Articles Posted in Legal documents

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Modern society floats on a tide of legal documents and requirements. It doesn’t matter that the Internet has reduced paperwork and old-fashioned communications, there still is a need for certain documents to be filed and certain procedures to be followed. It’s all part of the legal world in which we live and one that is becoming increasingly more complicated as laws are introduced and old ones are amended. Common legal procedures such as a will can be done online, but terrible mistakes can also be made. If person is not familiar with the legal requirements of a given state or jurisdiction, it can result in any legal document including a will being declared invalid. This can cause very serious delays and even more expenses. That is what group legal plans are meant to prevent.

Companies will offer group legal plans as a benefit for their employees. Essentially the plan provides access to legal counsel for members, and services can range from basic legal filings to more complicated matters such as bankruptcy processing or personal injury. What makes legal services attractive is the cost. Attorneys are provided at fees that are much lower than what would ordinarily be charged to an individual. Members thus have better access to legal assistance and at highly affordable rates.

The value of group legal plans should not be underestimated. Daily life is awash with the need for various forms of documentation to address issues such as adoption and immigration. Even issues such as name changes or tenant matters may need the guiding hand of an attorney to keep things within the guidelines of the law. These are not do-it-yourself projects. Anyone who is an amateur is prone to making mistakes but the errors made in legal matters can be catastrophic and incredibly expensive to fix. Personal injury situations that are mishandled can even result in possible prison terms. As an employer gets a better understanding of the sheer complexity of legal issues that the employees face, it becomes incredibly clear that legal service can be a very highly valued employee benefit, if for no other reason than to relieve a hard-working employee of the stress and strain that can arise with matters that are deliberated in a court.

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The majority of us will never be involved in a high drama trial so why would we need prepaid legal services? You have a great job in Mountain View, CA and life is good. You make a good salary, you have money in savings, you pay your bills, and things are fine. Your human recourses department announces at work that there is a new addition to the employee benefits program, pre-paid legal services at Countrywide. Like your health coverage and everything else your company offers you as far as employee benefits you have the option to add this or decline it. You don’t even know a lawyer; you haven’t needed one your entire life, so why would you start paying for one now? You do a little research and find out that the payments are made through small payroll deduction which is nice. By signing up you have access to a huge network of attorneys that cover many legal issues that I may need. The best part is you do not have to worry about cost because I can call for advice, have face to face consultations, examination of my documents, and many more services are covered by those small payroll deductions.

It sounds great but you pass because again, you have never needed the services of an attorney in your entire life. So a few months go by and you want to buy a house, or you get a speeding ticket, or you need to refinance your mortgage, or you need to set up your will, or a family member died and you are inheriting money or something else happens and you need an attorney. So what do you do, you go straight for the phone book because that’s the only resource you have.

Studies have shown that over 81% of mistakes made in the legal field by the average person are actually related to paper work, either the person does not understand what they are reading/signing, or they do not know what needs to be filed. The fact is that unless you have knowledge of how to handle a legal situation the smartest thing you can do is to get an attorney to assist you. Now the average cost of an attorney, even for simple legal matters like helping you with documents, can be very expensive. However, if you have the benefit of prepaid legal services through your employer you do not have to worry about the cost and you can have immediate assistance from a qualified and experienced attorney.

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“I called off work on a Monday morning the weekend after Irene hit,” Paul Schollenberger says. He went on, “My basement was a flooded mess.” Schollenberger got to experience first-hand how unfortunate it is to not have legal counsel for insurance issues. Prepaid legal services could have helped to be the calm after the storm.

“I had no idea my homeowner’s policy did not include flood insurance,” Schollenberger reflected. He, like so many others, figured that reading comprehension and patience was enough to be able to decipher legal documents. Sadly, legal jargon and formalities used in binding legal documents often require an attorney to interpret.

Countrywide Prepaid Legal Services can help provide counsel to employees in need of review of legal documents. In fact, at Countrywide, members (who can sign up for benefits individually, or through employment benefits and pay via simple pay-roll deductions) receive unlimited legal counsel. This includes, but is not limited to, the aforesaid legal document review, unlimited telephone consultation, and legal letters on the individual’s behalf. All of this is, of course, included in one fee -far more affordable than an expensive retainer that dwindles quickly!

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In our last blog, we discussed the possibilities facing homeowners after Hurricane Irene rained down upon the east coast. Often, homeowners are under the impression that their homeowner’s policy protects them from almost anything, including flooding and storm damage. Unfortunately, homeowners insurance policies can be very nuanced and complicated. One might lack certain coverage that they think they have. Prepaid legal services can help assure that one’s policy protects them in the way they imagine.

