Kimmie1913 |
09-11-2006 02:46 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by kddani
This is a really interesting subject that I admittedly know nothing about.
But as an attorney, I really wonder about some of the ethical and professional responsibility affects that this sort of thing can have...
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I am an attorney who worked for the Pre-paid legal firm in MD for about a year 5 1/2 years ago. It was no different than working in any other law firm. And your professional responsibility is never going to change regardless of how the business is coming in. National PPL contracts with local firms to be on call to provide legal services. The firm provides the very limited group of included benefits and then charges for the rest. The additional services are to be discounted off of whatever the firm usually charges. When I was there, clients automatically were entitled to letter/and or phone calls on matters ((but limited to two letters or calls on any one matter) and a will, also access to advice 24 hours a day. Also defense of simple traffic violations (speeding tickets) was included. If the traffic charge was more severe (usually DUI or some other criminal moving violation) then there was a charge. Everything else had a charge. Some simple matters (divorce with no property, consent custody agreements, bankruptcies -before the law changed) had flat fees. Everything else was discounted to $325 an hour.
The firm (not the attorneys in the firm) were paid a per member per month fee for participating in the program. The attorneys were paid as they would be in any firm with- i.e. salary and bonuses. If a matter was for fee there was some fee sharing. Also the attorneys had to each work a phone shift on the 24 hour a day help line. This is where members called when they needed a letter or a will or a question answered. It was also a lead generator for the matters that required a fee.
People used to get pissed off all the time about the limited scope of free services. We would track those complaints to help the company identify the dishonest sales people who actively misled about what was covered. One guy used to go to the criminal court building and sell to people awaiting arraignment and lie and say criminal matters were included. They were not.
I could see if you absolutely had no way of figuring out how to find an attorney why it would be attractive but if you had the ability to find an attorney on your own through a referral from a friend or family member, it seemed like a waste.
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