Prepaid Legal Services Deception: What They Don't Want You to Know! Ada Oklahoma

Work at home (sometimes)   dummies... I think not.

The cubicle nation is not for us all.  After I retired from a multi-billion dollar a year tel-com company,  I was shown the Legal Shield opportunity by an individual who was a high level administrator for another fortune 500 company. She was also a military helicopter pilot and saved lives in the private sector as a med-evac pilot.

The person who shared the opportunity with her was a highly decorated military officer as well as being highly successful in corporate America prior to his Legal Shield involvement. IMHO you have vastly underestimated the talent Legal Shield associates bring to the table (conference or kitchen...we're flexible).

The Legal Shield associates I have met thus far come from very diverse cultures: law enforcement, the health care industry, civil servants, small business owners... We share our company information with intelligent individuals and they in-turn make intelligent decisions.

I am quite sure that my colleagues performed their due diligence prior to their involvement in the legal services business model that Mr. Stonecipher created.  Just curious, how many industries have you been able to launch?

I'm absolutely sure that the NY equity firm of MidOcean Partners gave PPL a lengthy in-depth analysis before making their acquisition in 2011. Alan Fearnley and Rip Mason, no doubt do a fair amount of work from their home offices as well.

Legal Shield's partner for identity theft protection and restoration, Kroll, probably did their homework too. They are the world leader in their industry and no doubt formed their partnership with Legal Shield based on facts, not opinions gleaned from the internet. By law, everyone is entitled to voice their opinion, some just have very little merit.

~~~~  I have the legal plan and the identity coverage & I just sleep better at night  ~~~~

I am not here to refute.  It is good to get legal advise - but lets face it.  One can be extremely intimidating while another can be less intrusive. 

It can be extremely intimidating for people that feel they have a language barrier to see an attorney that charges $$$ for initial consultation.  They do not know what to expect.  Plus charging $150 an hour versus $17 or $30 a month is not so shocking - even though the latter can more expensive in the long run.

Having an alternative is good.   Most of us would rather call and not be bother by a huge bill later on.  

When I really need an attorney, I will not use PPL.  I will contact an attorney.  If I just need advise, its good to have that available.

When it comes to matters that require serious attention, it is always good research your alternatives.  PPL has helped me out without costing me $$$.  Again, when it comes to serious legal advise, I am not going to use a PPL..

I'm sure there are many good things and bad things about this company as there are with most. But when you want to cancel, they force you to call. Then they will mail you, or email a form to sign saying you want to quit and waive this and that. But its obviously just something they do to make it harder to cancel your membership.

If a company makes it hard to cancel, then its a good sign of a bad company. America Online - Need I say more?

Most people wont sign back up if they make it hard to quit. They probably assume you will not be back anyway, so what is there to loose? Make it hard! Why would you not be back? There company must not be as good as they make it out to be. Its obvious you could cancel over the phone, but they try to make it seem like its a legal thing, needing to "waive your benefits". Again, just a way to make it hard to cancel. You could agree to this over the phone (though I bet legally they don't need anything like this. It should be assumed by cancelling that you are aware that you no longer get benefits or services.) Verizon doesn't send you something when you cancel your contract saying you wont be able to use the phone anymore to sign and send back.

I have had to cancel MMORPG accounts and sign back up, cancel for a bit sometimes. I sign back up because it takes a minute to reverse it. Do you think I would sign back up if I had to call them, get a form, send it though the mail, and then make sure they got it? No.

Maybe not a ripoff, but this alone is a good reason not to sign up.

Prepaid Legal Services is making all of my dreams come true, you really have to be motivated and not lazy. You have to work with the people that you enroll and take advantage of the help that your Executive Directors offer you! I have turned this into a very lucrative opportunity by only exposing people to the opportunity. This is not work to me. I have 5 cases I am working with our attorneys on, and they are extremely helpful. I would not qualify for this complaintants "free lawyers" as most people would not, this person apparently does and probably will qualify for most of his/her life because he/she seems to be affraid to dream! I definately feel sorry for him/her.

I was contacted by a "sales representative" of PPLSI because I needed a lawyer for a BIG case. I gave my information to be charged. I contacted teh firm they gave me who WOULD NOT TAKE MY CASE.

Since I got nothing, I owe nothing. RIGHT?

WRONG, PPLSI continues to bill me even after I submitted a "Cancellation Waiver". Now I am trying to get my money back.

This "sales person" should not be allowed to represent this company no matter what anyone thinks about PPLSI.

If the service is so wonderful and useful, why do they need to recruit "work from home" dummies?

I tried to call and E-mail this "sales person" but got no response. If he got a residual or any kind of payment because he "hooked" me, he is a thief!

PPLSI is left "holding the bag" and getting a bad name in this particular case. If they won't return my "money for nothing", THEN I'll have to pursue them as though THEY are the criminal.

A sales force of "work at home" individuals will NOT get this company any good reports since these "sales persons" are only out to close the deal and not back up what they sell. If PPLSI wants to back up what they sell, fine. If not, face the wrath!

I just read Kay's rip off report from Houston. She indicates that most folks can receive legal representation free of charge. Maybe in Texas, but that isn't the case for most people here in Phoenix, AZ. A few years ago, my husband and I sold an investment property through a local broker, who we discovered was not completely on the up and up. Unfortunately, because he had not represented our interests (as he was paid to do) over his own interest in making a sale, we ended up needing legal services.
I found a wonderful attorney with whom we developed a positive relationship. Of course, the first consultation was free.
However, we were in a legal mess that we could not navigate ourselves. So we hired this attorney to represent us in court. I was not able to find a free attorney willing to put in the hours that she did, without charge. Pro Bono representation isn't the norm here unless the client is near the poverty level, or the cause is a public nuisance of some kind, and the attorney could stand to gain financially from a billion dollar company or individual at fault. Sadly, this was not our case.
