Legal Information

Legal Services of Labor Law Attorneys

2010-02-15T16:54:00.000-08:00

By Manuel Salvacion

Labor law attorneys deal with a broad range of labor issues mainly related to how employers treat employees, former employees and applicants for employment. This includes all the areas of the employer-employee relationship, negotiations, and the collective bargaining agreement.

Generally, labor laws were designed to create a bargaining balance between employers and employees; prohibiting management and the union from engaging in "unfair labor practices" and encouraging both parties to engage in faithful collective bargaining.

Labor laws also grant employees the right to unionize and allow employers and employees to engage in typical union activities like strikes, pickets, seeking injunctions, and lockouts, which is done for getting their demands heard.

What Labor Law Attorneys Can Do

Labor law attorneys deal mostly with employers and the union. These lawyers help management by carrying out following tasks:

• Reviewing client employee handbooks, manuals and policy statements

• Assisting with federal and state wage and hour law issues and claims

• Representing employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state human rights agencies

• Representing employers in unfair labor practice proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board and state labor agencies

• Providing representation for grievance and arbitration hearings under the collective bargaining agreements

• Collective bargaining on behalf of clients including strategic planning and acting as spokesperson

• Counseling on issues related to strikes or lockouts, and providing related litigation support

On the other hand, these lawyers also help employees in the workplace. They assist employees' families recover money and other compensation from illegal practices of certain employers. In addition to other labor-related disputes, they handle issues of discrimination (ADA, family leave, ERISA), wage claims, wrongful termination or demotion, invasion of privacy, whistle-blowing (Qui Tam), harassment, unemployment, retaliation, and workers' compensation.

Employment and labor law professionals handle disputes with insurance claims, lawsuits, and court trials. For employers, labor attorneys may review contracts, agreements, and policy publications. They can fine-tune non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, severance agreements, independent contractor agreements, collective bargaining agreements, trade secrets documentation, employee policy manuals, and dispute resolution procedures. They also negotiate with claimants, public workers, unions, and labor organizations.

How a Labor Law Attorney Can Help You

• Assess your legal rights - The attorney will help you determine whether your rights have been violated or not, the strengths and weaknesses of your claim, and the legal consequences of filing a suit.

• Act as your legal coach - By acting as your legal coach, a labor lawyer will:
o explain what laws work best for you and how to enforce your right,
o advise you on the merits of your claim,
o give you feedback on court procedures,
o alert you to any problem areas,
o suggest evidence that may be useful to your claim;
o and draft or write the necessary paperwork.

• Negotiate - He will also deal with all levels of negotiation for your claims and represent you in confronting your employer. He can also help you finalize any agreement or settlement.

• Handle all communication -He will draft all letters, correspondence and even answer calls related to your concern

• Initiate legal action in the appropriate court

Before becoming an online writer, Manuel worked as a journalist, a newspaper columnist, a scriptwriter, a fiction writer, a magazine editor, and a tutor. He acquired his legal background as a Senate legislative officer and later on, as a researcher and paralegal staff in various law offices. Someday he hoped to go back and devote more time to writing fiction, which is his first passion.For other information visit==> http://arsandy.wordpress.com

Legal Services Outsourcing

2010-02-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

By Harpreet Oberoi

Gaining effectiveness and staying profitable in today's competitive business world has become really tough. Most of the international business law firms based in Europe and US are opting for the new Legal process outsourcing route to be productive. A number of International business law firms including legal departments in large corporations and even government organizations are increasingly outsourcing most of their legal issues to India to increase efficiency and reduce cost.

Similar to BPO activities legal services of India are efficient and affordable. Preparing Pleadings, proof-reading, docketing, transcription of recorded documents, research and litigation support, law firm marketing and case studies are some of the various works that are currently being outsourced to India. Legal outsourcing work in India costs nearly 80 percent less compared to the costs of using the same services in US or Europe.

