YANML but should these other people be my lawyers?
November 11, 2021 3:24 PM Subscribe
My company is offering, as part of the benefits package, discounted membership in a legal resources group. It's heavily discounted but not free. Is this worth doing? NOTE: I do not currently have ANY lawyer, and I do anticipate having some legal needs in the near future.
Per their website and my company's benefits guide, I would have access to:
-free consultations in their network
-a local firm as a point of contact/on retainer
-free document prep and review for stuff like wills and POAs
-discounted hourly rates on other stuff
My family has never had like, a "family lawyer" or been clients of a particular firm or anything, and so I have never really known where to start. I handled my divorce myself, and just haven't really ever encountered the legal system in a major way otherwise, so it hasn't really mattered.
My thinking is that in the next year or two I will definitely need to be getting things like wills and POAs sorted out, and possibly needing to dispute some landlord stuff, and that this might be an OK stopgap solution. BUT, it could also be just a total ripoff, in which case I'll save the 10 bucks a month or whatever and just try to make more rich friends who have good lawyers to recommend. (Or save that for my next AskMe, ha.)
Thanks in advance, metafilterinos!
Per their website and my company's benefits guide, I would have access to:
-free consultations in their network
-a local firm as a point of contact/on retainer
-free document prep and review for stuff like wills and POAs
-discounted hourly rates on other stuff
My family has never had like, a "family lawyer" or been clients of a particular firm or anything, and so I have never really known where to start. I handled my divorce myself, and just haven't really ever encountered the legal system in a major way otherwise, so it hasn't really mattered.
My thinking is that in the next year or two I will definitely need to be getting things like wills and POAs sorted out, and possibly needing to dispute some landlord stuff, and that this might be an OK stopgap solution. BUT, it could also be just a total ripoff, in which case I'll save the 10 bucks a month or whatever and just try to make more rich friends who have good lawyers to recommend. (Or save that for my next AskMe, ha.)
Thanks in advance, metafilterinos!
Is it LegalShield? They're okay for the normal stuff, but they also sell through MLM, which made them kinda shady, and I think they sell direct starting at $30 a month, so if your employer is picking up 2/3rds of the cost (probably less) it's not too bad.
posted by kschang at 4:24 PM on November 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by kschang at 4:24 PM on November 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
Probably very decent for basic stuff. Different attorneys do different things. Use your tokens for these guys, and save real expenses for more complex legal needs (if they ever arise).
posted by firstdaffodils at 4:54 PM on November 11, 2021
posted by firstdaffodils at 4:54 PM on November 11, 2021
I have Legal Shield through work. We have a deal where I can cancel any time. SO I've signed up for them twice for short periods of time and it's been worth it. But only because I cancelled after my needs were met.
1) Signed up, got them to do a boilerplate will and living will for my wife and I, then quit the service.
2) My parents died, I signed up, got them to look over the Trust documents I had, and give me a to-do list of how to execute the estate. Called back and talked to same dude to answer some specific questions that came up later about it. I need to cancel now, I'm glad you reminded me.
I don't perceive they would be helpful for anything more complex than what I describe above.
posted by latkes at 9:00 PM on November 11, 2021
1) Signed up, got them to do a boilerplate will and living will for my wife and I, then quit the service.
2) My parents died, I signed up, got them to look over the Trust documents I had, and give me a to-do list of how to execute the estate. Called back and talked to same dude to answer some specific questions that came up later about it. I need to cancel now, I'm glad you reminded me.
I don't perceive they would be helpful for anything more complex than what I describe above.
posted by latkes at 9:00 PM on November 11, 2021
If it’s LegalShield, I would not.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:03 PM on November 11, 2021
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:03 PM on November 11, 2021
I have used Legal Shield's free letter writing service, to glorious effect. I had a health insurer from a previous year send me a demand for the $2k or so that they paid in pharmacy claims even though the pharmacy had our correct company on file, and the former company allowed the charges to process for like six months. Opened a case, got a free letter sent. Boom, a letter basically apologizing telling me they will leave me alone.
I did the same getting a former bank to close an account without negative marks. I believe I used it a few other times too, not sure for what.
Even if I am not recouping my cost, the opportunity to have a lawyer send a threatening letter to the Man for any perceived injustice for like $18 per month pays dividends for me.
I've also used it for family law consultation. And once I got a ticket and they were able to send someone in their network to the courthouse which got me a lower fee and no points on my license.
Maybe wealthier people are used to that stuff but I've never had someone on retainer and for my meager background something like that almost feels posh.
I guess whether it's worth it depends on what you value. I value having some extra power in my back pocket to wield against big companies trying to take advantage of the little guy, and the convenience of certain elements.
If your service doesn't include free letters on your behalf it might not be as worth it. I've used that part much more than I expected to.
posted by crunchy potato at 9:31 PM on November 11, 2021 [4 favorites]
I did the same getting a former bank to close an account without negative marks. I believe I used it a few other times too, not sure for what.
Even if I am not recouping my cost, the opportunity to have a lawyer send a threatening letter to the Man for any perceived injustice for like $18 per month pays dividends for me.
I've also used it for family law consultation. And once I got a ticket and they were able to send someone in their network to the courthouse which got me a lower fee and no points on my license.
Maybe wealthier people are used to that stuff but I've never had someone on retainer and for my meager background something like that almost feels posh.
I guess whether it's worth it depends on what you value. I value having some extra power in my back pocket to wield against big companies trying to take advantage of the little guy, and the convenience of certain elements.
If your service doesn't include free letters on your behalf it might not be as worth it. I've used that part much more than I expected to.
posted by crunchy potato at 9:31 PM on November 11, 2021 [4 favorites]
Most of LegalShield’s value is illusory, having worked through them.
That’s about as much as I can say.
posted by snuffleupagus at 2:23 AM on November 12, 2021
That’s about as much as I can say.
posted by snuffleupagus at 2:23 AM on November 12, 2021
Response by poster: (For what it's worth, it is not LegalShield, it seems to be a group called Legal Resources.)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:52 AM on November 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:52 AM on November 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
« Older Acetone and plastic glasses frames don't mix | When is it time to part with these valuable cards? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
I would not trust these services for something like a divorce - and the one at my work specifically excludes divorce - but unless you have particularly complicated finances/assets, a will is exactly the sort of service they design for.
posted by saeculorum at 3:59 PM on November 11, 2021 [4 favorites]