Because our attorney fought for us, and won the case, we were able to not only clear our own names, but hold accountable the questionable real estate broker, as well. We won because of our attorney, whose expertise and tiime cost us over $3,500.00, but losing the case would have cost more. Believe me, if there were attorneys willing to put in over 45 hours of work at no cost, for anyone who asked, I would have found one. Hard to believe most attorneys, who practice law for a living, would give away their services to average people, for free. While I understand that Prepaid Legal provides a number of services included in the monthly fee, I also see that they indicate that certain other services are not "free", but are offered at a reduced cost. I would certainly expect to know these things before going into a contract. I have looked at this program. I am not a member, but not because I could not be "convinced" to buy something. Nor do I feel like anyone was trying to pull the wool over my eyes to get me to sign up.
I wish I had had this program a few years ago, when through no fault of our own, my husband and I found ourselves needing to defend ourselves in a court of law. Justice is not cheap. With Prepaid Legal, it might just be affordable.

I just read Kay's rip off report from Houston. She indicates that most folks can receive legal representation free of charge. Maybe in Texas, but that isn't the case for most people here in Phoenix, AZ. A few years ago, my husband and I sold an investment property through a local broker, who we discovered was not completely on the up and up. Unfortunately, because he had not represented our interests (as he was paid to do) over his own interest in making a sale, we ended up needing legal services.
I found a wonderful attorney with whom we developed a positive relationship. Of course, the first consultation was free.
However, we were in a legal mess that we could not navigate ourselves. So we hired this attorney to represent us in court. I was not able to find a free attorney willing to put in the hours that she did, without charge. Pro Bono representation isn't the norm here unless the client is near the poverty level, or the cause is a public nuisance of some kind, and the attorney could stand to gain financially from a billion dollar company or individual at fault. Sadly, this was not our case.
Because our attorney fought for us, and won the case, we were able to not only clear our own names, but hold accountable the questionable real estate broker, as well. We won because of our attorney, whose expertise and tiime cost us over $3,500.00, but losing the case would have cost more. Believe me, if there were attorneys willing to put in over 45 hours of work at no cost, for anyone who asked, I would have found one. Hard to believe most attorneys, who practice law for a living, would give away their services to average people, for free. While I understand that Prepaid Legal provides a number of services included in the monthly fee, I also see that they indicate that certain other services are not "free", but are offered at a reduced cost. I would certainly expect to know these things before going into a contract. I have looked at this program. I am not a member, but not because I could not be "convinced" to buy something. Nor do I feel like anyone was trying to pull the wool over my eyes to get me to sign up.
I wish I had had this program a few years ago, when through no fault of our own, my husband and I found ourselves needing to defend ourselves in a court of law. Justice is not cheap. With Prepaid Legal, it might just be affordable.

I just read Kay's rip off report from Houston. She indicates that most folks can receive legal representation free of charge. Maybe in Texas, but that isn't the case for most people here in Phoenix, AZ. A few years ago, my husband and I sold an investment property through a local broker, who we discovered was not completely on the up and up. Unfortunately, because he had not represented our interests (as he was paid to do) over his own interest in making a sale, we ended up needing legal services.
I found a wonderful attorney with whom we developed a positive relationship. Of course, the first consultation was free.
However, we were in a legal mess that we could not navigate ourselves. So we hired this attorney to represent us in court. I was not able to find a free attorney willing to put in the hours that she did, without charge. Pro Bono representation isn't the norm here unless the client is near the poverty level, or the cause is a public nuisance of some kind, and the attorney could stand to gain financially from a billion dollar company or individual at fault. Sadly, this was not our case.
Because our attorney fought for us, and won the case, we were able to not only clear our own names, but hold accountable the questionable real estate broker, as well. We won because of our attorney, whose expertise and tiime cost us over $3,500.00, but losing the case would have cost more. Believe me, if there were attorneys willing to put in over 45 hours of work at no cost, for anyone who asked, I would have found one. Hard to believe most attorneys, who practice law for a living, would give away their services to average people, for free. While I understand that Prepaid Legal provides a number of services included in the monthly fee, I also see that they indicate that certain other services are not "free", but are offered at a reduced cost. I would certainly expect to know these things before going into a contract. I have looked at this program. I am not a member, but not because I could not be "convinced" to buy something. Nor do I feel like anyone was trying to pull the wool over my eyes to get me to sign up.
I wish I had had this program a few years ago, when through no fault of our own, my husband and I found ourselves needing to defend ourselves in a court of law. Justice is not cheap. With Prepaid Legal, it might just be affordable.

I just read Kay's rip off report from Houston. She indicates that most folks can receive legal representation free of charge. Maybe in Texas, but that isn't the case for most people here in Phoenix, AZ. A few years ago, my husband and I sold an investment property through a local broker, who we discovered was not completely on the up and up. Unfortunately, because he had not represented our interests (as he was paid to do) over his own interest in making a sale, we ended up needing legal services.
I found a wonderful attorney with whom we developed a positive relationship. Of course, the first consultation was free.
However, we were in a legal mess that we could not navigate ourselves. So we hired this attorney to represent us in court. I was not able to find a free attorney willing to put in the hours that she did, without charge. Pro Bono representation isn't the norm here unless the client is near the poverty level, or the cause is a public nuisance of some kind, and the attorney could stand to gain financially from a billion dollar company or individual at fault. Sadly, this was not our case.
Because our attorney fought for us, and won the case, we were able to not only clear our own names, but hold accountable the questionable real estate broker, as well. We won because of our attorney, whose expertise and tiime cost us over $3,500.00, but losing the case would have cost more. Believe me, if there were attorneys willing to put in over 45 hours of work at no cost, for anyone who asked, I would have found one. Hard to believe most attorneys, who practice law for a living, would give away their services to average people, for free. While I understand that Prepaid Legal provides a number of services included in the monthly fee, I also see that they indicate that certain other services are not "free", but are offered at a reduced cost. I would certainly expect to know these things before going into a contract. I have looked at this program. I am not a member, but not because I could not be "convinced" to buy something. Nor do I feel like anyone was trying to pull the wool over my eyes to get me to sign up.
I wish I had had this program a few years ago, when through no fault of our own, my husband and I found ourselves needing to defend ourselves in a court of law. Justice is not cheap. With Prepaid Legal, it might just be affordable.

