Are prepaid legal service plans worth it?
Sorry to be the sandstorm on your beach vacation, but prepaid legal services may not save you a cent in legal fees. Prepaid plans are a type of legal insurance plan offered by a number of different companies and marketed through employers, labor unions, credit unions, department stores, credit card companies, and even door to door. The theory is that legal services, much the same as nuts and berries, are cheaper when bought in bulk. A relatively low yearly fee, sometimes under $100, purports to cover a number of lawyerly tasks. In fact, most low-cost plans cover only a couple of phone consultations — and a few basic services such as a simple will. Beyond that, you receive a discount for other types of legal services. But unfortunately, the resulting fee is often not much lower than you could negotiate if you called around on your own. The better and more expensive plans completely cover certain legal services, such as divorce, bankruptcy, and drunk driving defense. Also, to avoid obvi