Additionally the advantage of time zone, familiarity with common law doctrines and easy availability of English speaking lawyers attracts more foreign firms to opt for LPO services India. Indian attorney with UK/US qualifications are also sought after which is perfectly fulfilled by the top legal services India. Most of the overseas attorneys are impressed not just by their lower cost of labour differential but also through the speed and quality of work done. Therefore LPO India Lawyers are reported to be staffed round the clock. However legal outsourcing is also the most risk prone business sectors given concerns of attorney-client privilege and confidentiality, but the research analysts have found that its overall benefit have been tremendously boosted the business. Additionally LPO has also gained momentum in several offshore counties including South Korea and China.
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Discount Pre-Paid Legal Services May Cost You More in the Long Run

2010-02-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

By Erin Johnston

Limitations of Pre-Paid Legal Services

Pre-paid legal plans are promoted under the promise of cheap legal
coverage, an attractive alternative to the high fees charged by regular
attorneys and law practices. But under the gloss of accessible legal
services for the general public, lie a number of limitations.

First, there is a limit on the scope of the legal services provided. Most
of what is provided on an unlimited-basis is phone based: calls to your
attorney for advice and consultation on legal matters, or phone calls made
on your behalf to third parties. Other benefits bundled in the plan are
limited: regular visits to your attorney’s office is restricted to a dozen
or so hours per month, the wills you want drafted or sample contracts
reviewed will be carried out on two or three copies per year. More complex
legal matters involving more time and effort on the part of your attorney
are not provided outright. If you need representation in a court for a
lawsuit on the recovery of damages, or a complex lease contract reviewed
and approved, then you have to pay regular lawyer fees. Some discounts of
up to 25% apply, but you could get the same discounts if not better by
the simple virtue of simple negotiations and clever comparison shopping.

Second is the restriction on your choice of attorney and the quality of
legal work provided. Although you are free to choose your own attorney,
client-lawyer relationship and the building of rapport are harder to come
by in this scheme.
Pre-paid legal plans are fraught with the “rookie” syndrome: the providers
usually resort to employing newly-licensed or trainee attorneys in a
cost-cutting exercise. Someone who does mostly wills, trusts and sample
contracts is probably not a good fit for a more complex legal issue like
the custody of children. In this day of age of increasing specialisation,
it is better to ask someone with specialised knowledge and years of
experience then it is to rely on a novice with a limited professional
track-record.

If you go down the traditional way, then there is restricted “pool of
attorneys” you can choose from. Your research will be easier and a lot
more comprehensive. You can set up interviews with lawyers, ask for
referrals from friends, previous customers or check your local bar
association. You are more likely to get a top-notch lawyer with who to
build rapport get competent advice and trust the judgement.
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Limitations of Prepaid Legal Services You Ought to Know About

2010-02-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

By Bob Sherman

There are around a dozen providers of prepaid legal service plans. They do provide access to some excellent legal services. But, you should check all their promises to see if you actually need those services. Furthermore, you need to grasp the limits of those services that are included in a prepaid legal plan.

Common to many plans is ready phone access to your lawyer. You may call your attorney about concerns about potential legal difficulties you face and get an expert opinion and recommendations as to how to proceed. If you did not have a family lawyer and had to find an attorney to get your questions resolved you'd most likely never ask a lawyer.

Also standard to most plans are the drafting of a will, the review of common legal documents and writing of standard letters. If you are preparing to buy or sell your house, you could get an expert analysis of the papers because of your prepaid plan. If you were overcharged for an item a letter from your lawyer to the merchant is usually covered.

Often more involved legal situations have limitations spelled out in the plan. If you are involved in a lawsuit the time your lawyer spends that is covered by your plan will probably have limits for both the pre-trial research and the time the attorney spends at trial. Additional time will be billed to you, normally at a discount.

While the cost reduction sounds like a good deal, you probably could ask a few attorneys for their rates for the legal effort you are involved in. Like any commercial relationship, you will get different rates from different attorneys. So, in reality, the reduced rate may not truly be such a great deal.