Many of your comments are not true concerning Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. I am an Independent Associate of PPL and I have found nothing wrong with any of my experiences with them. I pay $17 per month (this is not a discount, it's the same price non-associates can pay) for their legal services/advice, which I have used many times and with excellent results. They have even gone beyond what I expected numerous times and have helped me with business issues that were not even included in the plan I have for no extra charge. Their Identity Theft services are also very good ($9.95/mo). Every time something posts on my credit bureau report I am immediately notified via e-mail, and this includes inquiries. Additionally, everyone that I have ever had contact with in the company has been extremely helpful and very nice, from the personnel located in the offices in Ada, OK, to other associates that I have met from all over the US - even those who are not in my upline/downline. I have found from other negative comments on other Web sites that anyone that talks negatively about PPL are usually those who have been caught misrepresenting PPL by the company and are mad at being reprimanded or "fired" from being an associate. I know several lawyers personally who are Independent Associates with PPL who rave at how great PPL and its services are, and these are lawyers that are not lawyers who I have used personally nor are they hired lawyers for PPL. They just like and believe in the services so much that they have become Independent Associates so they can offer these services to others.

First off our identity theft service offers RESTORATION services in case your identity ever does get stolen. So if we claimed that monitoring would keep you from getting your identity stolen then why would we offer identity restoration as well? Also there is no retainer fee's unless you go to court and most situations are settled outside of court through a use of an attorney. Most attorneys charge you $100 - $200 per document to review. In our program you can have up to TEN documents reviewed AT NO ADDED costs. One situation of reviewing 10 documents alone could cost you $1000 elsewhere. You can use this ONGOING and this is per subject matter. You get UNLIMITED legal advice without paying the $100-$1000 an hour as long as your questions are legitimate questions. Yes not everything is at no added costs but by now you should be EASILY able to figure out the savings. Sorry this isn't disney f**king world where we magically do EVERYTHING at dirt level costs. For what you pay and get. On top of this you can get your living will made out for you. 15 days after enrollment you get REPRESENTATION at NO ADDED costs for any moving traffic violations. Go ask an attorney to represent you in court for a moving traffic violation and see if he'll do it for $17 - $36.95 a month. All plans have exactly what I told you about with other benefits based on what you take. In about an hour of a regular attorneys time you're going to pay MORE than an ENTIRE YEAR OF THIS COVERAGE> Only a moron would argue this isn't worth it. Or an attorney who is scared to lose their business.

First off our identity theft service offers RESTORATION services in case your identity ever does get stolen. So if we claimed that monitoring would keep you from getting your identity stolen then why would we offer identity restoration as well? Also there is no retainer fee's unless you go to court and most situations are settled outside of court through a use of an attorney. Most attorneys charge you $100 - $200 per document to review. In our program you can have up to TEN documents reviewed AT NO ADDED costs. One situation of reviewing 10 documents alone could cost you $100 elsewhere. You can use this ONGOING and this is per subject matter. You get UNLIMITED legal advice without paying the $100-$1000 an hour as long as your questions are legitimate questions. Yes not everything is at no added costs but by now you should be EASILY able to figure out the savings. Sorry this isn't disney f**king world where we magically do EVERYTHING at dirt level costs. For what you pay and get. On top of this you can get your living will made out for you. 15 days after enrollment you get REPRESENTATION at NO ADDED costs for any moving traffic violations. Go ask an attorney to represent you in court for a moving traffic violation and see if he'll do it for $17 - $36.95 a month. All plans have exactly what I told you about with other benefits based on what you take. In about an hour of a regular attorneys time you're going to pay MORE than an ENTIRE YEAR OF THIS COVERAGE> Only a moron would argue this isn't worth it. Or an attorney who is scared to lose their business.

First off our identity theft service offers RESTORATION services in case your identity ever does get stolen. So if we claimed that monitoring would keep you from getting your identity stolen then why would we offer identity restoration as well? Also there is no retainer fee's unless you go to court and most situations are settled outside of court through a use of an attorney. Most attorneys charge you $100 - $200 per document to review. In our program you can have up to TEN documents reviewed AT NO ADDED costs. One situation of reviewing 10 documents alone could cost you $100 elsewhere. You can use this ONGOING and this is per subject matter. You get UNLIMITED legal advice without paying the $100-$1000 an hour as long as your questions are legitimate questions. Yes not everything is at no added costs but by now you should be EASILY able to figure out the savings. Sorry this isn't disney f**king world where we magically do EVERYTHING at dirt level costs. For what you pay and get. On top of this you can get your living will made out for you. 15 days after enrollment you get REPRESENTATION at NO ADDED costs for any moving traffic violations. Go ask an attorney to represent you in court for a moving traffic violation and see if he'll do it for $17 - $36.95 a month. All plans have exactly what I told you about with other benefits based on what you take. In about an hour of a regular attorneys time you're going to pay MORE than an ENTIRE YEAR OF THIS COVERAGE> Only a moron would argue this isn't worth it. Or an attorney who is scared to lose their business.

First off our identity theft service offers RESTORATION services in case your identity ever does get stolen. So if we claimed that monitoring would keep you from getting your identity stolen then why would we offer identity restoration as well? Also there is no retainer fee's unless you go to court and most situations are settled outside of court through a use of an attorney. Most attorneys charge you $100 - $200 per document to review. In our program you can have up to TEN documents reviewed AT NO ADDED costs. One situation of reviewing 10 documents alone could cost you $100 elsewhere. You can use this ONGOING and this is per subject matter. You get UNLIMITED legal advice without paying the $100-$1000 an hour as long as your questions are legitimate questions. Yes not everything is at no added costs but by now you should be EASILY able to figure out the savings. Sorry this isn't disney f**king world where we magically do EVERYTHING at dirt level costs. For what you pay and get. On top of this you can get your living will made out for you. 15 days after enrollment you get REPRESENTATION at NO ADDED costs for any moving traffic violations. Go ask an attorney to represent you in court for a moving traffic violation and see if he'll do it for $17 - $36.95 a month. All plans have exactly what I told you about with other benefits based on what you take. In about an hour of a regular attorneys time you're going to pay MORE than an ENTIRE YEAR OF THIS COVERAGE> Only a moron would argue this isn't worth it. Or an attorney who is scared to lose their business.

