,000 couples divorce each year.” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“More than a million people filed for bankruptcy during the 12-month period ending March 31, 2014.” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Among employers with voluntary benefit programs, offering legal services is relatively common but by no means universal, with 55 percent making this option available to employees, according to a 2013 survey of 320 large U.S. employers conducted by Towers Watson.” Towers Watson, 2013.

“Among all employers, only 21 percent offer legal assistance services.” Society for Human Resource Management’s 2014 Employee Benefits Report.

Savings

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 09:43:34 GMT

Deeply Discounted Legal Services*

The following are eight (8) commonly used legal services for which plan attorneys have agreed to charge a one-time, deeply discounted fee:

Legal Service	Average Cost	Legal Club Cost	Savings Percentage
Traffic Ticket Defense	$199.00	$89.00	55%
Name Change	$1,100.00	$155.00	85%
Simple Will With Minor's Trust	$530.00	$250.00	53%
Chapter 7 Bankruptcy	$1,500.00	$750.00	50%
Non-Support (Spouse/Child)	$1,490.00	$275.00	82%
Simple Divorce	$1,100.00	$275.00	75%
Corporation (Regular)	$585.00	$295.00	50%
Personal (Non-Commercial Real Estate Closing)	$675.00	$250.00	63%
	National Average	Discounted Rate	Savings Percentage
Hourly Rates	$204.00/hour	$125.00/hour	40%

*Court costs, filing fees and time charged for travel to and from any courts are additional.

General Information

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 09:41:51 GMT

Legal Services

Free services* include one-on-one consultations, attorney-made phone calls, help with legal documents, assistance with welfare and INS, representation in small claims court, and a Simple and Living Will
Attorneys only charge $125 an hour or 40% off their hourly rate, whichever is greater
10% off all contingency-based cases
You’ll be referred to plan attorneys based on location, language and area of law

*In certain situations, attorney liability may require plan attorneys to ask for a retainer prior to providing some of the free legal services.