Articles Posted in Group Legal Services

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Everyone is relieved the tax season is over. The Internal Revenue Service got its fair share and we are done with the 1040 tax form for this year. However, this does not mean everybody is finished with tax paperwork.

Property taxes can be a quarterly, bi-annual, or annual event. It all depends on the jurisdiction or the property. People may dispute the property taxes assessed. There are procedures for appealing the tax amount. Not everyone understands the appeals process and how important certain information is for a successful appeal. Their case is consequently rejected because of this ignorance. There are also other matters that deal with public agencies. Parents may need special services for a disabled child or an elderly parent. Foreign born employees are not always familiar with the process and cannot get needed assistance. Group legal plans should offer help with public agencies. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services provides such assistance to our plan members.

Assistance with Public Agencies

Government entities have regulations and guidelines which direct activity. Public employees must follow these procedures and Countrywide knows this. Our nationwide network of attorneys is familiar with the rules because the lawyers interact with public agencies. Continue reading

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Group legal plans will aggressively market their pre-paid legal services. These companies will make a point of telling what they will do for a client’s workforce. We have no problem with anyone promoting what they can do. Nevertheless, we maintain the right formula for any group legal plan is S + E = Q (Service + Empathy = Quality). Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services adheres to that formula.

Helping All Plan Members

Countrywide wants to help plan members with common everyday legal challenges. The problems vary from person to person. One may need help writing a simple will while another wants advice on how to file a consumer protection complaint. The Countrywide group legal plan exists to assist.

We do not rely on webpages to provide service. All our pre-paid legal services are provided by seasoned attorneys. Lawyers are part of a nationwide network. We have legal professionals practicing in a client’s community. Countrywide encourages rapport between the plan member and the lawyer. The relationship is cultivated in several ways. Continue reading

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People get annoyed with government. There are benefits and services they are qualified to receive, but nothing appears to happen. Applications are rejected and deadlines are missed. It appears an individual is not getting what he or she deserves. These difficulties are even greater for new immigrants and their families. Group legal plans offer a significant benefit if they assist in dealing with government agencies. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services does offer such help to group legal plan members.

It Depends on Information

Public employees are not trying to be difficult. Consumer-friendly service is a priority and the various agencies want to help. Information can be a stumbling block. Services require specific information before they are approved. Online applications can be confusing, and the wrong data supplied.

Countrywide has a nationwide network of attorneys. These professionals have continually worked with all levels of government and know how information must be presented. They will help a group legal plan member submit a better-organized application with all the needed data. Continue reading

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We live in an information world. Much of it is useful, but only if a person has access to it. Legal matters often appear vague and difficult to research. Individuals need information in the form of answers to questions. It is also important to receive suggestions and guidance on legal professionals. Not all group legal plans can deliver the goods.

Taking the Easy Way Out

Automation makes matters convenient but is not always consumer friendly. Alexa type response mediums can work for certain products but not pre-paid legal services; chat room member services are not much help, either. Consumer protection gets complicated and estate law varies from state to state. People want to be able to make telephone calls to attorneys without being charged. They want to talk face-to-face with a real person about medical powers of attorney. Consumers don’t want to scan legal documents into a portal for review. In short, a group legal plan must offer member sensitive services that provide information. That is what Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services does.

Stressing Personal Contact

We have a nationwide network of lawyers in our group legal plan administration. These professionals practice in the communities where our clients are located and the attorneys are easy to contact. Countrywide encourages face-to-face meetings. These are easy to schedule because a Countrywide group legal plan member has priority status. Continue reading

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The judicial system moves slowly, and probate court is perhaps the most cautious. Probate takes its time because the court concerns itself with the legitimate rights of survivorship. The most commonly used pre-paid legal services benefit of group legal plans is drafting simple wills. This is something all plan members should use.

The Real Benefit of Simple Wills

Probate moves faster when the deceased has left behind a simple will. An executor will supervise the administration of the estate. There is no need for a court-appointed administrator. Probate will be there to adjudicate the final disbursements, but its role in daily estate administration is diminished. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has simple will writing as a group legal plan benefit.