Hurricane Irene brought floodwaters to those who normally do not see them. Those new to being touched by flooding surely got a rapid-fire lesson in homeowner’s policies, having never had to file such a claim -or, for that matter, finding out they could not.

Paul Schollenberger is one of those who got a startling reply after inquiring with his homeowner’s insurance provider post-Irene. Schollenberger, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a 26-year-old college graduate. After moving back home with his parents after graduation, Schollenberger scrimped and saved from his first paychecks as an advertising consultant. Eventually, he was able to put a down-payment on a house.

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You have braved your local grocery store. Fought your way through the chaotic aisles and shoved your neighbor out of the bottled beverage section faster than you rushed to the store. Alas, no bottled water. There’s a storm coming, this time a hurricane, and you are not the only one thinking about stocking up on essentials. Back to the car to try another store. Eventually, you are settled in, canned foods and bottled water in the pantry, when the rain comes. And comes. The basement floods. Hail dents the siding. There is nothing you can do but watch as the damage ensues. Would you feel better if you knew prepaid legal services were bearing the storm with you?

You should. As this article from ABC News points out, the storm might just be the beginning of your problems. The damage done to your home can be devastating. If you think your home owner’s policy has got you covered, you might just want to think again. Ed Rogan, of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance says that most general home owner’s policies do not contain flood insurance. Not only are you not covered, but you might not know it, says Rogan. Prepaid legal services can provide an additional safety net for you so you can rest assured with your bottled water as the storm beats upon your home.

With prepaid legal services through Countrywide, you can have an attorney take the time to review legal documents, like your home owner’s policy, without a hefty retainer. Sure, you are not a fool, but all that legal jargon and the plethora of stipulations might just catch you, and by the time you realize it, you and your home might just be six feet under water. It is best to have an attorney review all contracts you plan on entering before you sign on the dotted line. Further, in the event that you have an unhandled claim, you can rest comfortably, knowing you have the legal firepower behind you to fight your case.

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People make the mistake of labeling anyone who has needed to declare bankruptcy in New York as someone who has lost their job. The fact is that over forty percent of people who declare bankruptcy still have their job; the problem is they no longer make enough money to support themselves and therefore have to declare bankruptcy. You cannot declare on your own and there are too many legal matters to address. There are dozens of things that can play a part in declaring bankruptcy while you still have your job. A spouse loses their job, interest rates on loans sky rocket, you are being sued, you have suffered from identity theft, your savings was drained due to poor investing, and so many more possibilities. Finding the right legal help is important but it will not be cheap. There is a lot of work that needs to be done and if you are unable to find the right representation this matter can grow even more complicated for you.

This is why people who have prepaid legal services offered through their work have an easier time filing for bankruptcy than those who do not have some type of prepaid legal services. The numbers do not lie; the majority of people who have pre-paid legal services offered directly through their employer are able to have all legal matters taken care of within half the time when compared to those who do not have this service offered to them through work. Another interesting fact is that this service also is much cheaper than if you are forced to find legal assistance on your own. The way Pre-Paid Legal Services at Countrywide works is that it is an employee benefit offered through your human resources department. That means it is paid with small payroll deductions which makes payments much easier on you. Also rather than having to find your own attorney which can sometimes feel like playing pin the tail on the donkey with a phone book, you are connected to a vast network of qualified, certified, and experienced attorneys. The great thing about this network of attorneys is that you will have access to someone who has direct experience in the area you need help with. So if you need to file bankruptcy, you will have a bankruptcy attorney to help you. These services cannot be beaten if you are searching for help on your own, and there is no way you will find more affordable legal services.

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We live in a busy world. Often, when one wants things done around our homes, they turn to experts to take on the challenge for us. When one hires a contractor to complete work in their home, they are putting their very sanctuary in the hands of another person. Therefore, one needs to be prepared for the worst as they hope for the best when signing themselves up to have construction done on their home.

As reported by NBC News, some home contractors are often not what they appear to be. Victoria Corderi reports, “The home contracting industry nationally does $200 billion in business each year. There certainly are many honest contractors. But authorities estimate that millions of dollars are lost to unscrupulous ones.” Just ask the single mother in the article who hired a contractor to remodel her home -instead of a finished basement, the contractor left the home in shambles. The homeowner, left to fix the rotting foundation the contractor left behind, is facing foreclosure and debt exceeding $100,000. Often, there is no legal recourse for homeowners who have their trust violated by seedy contractors.

Pre-paid legal services can ensure that homeowners may rest assured while they have contracting work done on their homes. Instead of signing an unscrupulously written contract without knowing it, pre-paid legal services can provide document review services so a homeowner knows exactly what to expect during the course of their home repair or remodeling.