First off our identity theft service offers RESTORATION services in case your identity ever does get stolen. So if we claimed that monitoring would keep you from getting your identity stolen then why would we offer identity restoration as well? Also there is no retainer fee's unless you go to court and most situations are settled outside of court through a use of an attorney. Most attorneys charge you $100 - $200 per document to review. In our program you can have up to TEN documents reviewed AT NO ADDED costs. One situation of reviewing 10 documents alone could cost you $100 elsewhere. You can use this ONGOING and this is per subject matter. You get UNLIMITED legal advice without paying the $100-$1000 an hour as long as your questions are legitimate questions. Yes not everything is at no added costs but by now you should be EASILY able to figure out the savings. Sorry this isn't disney f**king world where we magically do EVERYTHING at dirt level costs. For what you pay and get. On top of this you can get your living will made out for you. 15 days after enrollment you get REPRESENTATION at NO ADDED costs for any moving traffic violations. Go ask an attorney to represent you in court for a moving traffic violation and see if he'll do it for $17 - $36.95 a month. All plans have exactly what I told you about with other benefits based on what you take. In about an hour of a regular attorneys time you're going to pay MORE than an ENTIRE YEAR OF THIS COVERAGE> Only a moron would argue this isn't worth it. Or an attorney who is scared to lose their business.

I work with Prepaid Legal and I am going to keep this brief for one we do not get paid on Associates who join us for two we do not get monthly payments for people who keep paying there monthly membership. And I am currently using my Provider Attorney and they are also representing a huge case her in my state so they are very qualified. Please get your facts straight before you blast people with the wrong information.

Your dismal and stupid efforts towards down playing prepaid legals attorneys are exactly that. The name of the provider law firm for whom I am contracted with is: Maguire and Schneider - you claim prepaids attorneys are so bad. Here's some information about the attorneys I get from prepaid legal -

Keith W. Schneider of Maguire & Schneider, LLP was recently retained by the Ohio Republican Party and Representative Larry Wolpert to appear in federal court to challenging the state of Ohio's compliance with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Specifically, the Ohio Republican Party and Representative Wolpert are challenging the verification procedures in place to ensure newly registered Ohio voters are actually eligible to vote. The matter went before Senior District Court Judge George Smith, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. The case received national coverage through various national media outlets. A partner in the firm, Schneider's practice focuses on all aspects of labor and employment law, general litigation, complex litigation, white collar crime, banking law, municipal law, administrative law, real estate law, and class action.


Maguires experience : clientele includes financial institutions, regional real estate brokerage firms, title companies, insurance companies, governmental entities, small business, individuals and families. With a proven track record of experience M&S offers a breadth and depth of legal expertise, assisting its clients, big and small, in reaching their goals.



Oh yes you're so right. Attorneys like these are busy sitting on the phones all day long waiting for phone calls to do free work. Wonder why they have a site and a practicing business that promotes you paying them to work.

Don't be jealous Kay that you dont' meet up to the standards that our attorneys posess.

I think I'm done making you look as stupid as you are here.

http://www.maguire-schneider.com/

bye

First off Kay yes you have to enroll in the program before they tell you the attorneys provided. This is a month to month contract-let's explore that concept. Hmmm non legit programs? Get them to signup for a year perhaps? Legit programs know they are good enough to make them month to month. Once you enroll you are provided with the law firms NAME. No you are not provided with a specific attorneys name because you get that entire law firm to consult with. So if you call that law firm and have a question about tennant law then the law firm forwards you over to someone who knows the most about tennant law. Kay you sound to me like you're a little jealous of prepaid legal and perhaps trying to bring down this companies name to make yours look better perhaps? Fact is you can lookup online the provider law firms name and get plenty of stats based off of that. As for the AV rating system - well considering in our advertising guidelines the company has it addressed that we are not allowed to make any reference to the Av rating system. If an associate is using this to advertise then they're doing a no no and not what the company wants. What's the name of your law firm? Or perhaps it's truly you who is the one who is hiding something.

I deeply appreciate all the comments made concerning this topic as I am very seriously thinking about whether or not I should try this business venture. Maybe, the best way for me to decide is to give it a try and see will it be a "fit" for me. I can see myself needing to use some of the services already and in my case the phone consultations/accessible documents will pretty much cover my needs for now. I have tried disputing a few petty cases myself and won by my persistence and love for writting(lol). Seriously, I would love someone to free up some of my time so I'm able to do other essential things in life.

Also, I can relate to the posters stating the the 25% will not help much if the fees are already seemingly high to an individual. Yes, I agree that what one idividual deems high maybe fairly reasonable to another or visa-versa....oh well. Bottom line, if I were to try PPL -I would most likely use their services for maybe the wills,traffic tickets,creditors,and minor disputes that could be handled via phone consultations.

I do feel though that most MLM and Network marketing companies do have a tendency to over-exaggerate marketing pitches a bit at times. However, I no more than appreciate an associate who will give me the truth of the matter without any associated exaggerations (even if maybe the company does endorse cetain marketing "content" exaggerations). Give it to me straight and I gaurantee the difference in retention with the business,plans/products will last longer with the company due to the truth....atleast if I have/and continue to believe the company has honest and fair practices. I've a bit more researching to do on PPL and glad I checked out this site. A hearty thank you goes out to everyone who made comments...this has been most helpful!

"I've found they prey on the unsuspecting, uneducated (I'm not referencing to schooling level), trusting, weak, and vulnerable."
I actually found them, did my homework and signed up online. No contracts, can cancel anytime!!!


"Pre-Paid Legal associates will convince you into enrolling into the program whether or not you have the money to spend or need legal services."
26 bucks a month? no contracts , going to the show costs more than 26 bucks!!!!

"The Pre-Paid Legal associate suckers people into believing that their service only uses Martindale-Hubbell AV rated attorneys"
In all my trainings, we have been told to sya top rated attorneys..