An additional consideration you should consider is the options you have for your attorney under a prepaid legal plan. You ought to be concerned about the quality of legal effort your attorney will produce and the relationship or rapport you could have with your attorney.

Since the prepaid legal plan is a limited service for a fixed price arrangement, some plan administrators make agreements with recently licensed lawyers who are just getting started. Like any business, your plan administrator often desires to limit costs and may locate the least expensive legal firms to bring into the plan.

Although if you are just interested in having a will set up or reviewing a real estate closing statement, most any lawyer will do. But, attorneys specialize, exactly like surgeons. Consequently, if you require specialized guidance for a business or a child custody case, you should evaluate the attorneys for that specialty before you sign up for a plan. The complicated nature of the law means you will obtain higher quality advice from an expert than from a generalist.

If you decide not to use the prepaid legal plan, your choices of an attorney are wide open. You can select any attorney with whom you can build a relationship of trust. You will give up some benefits of a prepaid legal plan, but you will have an attorney who concentrates in the sphere of law that is most critical to your circumstances.

No matter what choice you make, you can set up some interviews with the lawyers, ask for references from past clients, talk with friends who have made use of that attorney, and check with your local bar association. Get the best attorney you can to receive the most effective results.
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Legal Services, Lawyers, Attorneys, Who Needs Them?

2010-02-03T16:45:00.000-08:00

By Erin Johnston

The answer is easy, we all do. It is unfortunate that this is where our society has taken us, but statistics tell us that each one of us will need legal council 3-5 times in our lives. These services may include accidents, wills, estate planning, insurance or home owner disputes. The question is where do we turn for help. There are several options available. Each has its' strength and weakness but may be appropriate depending on what you are looking for.

Free Internet Legal Advice - There are lots of people on the internet that are willing to provide you with free advice and enjoy doing it. Many of them do not posess any type of license or degree so try to learn as much about them as you can before blindly following their advice. Some of them may try to sell you a service or request a sign up fee to begin helping you. These kinds of resources are good for second opinions and often time will provide suggestions as to what kind of attorney you should consider and what you should do. Occasionally you will find a retired attorney that is trying to give something back or still wants to stay active; these people are usually very good and helpful.

Legal Classifieds - There are numerous sites similar to this one that provides listings and contacts of lawyers and firms looking to establish or grow their clientele. There are some good up and coming stars in this area and the economics are on your side but you have to go in with your eyes wide open to make certain you are getting results for what they are charging.

Prepaid Legal - These are your basic entry level legal groups. Usually you have numerous "newbies" to the business that do all the running and leg work for a couple of senior members. There are a lot of these kinds of organizations out there and they have their appeal to smaller to midsize companies and their employees where the company does not have attorneys of their own to help their employees. My experience has been that you get very basic service here. If you need a will, a lease agreement looked over, or a dispute over a traffic infraction they can help. Anything more complex that is over the "newbie's" head may take a considerable length of time and work on your part to get them to follow through. I'm sure that not all of these companies have this lack of responsiveness, but most are.

Legal Blogs - A large number of legal firms have their own blog sites or live help lines. Many of these sites are sponsored by firms as well. These sites allow you access to the firm, get to know their people and see if you or your challenge may fit with their line of experience. It also will help you to know if you feel you can work with this group of people.

Family or Friend Referrals - These are usually the best recommendations and connections one can have. Strongly consider recommendations from friends or family that have had good interactions and been pleased with their results. There are a lot of families that use the same attorney for all their members and it usually results in a better more thorough representation. A good lawyer is very professional and will not discuss intimate details regarding other family members and respects each person's privacy from the rest of the family.

