by

Immigration is a topic that is widely discussed in New Jersey. Reforms enacted in Washington will have serious impact but until they are passed, existing law prevails. That can cause a problem for a number of employees in any given company. An individual may have problems with a work visa or the green card needed to be in United States. This would probably require legal assistance to sort out. Moreover, there is the question of family and possible issues arising from kin. An immigrant’s family is a source of support when thousands of miles away from home. Family members may have trouble with immigration law and once again an attorney might be needed. The stress of immigration problems can be considerable to say the very least. It can very easily affect an individual’s performance as worries about the current legal status of family members mount.

Federal law applies overall, but New Jersey does have certain statutes pertaining to immigrants within the state. The Work First New Jersey program which provides a number of benefits to families is off-limits for anyone who is an illegal immigrant. A person has to prove legal immigrant status and that is not something that’s easy to do alone. Altercations with law enforcement officials checking immigration status can also be a bone of contention. An employee who has family members who are immigrants is equally exposed to the stresses and concerns that non-US citizens often face.

A company can make things easier with a group legal plan. This helps employee sort through immigration concerns with credentialed attorneys who are grounded in immigration laws governing non-citizens in New Jersey. Depending on the specifics of the given plan, members of an employee’s family can also have access to such legal counsel, helping them better adapt in a similar to a new country. Problems about residency, worker status, or just eligibility for government programs can be quickly resolved with the services of the group legal plan. An employer who is sensitive to the needs of any employee, but particularly those who are non-US citizens, can quickly see how essential a group legal plan as an employee benefit can be. Most importantly, it really doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg and some or all the costs could be borne by the individual employee.

Continue reading

by

It wasn’t too long ago that HR departments worried a lot about high levels of absenteeism. A struggling economy seems to be taking care of that situation, because people are now trying to hang onto their jobs and mental health days are things of the past. Unfortunately, there’s a new phenomenon that is creating a problem and it is known as presenteeism.

It happens when employees report to work but do not function at full productivity. In other words, the company is paying for a person who is present but not working very hard. The cost for this low efficiency can be very substantial. Business experts note that people reporting in when they’re sick is one of the causes, but being distracted by outside difficulties is just as bad. An employee who has worries on the mind is not working to capacity. In an intelligence driven workforce where cognitive skills are essential for profitability, this is quite serious. Major sources of such production threatening distractions are legal problems outside of the office.

It is estimated that over one third of all employees are confronted at one time or another with legal issues. While most anxieties involve estate planning and wills, matters such as family law and identity theft also plague a productive person’s thoughts. These have the ability to turn one’s attention away from a deadline and a company has to find the means to reduce the distraction. A group legal plan is a strong possible solution.

Continue reading

by

Human resource departments are always looking for ways to keep employees satisfied and loyal to the company. It only makes sense because turnover costs can be frighteningly high, and whatever encourages retention is a good thing. A big problem is the cost of employee benefits and these can do some serious damage to the corporate bottom line. One benefit that is deeply appreciated and doesn’t cost a king’s ransom is

prepaid legal services.

Litigation has become an unfortunate fact of life and it is not easy to dodge. The American Bar Association estimates that more than one third of all employees will have need of a lawyer for one reason or another. Certain fundamental documents such as wills and estate plans can have different requirements depending on the state of residence, and using online do-it-yourself services can be incredibly risky. Prepaid legal services permit an employee to have access to credentialed attorneys who are specialists in areas such as probate, personal property, and issues of personal debt.

Continue reading

by

Companies of every size have executives and upper-level managers. These people have special needs that reflect their status and these may include legal advice. The assistance may be a little bit out of the ordinary, including the need to do develop living trusts and other documents to protect estate and property alike. The legal proceedings will cost a fair amount of money and have the potential of distracting attention away from company business. Companies can seriously help their top decision makers if they are able to provide upper management with legal service in the form of a prepaid legal plans.

It’s all about time and how it is used. A top level executive has experience and expertise which a company needs to be profitable. This individual’s time should not be consumed with tracking down legal counsel for matters of a personal nature. Prepaid legal plans can help these people with matters of contract and of property law; things that are critically important to an executive’s peace of mind. In addition, prepaid legal plans permit a number of free services and discounts on others. The benefit to an executive is that expensive legal nightmares are not cropping up. Sensitive matters of family law or financial deliberations are handled not by impersonal web sites, but attorneys who are experts in the given fields. The calm that all of this provides for an executive means that his or her thoughts can be more concerned with corporate matters and not be consumed with worries about the law.

Prepaid legal plans can of course be just for upper management only, why stop there? It is a fantastic service for employees and has very serious value as a retention device. That can be especially helpful if a company has highly skilled technical people who are difficult to replace. These plans are a benefit that can persuade a special database administrator or skilled analyst that staying is a good idea.

Continue reading

by

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.

Continue reading

by

Due to economic restraints companies are losing valued employees at an alarming rate. The two main reasons seem to be the inability to increase salaries as well as employees either finding a better offer or they simply wish to go into business for themselves. While the rate of cutbacks has significantly dropped since 2010, studies have shown companies are now in a panic as they struggle to find experienced, well qualified individuals who are willing to work for salaries equal to or less than what they were making even a few years ago. As a result, the term employee poaching has become popular because larger companies are offering positions to people who currently have a job rather than to those who are looking for a job. The belief being that if someone was able to keep their job through the years of downsizing they must be a valued employee and therefore have more to offer than someone who was a victim of downsizing. Smaller companies are then forced to hire someone who is either inexperienced or not as qualified to handle the tasks of the former employee who has left them. The irony is that it actually is not about the money, in fact here are some of the main reasons why top employees leave their current job for another.

• Benefits packages: top ranked companies offer better benefits that include health insurance, prepaid legal services, dental care, and even financial assistance such as credit unions.

• Performance bonuses: Larger companies are not actually offering higher salaries but they do offer quarterly or annual bonuses as well as stock options to their employees based on performance. This gives an employee more incentive to go with a company where their hard work will pay off.

Continue reading

by

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.

by

“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!

Continue reading

by

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.

Continue reading

by

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.