Pre-paid legal services for small businessIf you are operating your own business, you cannot afford to go it alone
when it comes to legal matters. The ever increasing complexities of law,
spiralling costs of lawsuits and the proliferation of government red tape
can land you in a lot of trouble.
The flip of the coin is hardly attractive either! Hiring a lawyer can
constitute a substantial financial investment many cash-strapped small
businesses and entrepreneurs cannot sustain. Lawyers charge a minimum of
$200 per hour when it comes to
"business law" and it can get very
costly if you are involved in lengthy legal procedures, complicated
contracts or business transactions.
There may just be a glitter of hope in pre-paid legal plans. For a set
monthly price, some legal providers are now bundling a whole suite of
legal services especially tailored to the needs of small-businesses.
Whether you need phone consultation on the legal complexities of a lease
contract, or require legal representation during tax audits, a pre-paid
plan can help you manage legal costs. An array of services is included as
"standard coverage" at no cost to you in the plan, and any legal matters
not covered can be provided with a discount on fees.
Before you take the leap, you need to keep some caveats in mind.
You need to know more about the quality of service you are likely to get.
While lower fees do not necessarily infer lower quality of work, it is
always necessary to bear in mind that legal specialization plays a crucial
part and lawyers are not interchangeable. Ask for references from previous
clients or ask entrepreneurs who've used the services of the provider about
the quality of work they have received from them. Use your state bar
association, service organizations in your locale and your local Better
Business Bureau to research law firms and the background of the attorneys
in the network before selecting them. Things to look for are the number of
years they have been operating, complaints from previous customers, the
education background of attorneys, professional track record and so forth.
With the increasing amount of small businesses involved in litigation and
fee disputes with their legal providers, I iss important to give some
thought to alternative courses of actions when dealing with disputes. Ask
your prospective provider about the way in which they settle disputes or
complaints. Do they have an in-house procedure to deal with complaints,
appoint a senior attorney to deal with such things or do you simply have to
settle out of court?
Are Pre-paid services worth the money?
You may be covered when it comes to health, life, car or home insurance but what about legal coverage? The question is not if you'll need a lawyer, but when: according to the American Bar Association (ABA) "Americans have come to view...
The access legal plan
Pre-paid legal plans come in a variety of types depending on the scope of legal coverage they provide. The most basic pre-paid plan is designed to make the simple legal services readily available to the general public at low cost. These...
Why you need legal help
We are likely to need legal help at least once a year, yet most of us do not actively seek legal help. This is borne out of data from a survey conducted by Leo J. Shapiro & Associates, on behalf of the American Bar Association's...
Prepaid and Small Business
Legal advice for small businesses does not have to be expensive. With pre-paid legal plans, a wide array of legal services designed specifically to cater for the needs of small businesses is available for a set yearly fee ranging from $125...
Group Legal plans benefits for employer and employee
A properly developed group legal insurance plan can be the perfect complement to any employer's work life initiative. Considering that many employees are nowadays increasingly swayed by benefit options when making career decisions, Legal...
|
|
| |
|