"Every State has a State Bar (located in its capitol city). Every State Bar has a FREE lawyer referral service"

Careful, you get what you pay for!!!! PPL attorneys are paid well to care about their members!

I have used my membership dozens of times. It help me avoid a bad real estate deal.
Saved me 650 bucks in fines and costs related to traffic incidents.
Completed my last will and so on.
PPL is the best insurance I have.

Good points regarding the PPL vs. Pro Bono angle, Bonnie, but I have to take just a bit of issue with them, due to a few concerns that belie your contention just a bit.

In your favor, Pro Bono services can be hard to come by, hard to qualify for, and, unfortunately, often sub-par to an actual paid attorney.

However, from what I have read, it seems that many, most, or all states only have one firm that contracts with PPL. I'm in West Michigan (I haven't yet updated my account to reflect that), and I would assume that if there were one PPL firm in my state, that it would be either in the Detroit or Lansing areas, which are both quite a haul from where I live. But there are numerous Legal Aid Societies and other sources of indigent legal assistance in my local area. So the benefit of having an attorney on a quasi-retainer may be outweighed by the fact that said attorney is on the other side of the state.

Also, the very concept of PPL, as far as the firms go, is that said firms are offering somewhat of a discounted rate for the work they perform for PPL clients. Having worked in a few firms, I know how these cases get handled.

I would imagine that, in a larger firm, you may have some senior, AV rated partner as your point man. And even as he may sign the papers, I can guarantee you that he's not doing the work. More likely, it's getting handed down to some junior associate, who in turn hands it down to a law clerk (which is usually a law student who is doing the job for the purpose of gaining experience, not because he already has experience).

I'm just postulating here, of course. As I've stated numerous times, I have no problem with the PPL product, and I think the concept of legal insurance is a great idea. I'm just skeptical as to some aspects of it, and would welcome any comments in rebuttal.

Best regards

I am a self-employed Prepaid Legal Services Independent Associate.

I know there are pro-bono and sliding scale attorneys in every state but prefer to choose $360 or so dollars per year having more of a personal access to an attorney than to wait in lines, or go through a lot of documentation to access them. And if EVERYONE used our state appointed legal aid, just think, the wait and service would be even less, and cost taxpayers a fortune - if the state had to hire more legal staff to accomodate the masses. I would think attorneys themselves would rather have their profession not be dropped to a level where they were giving their services for free.

Nowhere on PPL literature I have read that their services will prevent identity theft, it says minimize. Yes, you can work with credit agencies yourself and get credit monitoring services from various companies. PPL's Identity Theft Shield offers restoration services if you are a victim. So do other companies. In the country we live in there is free enterprise and many choices. We can do our own analysis and choose what meets our needs. I have never thought myself as vulnerable and undeducated or considered myself unsuspecting prey. In fact I didn't speak with anyone when I made my decision to sign up. I did my research, including negatives and even read this website before speaking with someone from PPL. (So if I have any problems, at least I'll be forewarned, right?!)

I believe there are around 216 complaints since 2001 posted here regarding Prepaid Legal Services, and some of these are repetitive from the same parties - this is a teeny fraction of complaints from a customer base of over one million PPL members. I myself have had excellent service from both the corporate office and attorney law firms.

I agree with a comment made on this site, that no business (or anything) is perfect. I have returned many a pair of shoes, because they didn't feel right after wearing them for an hour. Sometimes, I keep the shoes too long, and of course, after a few months, I lose my refund. I've also changed my automobile insurance policy when I get a better premium with another company. I've also changed my profession, when I didn't think I was having fun anymore. In all cases, I didn't blame, whether it be the shoe manufacturer or insurance carrier or employer. Not everything works for everybody. Who knows those same pair of shoes probably felt perfect on someone else's feet!

I have always been paid my commissions from PPL on time, and appropriately for what I put into my work. Many people were enrolled in legal membership plans, before they decided to direct sell the plans. They were happy with the services, and told others. There are also those that dropped out completely.

People who have had hard luck in this business may not be cut out to be business owners, or need to find something else that is their dream or vision to engage in. The "fit" just wasn't right for them. It's okay.

You make some good points, Sean. But first off, as a FRIENDLY little correction, it's "Martindale-Hubbell" not "Martindale-Hubbard."

And you made another good point about why the MH rating system is pretty much worthless - a law firm as a whole can receive a solid rating based on the firm's reputation as a whole, but that doesn't mean that there aren't some idiot attorneys working for the firm. And having worked in a few AV rated firms myself when I was a brand new attorney, I know whose desk the "discounted" cases land on, if you get my drift.

But the statement that the average earner can't generally afford legal services is pretty much correct. Simple matters such as uncontested divorces, misdemeanor plead-out cases, and contract reviews are usually within the middle-class earner's budget. But if you get beyond that, and especially if you find yourself in litigation, your bill can become enormous and difficult to pay off even in monthly installements.

Think about this. In the average complex case, that has gone to litigation, it's pretty much routine for your lawyer to file at least one Motion for Summary Judgment. On the average, this motion alone will cost the client somewhere between 5 and 15 thousand dollars. And the very purpose of such a motion is to avoid going to trial, which is far more expensive.

But even at a 25% discount, you're still paying a hefty fee if your case is complex. You may d**n well get your money's worth out of your PPL membership, but simply having the membership has, in no way, made litigation affordable.

Just something to think about. Like I've stated before, I think PPL offers a good product, but I also think PPL overstates the value of the product. I'm also not a fan of the MLM setup, but that's a separate issue.

The post from Aaron about Firms must have numberous attorneys of the firm with Ratings to make it an AV rated Firm is false.

off the Martindale webiste I quote this, "How are law firms rated?
Generally a law firm is given the Peer Review Rating of its highest rated active partner. Firms also have the option of displaying their total number of rated lawyers on martindale.com."

I also make the mention here that PPL does not require any of its firms nor Attorneys to be Rated at all.

A fact at hand is According to stonecipher, "Many people remain skeptical when facing the rule of law. However, Pre-Paid Legal members receive access to high quality lawyers for a low monthly cost through Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. No longer is it a requirement to pay a high dollar professional hourly rate to a lawyer every time life happens."

