Who is Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.?

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. was one of the first companies in the United States organized solely to design, underwrite and market legal expense plans. For a low monthly fee of $26 or less, the Company's legal expense plans (referred to as memberships) offer a variety of legal services in a manner similar to medical reimbursement plans for HMOs. Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. provides members access to professional legal counsel not only for traditional legal problems, but for everyday events such as buying a house or a car, creating a will, handling a problem with an insurance company, dealing with identity theft, and much more where legal review should be routine, but rarely is. These events can be among the most important events in a person's life, yet there is a tendency for them to take place without proper legal review. For Pre-Paid Legal members, access to legal counsel is only a toll-free phone call away. Today, over 1.5 million North American families rely upon services provided by Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. As a market leader providing legal plans and services since 1972, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc., provides family plans, specialized professional and group plans, and business plans through a network of independent law firms under contract with the company. The company also provides other innovative services such as the Identity Theft Shield, which includes credit monitoring and credit restoration in the event of identity theft. Our members are served by provider law firms, which have been carefully screened and selected by Pre-Paid Legal. Using the plan, members simply call their provider firm directly at the toll-free number on their membership card when they have a legal question or problem. It's really that simple. Pre-Paid Legal does all the work; no searching for a qualified lawyer, no claim forms, no worries about being able to afford a lawyer - just peace of mind. In 2000, Pre-Paid Legal makes the Forbes list of the 200 Best Small Companies in America for the fifth year in a row. As Pre-Paid Legal Founder Harland Stonecipher co-authors The Pre-Paid Legal Story, his company now surpasses the one million membership mark. In 2001, Pre-Paid Legal finalizes building plans for a new $30 million corporate campus. With memberships now available in 48 states and four provinces and the corporate campus finished, Pre-Paid Legal is positioned for exceptional growth and success. A home office staff of over 700 now supports over 1.5 million Members and Independent Associates across North America. Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. provides members with a "Life Events Legal Plan," as well as an "Identity Theft Shield" plan.

My Initial Thoughts

When first hearing about Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc., needless to say I laughed at the thought of such a service existing.  What legal representation and/or services can one expect to receive for as little as $16.00 a month?  This is where I had the strongest concern in the fact that we as a consumer have always been told that usually with a product or service, you get what you pay for right?

Well, with Pre-Paid Legal Services, there was nothing different with having the same thought process, that we again for such a small fee, will be getting a quality product.  Protecting my family interests has always been a top priority for me.  Having medical insurance, I've always chosen the best benefits package available in order to ensure my family is getting the best care.  The cost no doubt is very important, but there are times when we know that cutting corners and trying to save in this area can have consequences.  Same holds true for automobile insurance.

We search for a great product that covers our needs and in the same process, try to get the final price to something that we can feel comfortable with but that also falls within our financial window of affordability.  However, upon further investigation, you will find that a large portion of consumers will add things such as towing services, rental-car reimbursement, etc., to their plans.  Obviously this increases the overall cost of the product, but we do it, because it increases the amount of coverage we now have at our fingertips which again is not only convenient but brings closure to what we want as a consumer.

What would you expect to receive from a corporation such as Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc., when paying $16.00 a month?  This is where I would like to seek information from those that can take a fixed price for a service and then relate it to the actual type of product and in return debate on those services that one would expect to receive.  Thank you for taking the time to discuss the topic.  I hope others find it also important to debate those issues that matter the most to us.  We each have a right to equal access within this country.

With the expensive cost for legal consultation for those wealthy enough to afford it and then those that are not wealthy enough and qualify for free public defenders, this leaves a large portion of the population without the financial means to have a 24/7 legal service and/or not qualifying for free representation from the courts.