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If your human resources department in Baltimore, Maryland offers you the benefit of prepaid legal services you should consider it. You may think about the fact that you have never needed an attorney’s service in your entire life and that is why you are not interested in the benefit. However, if you really think about it there have been plenty of times when you really did need an attorneys services but you decided not to use one or decided to try and do it yourself because the cost was too great. How often have you had a ticket you had questions about, or were curious about setting up a will or other documents and you just couldn’t bring yourself to pay those high prices for an attorney, especially one you knew nothing about? This happens to everyone and the sad part is, you are doing things on your own and hope for the best. That’s not the way to go and there is a solution to this problem. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services will give you the best legal assistance possible at the lowest price possible.

The way prepaid legal services work is that they are paid by very small payroll deductions. This benefit is much less expensive than others like health insurance or financial planning. Once you are signed up you have access to a huge network of attorneys who specialize in various fields like; divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, identity theft recovery, legal documents, wills and trusts, and much more. Finding a qualified attorney in any of these fields on your own will be very time consuming because you have to go through a large number of attorneys before you find the one who fits your needs the best. Then you have to worry about the cost of consultations and especially the cost if you need to go to court. With legal service plans you do not have to worry about anything of the sort. You simply look at the qualified attorneys available to you via the network, contact which one specializes in the field you need their assistance in and everything will be taken care of. Also, these are not over the phone attorneys who live in another state. These are local, qualified and experienced attorneys who will assist you with any legal matter you have and they will get the job done for you. The benefit of legal service plans will save you time, effort, and especially money when you have to deal with legal matters. It’s better to have a professional available to assist you with these matters rather than try and handle them yourself.

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As summer fast approaches you may be more concerned about vacation and less concerned about legal documents, especially your will. However, that is a bad idea when you consider the fact that most traveling is done during the summer months and it is always smart to have your affairs in order prior to any long distance traveling. This is where having prepaid legal services available from your employer can really be valuable. Many people do not have a regular attorney so when they need the services of one they are stuck with limited options. Try finding a reliable but reasonably priced attorney in Newark and you may be looking for a while. You can start with the phone book but that really won’t help you. The phone book will not distinguish one from another based on experience and skill but based on how much they were willing to pay for the advertisement on the page. That’s why so many people love the benefit of having legal service plans provided as a voluntary benefit by their employer much like other benefits.
Legal service plans are an employee benefit much like health insurance, dental insurance, financial planning, and others. However, there is a significant difference between the prepaid legal services and the other benefits when it comes to cost. Other benefits cost the company a significant amount of money. However, legal assistance does not cost the company anything and it is paid with small payroll deductions from the employees who wish to have the benefit. As an employee, there are more advantages to having this type of benefit than just getting legal documents together. There are many issues you can face in day to day life that may require some type of legal assistance. Buying a new home, divorce, bankruptcy or lawsuits, identity theft, foreclosure, and other legal matters are all something that would require the assistance of an attorney whom you have to find on your own. Think of a health insurance provider as a great example of this. When you are sick you do not want to go searching for a doctor and have to worry about cost. You want to go to your doctor, get whatever you need to get healthy and have the costs covered. Well, this is the same thing in terms of legal matters and Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services can save you time and money and help you to get those matters resolved quickly.

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Think about all of the legal documents you have to sign over the years and how great it would be to have prepaid legal services available to help you out. If you live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and you want to start a family while also taking advantage of the real estate market you may need an attorney to help you with the legal documents for buying a home or even renting one, setting up your will or trusts for your family, or anything else. What if times get rough and you need help filing for divorce or even foreclosure or bankruptcy? These can be pressing times for anyone but a steady job will not always save the day. Attorney’s fees could eat up half your paycheck and even more of your time and that will definitely hurt your production at work.

These are real life situations that people have to go through on a daily basis and the less help they get, the harder it is for them to get through it and get back to work. From a human resources department standpoint you would love to be able to help but what can you do? Well there is help! You can assist the employee in the same way you assist them with health insurance, financial planning, and even dental coverage. You can add Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services to your list of employee benefits. The great thing about this benefit is the fact that it is optional, with little to no cost to the company as it is paid with a small deduction from payroll, and it can be a life saver for some people who need fast and effective legal assistance. What Countrywide will offer your employees is a network of qualified, accredited attorneys who have years of experience.

It would be great if every day every employee were able to come to work and put in a great day with amazing production. However, that is not always the case, people get sick, and they have personal problems that keep them from being as productive as you wish them to be. Companies offer their employees health insurance so they can save time and money and simply get into the doctors and get back to work as soon as possible. So why would you not have pre-paid legal services for your employees when there is no doubt they will eventually need legal service plans and assistance? Prepaid legal services are a great benefit to any employee because they have immediate help for any and all legal matters that may require an attorney’s assistance.