My question is what is a "life event" ? Lets use the movie inwhich PPL tells people about the product. They tell you a life even would be a trouble with a dry cleaner destroying your clothes. If we took what Mr. Stonecipher's comment and applied it here then you would not have to pay the high dollar hourly rate just your monthy fee. But this is not true. If your case goes to court then you would pay the "High Dollar Rate" which is over $100 an hour. One might ask what is the "high Dollar amount"? 200-300? 100-200? what is it? A High Dollar to some is a different amount to others. It is my personal opinion that 25% off services is not making it cheaper. I also note that telling people that 80% of the working force (middle income earners) can not afford an attorney. What is the middle income? I checked it out and that is from 20,000 to 100,000 a year. What does affordable mean? Many people can not afford to give someone a few thousand up front or even $500.00 right away unless they have it saved somewhere. It would not account into thier budget. But it does appear that many middle calss earners are using attorneys. So this is not the case that they are not being used. Somehow they are being made affordable by attorneys themselves by taking monthy payments etc.

Furthermore Pre-paid Legals claim that thier ID theft product is one of a kind is somewhat of a false statement. You can purchase Krolls product as it is from other companies. Pre-Paid then twists this and adds it is one of a kind when combined with its legal plan. But the plans come seperate and not in one bundled product.

Another falsehood that Pre-paid legal uses are old ID theft survey numbers. They are using 2003 ID theft survey numbers when there are newer surveys still being done. The new surveys show that the crime is going down in numbers and costs the average person nothing out of pocket.

I am a member of the "legal field." In fact, I am an attorney. And here are my two or three cents on PPL. I'll start with the good and end with the bad and the ugly.

So here's the good:

First, the conept of a sort-of "legal insurance" is a great idea for obvious reasons.

Second, PPL works great when it comes to the "counseling" side of legal work. This includes the free consultation, free will, etc.

Third, as a PPL associate, you will actually be working for an MLM thay is actaully selling s someaht valuable product.

Now for the bad:

Third, PPL is NOT legal insurance. If your case goes to trial, they will not indemnify you, nor will they offer you much (if any) of a discounted service. Contrary to what the above rebutallist stated, attorneys do not "post" their fees like an auto mechanic. In fact, a single attorney may charge many different fees based on several different factors. I, for example, bill at a very cheap $100 per hour most of the time. If I take on a criminal case, I will charge a flat-fee and, depending on theamount of time that I have to put into the case, you couldd be paying anywhere from $400 dollasrs per hour to as litle as $20 per joud.

In bankruptcy cases, I charge $125 per hour. On most cses, my boss and I collaborte, and his usual fee is $175 per hour. The long and short of that is that there is nothing preventing a PPL attorney from jacking up his prices to cover the 25% discount and, so long as the fee agreement is reduced to writing and signed by the cleintm there is nothing ethically or legally wrong with this.

Now for the ugly.


Finally, the Martindale HUbbell rating system is a joke. It is based, for the most part, on the respect that you have lgained in the legal community as a business man, not necessarily quality of your work. I have seen terrible lawyers with AV ratings - usually older guys who have been in the field for a long time, but who often lack the passion and dedication of younger lawyers, who receive lower ratings simply bercause they havenot yet established themselves.

Also, as far as "representation" (as opposed to counseling) goes, PPL is pretty much worthless. Not only may attorneys be jacking uo the rprices to make up for the loss, but the ones who aadgee to tne 25% discount are not lilely to give your case the attention it deserves.

So is PPLu useful? Yes, up to a point. Before you enter any agreee. So go ahead and buy the paln if you think it may heio you. Just be sure you know what exactly you're buying into.

Best regards

I am a member of the "legal field." In fact, I am an attorney. And here are my two or three cents on PPL. I'll start with the good and end with the bad and the ugly.

So here's the good:

First, the conept of a sort-of "legal insurance" is a great idea for obvious reasons.

Second, PPL works great when it comes to the "counseling" side of legal work. This includes the free consultation, free will, etc.

Third, as a PPL associate, you will actually be working for an MLM thay is actaully selling s someaht valuable product.

Now for the bad:

Third, PPL is NOT legal insurance. If your case goes to trial, they will not indemnify you, nor will they offer you much (if any) of a discounted service. Contrary to what the above rebutallist stated, attorneys do not "post" their fees like an auto mechanic. In fact, a single attorney may charge many different fees based on several different factors. I, for example, bill at a very cheap $100 per hour most of the time. If I take on a criminal case, I will charge a flat-fee and, depending on theamount of time that I have to put into the case, you couldd be paying anywhere from $400 dollasrs per hour to as litle as $20 per joud.

In bankruptcy cases, I charge $125 per hour. On most cses, my boss and I collaborte, and his usual fee is $175 per hour. The long and short of that is that there is nothing preventing a PPL attorney from jacking up his prices to cover the 25% discount and, so long as the fee agreement is reduced to writing and signed by the cleintm there is nothing ethically or legally wrong with this.

Now for the ugly.


Finally, the Martindale HUbbell rating system is a joke. It is based, for the most part, on the respect that you have lgained in the legal community as a business man, not necessarily quality of your work. I have seen terrible lawyers with AV ratings - usually older guys who have been in the field for a long time, but who often lack the passion and dedication of younger lawyers, who receive lower ratings simply bercause they havenot yet established themselves.

Also, as far as "representation" (as opposed to counseling) goes, PPL is pretty much worthless. Not only may attorneys be jacking uo the rprices to make up for the loss, but the ones who aadgee to tne 25% discount are not lilely to give your case the attention it deserves.

So is PPLu useful? Yes, up to a point. Before you enter any agreee. So go ahead and buy the paln if you think it may heio you. Just be sure you know what exactly you're buying into.

Best regards

I am a member of the "legal field." In fact, I am an attorney. And here are my two or three cents on PPL. I'll start with the good and end with the bad and the ugly.

So here's the good:

First, the conept of a sort-of "legal insurance" is a great idea for obvious reasons.