Let the Attorney Do the Work

There are templates a person may use to write a will. However, these do not always capture the nuances of a person’s wishes. Learning what an individual wants to be included in the will requires questions to be asked and answered. Countrywide has a net of experienced lawyers who provide Countrywide services. They know how to write wills and what questions a person should answer in drafting a solid will. Continue reading

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American consumers have a right to good service and top quality. Whatever is purchased should be as it is advertised and offered to the buying public. That doesn’t always happen. Products or services are sometimes less than expected and warranties are not honored. Group legal plans ought to have a benefit that covers consumer protection and warranties. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offers that option in its group legal plan benefit.

Consumer Protection Goes Beyond a Product

Faulty appliances and cheap quality computers are what most people think about when it comes to consumer protection, but there is more. Consumer protection covers services as well. Improper installation of solar panels or a driveway that isn’t properly paved are topics of a consumer protection complaint. Warranties that deal primarily with repair service and deliver poor or incomplete work are not acceptable.

Consumers can file complaints but there is a reluctance to do this. People don’t want to complete all the paperwork required. When they do, they might forget about collecting needed evidence and this results in an incomplete complaint. Continue reading

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Organizations should pay close attention to living wills and powers of attorney. These are standard pre-paid legal services offered by group legal plans and both documents are important to any employer. Each can influence the claims experience of the group health plan.

The Basic Details

Living wills center on catastrophic and major medical care. An employee might be rendered unconscious. The victim’s wishes for medical care such as whether to use life support might not be not known. A living will spells out what is to be done in the event a person is unable to communicate. Medical powers of attorney assign decision-making responsibility. The person holding the authority will make decisions based on the victim’s express wishes and make final decisions about life support systems.

The Importance

Healthcare providers may not arbitrarily turn off life support or end treatment. A victim of a massive cardiac seizure might be on life support for months before dying. The claims experience continues to increase as the insurance policies are billed by the care providers and the employees group healthcare plan must absorb sizable costs. Continue reading

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Group legal plans will obviously promote their pre-paid legal services to prospective clients. The ability to write wills or review legal documents are stressed but that is insufficient. There are member services to consider as Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services well knows. Communication is important

Relationships Are Essential

Amazon’s Alexa appears to be the latest trend in customer service. Help chat rooms also are frequently used. These will not cover all the bases in a group legal plan. Plan members want a relationship with the service provider.

It can be brief but having a face identified with the voice means a lot. A person wants a face-to-face meeting with an attorney to discuss consumer protection among other matters. Drafting a living will and medical powers of attorney are emotional issues. It helps to deal directly with an attorney who has excellent people skills. Continue reading

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Group legal plans will advertise their ability to write wills. It is an excellent idea to have one and a last will should be on everyone’s bucket list. It isn’t. Too many people put off one until later. They believe they are too young to need one. It is a mistake to think that way and survivors pay for the error.

Time and Trouble

An excuse for not drafting a will might be state law. More states are eliminating estate taxes (by the way, you still need to report estate information to determine if you must pay other taxes). It’s only an excuse and not a real justification for ignoring something very important.

The will directs how an estate is to be managed and how assets are dispersed. No will means the probate court gets involved. It results in every estate decision requiring court approval. Delays are expensive. Survivors with large bills or college tuitions must wait months or even years for the final disbursement. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services knows how frustrating all of this is for family survivors. We provide a will writing option as a group legal plan benefit. Continue reading

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Employees who transfer into town are looking for place to live and not just stay. They want an apartment as soon as possible and are delighted when they find a place that is just right. The individual wants to move in as soon as possible and is anxious to sign a lease. That can be a problem.

The new tenant forgets to read the lease. That document is more than an agreement; it is a legal document. A tenant is bound to the terms and might accidentally sign away certain rights. Group legal plans should offer some protection against deceptive documents. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services provides for a review of legal documents that includes parental leases.

Experts Will Check the Clauses

The Countrywide national network of attorneys has legal professionals to review legalese for group legal plan members. Those lawyers know what should and should not be in a lease. Continue reading