Second, PPL works great when it comes to the "counseling" side of legal work. This includes the free consultation, free will, etc.

Third, as a PPL associate, you will actually be working for an MLM thay is actaully selling s someaht valuable product.

Now for the bad:

Third, PPL is NOT legal insurance. If your case goes to trial, they will not indemnify you, nor will they offer you much (if any) of a discounted service. Contrary to what the above rebutallist stated, attorneys do not "post" their fees like an auto mechanic. In fact, a single attorney may charge many different fees based on several different factors. I, for example, bill at a very cheap $100 per hour most of the time. If I take on a criminal case, I will charge a flat-fee and, depending on theamount of time that I have to put into the case, you couldd be paying anywhere from $400 dollasrs per hour to as litle as $20 per joud.

In bankruptcy cases, I charge $125 per hour. On most cses, my boss and I collaborte, and his usual fee is $175 per hour. The long and short of that is that there is nothing preventing a PPL attorney from jacking up his prices to cover the 25% discount and, so long as the fee agreement is reduced to writing and signed by the cleintm there is nothing ethically or legally wrong with this.

Now for the ugly.


Finally, the Martindale HUbbell rating system is a joke. It is based, for the most part, on the respect that you have lgained in the legal community as a business man, not necessarily quality of your work. I have seen terrible lawyers with AV ratings - usually older guys who have been in the field for a long time, but who often lack the passion and dedication of younger lawyers, who receive lower ratings simply bercause they havenot yet established themselves.

Also, as far as "representation" (as opposed to counseling) goes, PPL is pretty much worthless. Not only may attorneys be jacking uo the rprices to make up for the loss, but the ones who aadgee to tne 25% discount are not lilely to give your case the attention it deserves.

So is PPLu useful? Yes, up to a point. Before you enter any agreee. So go ahead and buy the paln if you think it may heio you. Just be sure you know what exactly you're buying into.

Best regards

I am a member of the "legal field." In fact, I am an attorney. And here are my two or three cents on PPL. I'll start with the good and end with the bad and the ugly.

So here's the good:

First, the conept of a sort-of "legal insurance" is a great idea for obvious reasons.

Second, PPL works great when it comes to the "counseling" side of legal work. This includes the free consultation, free will, etc.

Third, as a PPL associate, you will actually be working for an MLM thay is actaully selling s someaht valuable product.

Now for the bad:

Third, PPL is NOT legal insurance. If your case goes to trial, they will not indemnify you, nor will they offer you much (if any) of a discounted service. Contrary to what the above rebutallist stated, attorneys do not "post" their fees like an auto mechanic. In fact, a single attorney may charge many different fees based on several different factors. I, for example, bill at a very cheap $100 per hour most of the time. If I take on a criminal case, I will charge a flat-fee and, depending on theamount of time that I have to put into the case, you couldd be paying anywhere from $400 dollasrs per hour to as litle as $20 per joud.

In bankruptcy cases, I charge $125 per hour. On most cses, my boss and I collaborte, and his usual fee is $175 per hour. The long and short of that is that there is nothing preventing a PPL attorney from jacking up his prices to cover the 25% discount and, so long as the fee agreement is reduced to writing and signed by the cleintm there is nothing ethically or legally wrong with this.

Now for the ugly.


Finally, the Martindale HUbbell rating system is a joke. It is based, for the most part, on the respect that you have lgained in the legal community as a business man, not necessarily quality of your work. I have seen terrible lawyers with AV ratings - usually older guys who have been in the field for a long time, but who often lack the passion and dedication of younger lawyers, who receive lower ratings simply bercause they havenot yet established themselves.

Also, as far as "representation" (as opposed to counseling) goes, PPL is pretty much worthless. Not only may attorneys be jacking uo the rprices to make up for the loss, but the ones who aadgee to tne 25% discount are not lilely to give your case the attention it deserves.

So is PPLu useful? Yes, up to a point. Before you enter any agreee. So go ahead and buy the paln if you think it may heio you. Just be sure you know what exactly you're buying into.

Best regards

Addressing your first issue, the pay structure that PPL uses is not only available, but made public. Anyone who wishes can go to the PPL website and it will give them a full description of how sales associates are payed a commission for the plans they sell, not the legal fees collected by the law firm. This is further reinforced when someone goes to the meetings which clearly explain how this works. While you can't control the conduct of an individual (in ANY industry) there is no documentation or push in any way, shape, or form by the PPL Coorporation that implies or states that a sales associate will receive a cut of any legal fees.

They don't claim to prevent Identity Theft. They promise to monitor and inform you of your credit activity. Then they promise to work towards fixing your credit should your identity get attacked.

The Martindale-Hubbell rating system is not affiliated with PPL and has been around long before PPL came into being. PPL makes no claims pertaining to individual attorneys but rather the firms themselves. In order for a firm to receive an AV rating a rather large percentage of their attorneys must be either AV or BV rated. Every PPL associated law firm I've looked up on the Martindale-Hubbell website has had an AV rating (I've looked up 11). Every PPL attorney I've worked with (4) has had either an AV or BV rating verified on the Martindale-Hubbel website. I prefer the website to the book because I find it more user friendly and it's kept up to date where the book can get tricky to read and unless you have the current edition the information is outdated. For those that don't know, the firms and attorneys are rated based off surveys conducted with other attorneys and customers. PPL has no involvement with the survey process.

Additionally, PPL does not have a "referral list", while there are several similar services that do. As a prior customer you well know that PPL contracts with specific law firms in the state in which you live. Currently, most states only have one firm representing the customers of that state. Those that have more are larger states such as California, New York, and Florida. When you sign up you receive a card and a package telling you which firm will be representing your issues. When you call the provided 1-800 number you are connected to that firm.

You are correct in that all states have a state bar and MOST (not all) have a free referral service. Also, most attorneys will give you an initial consultation for free. If you've truly been involved in the legal system then you know that most of those "free" consultations consist of hearing the problem then telling you they can solve your problem for a price. There is no advice given to the person in need. What PPL offers that is unique is UNLIMITED consultations until your problem is solved. This does not guarantee that you can solve all your problems out of court. On the 25% off, by contract this discount is on the normal POSTED hourly rate charged by the law firm. Despite what you want people to believe, they do not hike their rates then discount them afterwards. To do so would not only make them open to civil suits for breach of contract but also constitute a crime in most states.

You are also correct that there are programs that can assist with legal expenses. The main problem is that 80% of the people don't qualify for them. Again, you also use the term ALL way too freely. Not only do MOST states not have the voluntary service you suggest but of those that do MOST still require that you meet certain criteria. Additionally, I haven't found a single lawyer (either through the Yellow Pages, DEX, Law.com, or the Washington, Oregon, Idaho, or California State Bars that will provide 24 consultation for free. I have found some that offer 24 hour service, but they tend to be costly, often exceeding the cost of their normal rates.

Finally, the term Pre-Paid Legal is in no way deceptive as all the services you are entitles to are clearly spelled out in both your contract and your customer package. They are also clarified on the PPL website, in the PPL literature and at the PPL meetings. Where most people get into trouble is that they CHOOSE not to listen or read the information being put out then presume things they aren't entitled too. They do guarantee you consultations, and they do guarantee at least a 25% discount should you case go to court. This is what they say and what they write, if you choose not to listen, that's your fault.

Given your obvious lack of understanding of the system it is highly questionable that you've actually been a PPL customer. Not only do you not understand the little you've written about but you didn't even mention ALL the service PPL offers, including the free comprehensive will, motor vehicle defense, tax audit preperation and defense, and a number of free defense hours should defend yourself if you are takent to court. Some of these are only available in certain states, but for someone who did their research you would know about them. The misinformation you've passed on indicates a lack of true research which makes me question that you've actually worked in the legal field. You don't even mention what legal field you work in. I worked as Clerical Aide for Oregon State Representative Ron Suneri for a year in 99. Worked as a Navy Legal Clerk and Paralegal for six years from 2000 to 2006. Currently I work for the Washington State Department of Employment Securities. Not only did I sell PPL Services from late 2005 until March of this year I still maintain a PPL membership which I use both personally and professionally on a regular basis. The reason I stopped selling the service is that I do not enjoy sales, what can I say, it's not for everyone. I currently maintain a close friendship with many who are associates with PPL, many of whom are rather successful.

My advice is either abandon this very poor atempt to discredit PPL as you obviously did not do your homework, or dedicate a significant amount of time to some real research so you may make a legitimate argument.

Well, here is my account with pre-paid legal, I dont know if it is the same thing your offering or not however it almost landed me in Jail.

I got pulled over for speeding, got a ticket, turned to my trusty (pre-paid legal book of Forms) found the form I was suppose to send the courts and wait for a responce, well never got a responce thought right on this stuff does work, well about a year later was riding with a friend he got pulled over because i was not wearing my seat-belt, yes they will do that in texas, the officer runs my DL, hmm what do you know I have a warrant out for my arrest for failure to appear for the speeding ticked I had recieved about a year earlier, luckly for me the Sherrif's Deputy that stopped us let me go when

I told him the story of the pre-paid legal and said " THEY FOUND ANOTHER SUCKER ". I called the judge and she lifted the warrant since I paid the Ticket over the phone along will all the penalities, I say stay away from the Pre-Paid legal.

I'm not sure what side of the legal field you're in whether being a lawyer or the guy that fetches the coffee and doughnuts for the attorneys but let me tell you my background and its not in the legal field.

Before I became an associate, I was a correctional officer and I saw first-hand the effects of "free legal services". I met people who I believed were completely innocent of their crimes but was incarcerated simply because they were assigned a public defender that basically convinced them to plea guilty to clear up their workloads. I've also met people who received a harsher sentence because they tried to defend themselves with free legal services on the internet and tried to fight it in court. Most judges hate that their time is taken up in court and they generally throw the book at those people.

If you have a toothache, you don't go and try to do your own root canal. You go to a dentist. If you get bit by a snake. you don't go to your cousin's house. You go to a doctor. So when you're faced with legal problems, you should get an attorney...plain and simple.

I'm familar with the AV system, and Pre-paid Legal Services prohibits any associates from mentioning the AV system in marketing the plans however you are highly incorrect in your assessment. I don't even bring it up because a regular person wouldn't know what it is. I simply say "quality attorney services"

Your assessment for ID Theft is completely incorrect. The ID Theft Sheild is ran by Kroll Management and they don't play around. Yes, you can buy the service by itself but usually when your ID is stolen, you are going to need an attorney as well so it complements the service. Kroll Management wouldn't work with Pre-Paid Legal if they were crooks or scam artist.


Pricing on the services that your quoted is also wrong. A standard membership is only 16.00 dollars a month, not $30.00. Even the Expanded membership is only 25 dollars. It's even less if a company offers it as an employee benefit....like Michelin for example. But good job of exaggerating the truth


Requirements for attorneys is wrong. Not even going to go there with that because only a complete retard would believe that. Yes, there is a strict screening process. Why wouldn't there be???


You're concept of "blackballing" is wrong. If a person feels they are not getting the service they need, then they can cancel anytime. There is no contract or agreement and no-one puts a gun to a person's head


As far as the New York Stock Exchange, the reason that its tooted so much is to let people know that their books are open to the entire public which means you can kick the tires and examine everything about the business





Overall, you have done a poor job in attempting to distort the truth but I personally couldn't care. I believe you're most likely a digruntled associate who was kicked out or didn't do very well. In either case, your comments are slander.


Are there assholes and liars in Pre-Paid Legal??? Yes, I've met plenty of them before and in most cases they don't last too long in the company.

There is no such thing as a perfect system and although Pre-paid Legal Services isn't perfect, they have helped numerous people in their life events and most people are happy with their service.

I spent years in brick city guarding inmates and I'm glad to be an associate of the company. I do very well in the business and its allowed me a great deal of freedom for myself. I've been to Ada, OK and have toured the headquarters. Its real.



Folks, I ask you to simply check out any DVD or brochure as well as any outside source including Ripoff Report and make your own informed decision.