My hope is that you will never need an attorney, lawyer or legal service but if you do maybe we have shed some light on the search for legal representation.
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Affordable Legal Service

2010-01-31T16:43:00.000-08:00

By Lit Smith

It is well known that within America, most of the wealth is owned by a small percentage at the top. The sad thing about this is that not only does wealth relate to spending abilities and big houses. It translates itself into other issues, such as the ability to afford equal access to basic human services. Among these services are health and dental insurance. The poor are unable to afford health and dental insurance while the wealthy has immediate access. The solution to this problem is health and dental insurance. These two services work under a simple principle of temporal need. The fact of the matter is, even though everyone needs these services, we don't all need them at the same time. What this means is that it becomes possible to pool our resources (money), and apply them to a select group when it becomes necessary.

This brilliant idea of leverage works very well when applied to health and dental insurance. Now, the question is how else can we leverage this idea? Many people are aware of life insurance, health insurance, but how many know of legal insurance? Unfortunately not many, and therefore many people go without legal counsel because they believe it to be unaffordable. Fortunately this is not true, and everyone has access to legal counsel, making the promises of equal justice possible.

A legal service plan can provide access to legal counsel, when it is needed at a very affordable price. You may be shocked to know how well the idea of temporal need works. It becomes apparent that top-notch legal counsel is affordable to everyone, enabling us to say as the big wigs do "I will consult my lawyer on this issue." Another question arises, how often do people need legal advice and why would they even consider pre paying for such service? Well, here is a list of cases in which legal aid would be a great help:

- Identify theft
- IRS audit
- Dealing with speeding tickets
- Adopting a child
- Signing a contract
- Dog is poisoned
- Get charged a hidden fee on a bill
- Incorrect listings on credit report

We live in a litigious country and the list goes on and on. Legal service plans have been around for a long time and are widely available and used in Europe. Pretty soon they will be just as popular in America. I personally love the comfort of knowing I have a lawyer backing me, so I signed up for a legal service plan the minute I heard about it.
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Accessing Legal Services with Toll Free Numbers Directory

2010-01-28T16:41:00.000-08:00

By Amit B Sharma

Toll free numbers allow us to conveniently interact with product and service providers and obtain the information required. This is especially true for professional services in areas like law.

Legal services need to be accessible to the majority of the population whenever needed. It could be an emergency, or a routine legal query. Toll free number services give you instant access to legal firms and representatives whenever the need arises.

Prepaid legal services are easily available through toll free numbers. Whether it is signing a contract or insurance difficulties, speeding tickets or routinely occurring issues, a toll free number gives you access to legal firms who then return your call through trained professionals to answer queries and solve problems.

Having access to law professionals was never so easy. You need not pay for the call. The legal services cover a whole gamut of issues, from simple problems to legal hassles. Prepaid legal services can work over toll free numbers and charge monthly or annual fees for their services.

The Internet has made it all too easy to locate toll free numbers. Several online toll
free numbers directories cover the entire U.S. with various tools to locate the
services needed. Apart from providing phone numbers, they also contain useful email
addresses, Website addresses, classified advertisements, and other related
information.

A useful feature of online toll free directories is the reverse number lookup. A
visitor can verify the contact addresses from a given toll free number at the click of
a button.

Legal problems can arise anytime, anywhere. Toll free numbers give us access to
legal help quickly and conveniently and save us calling charges as well.

For more information on toll free legal services, visit http://headings.internettollfree.com/legal-services.html
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Pre-Paid Legal Review - The Truth About Pre-Paid Legal Services

2010-01-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

By Rob Sinclair

So is Pre-paid Legal Services the real deal when it comes to running your own business and making a fortune? You are probably considering it, and have heard a lot about the benefits. Are you hoping that this company holds the key to your dreams? How can you know for sure if Pre-Paid Legal Services is for real before you dedicate your precious time and energy to it? Get the facts before you go any further.

The Background

Pre-Paid Legal Services was founded when Harland Stonecipher was involved in a serious auto accident in 1969. In spite of the fact that he was not at fault, his expenses piled up quickly, while he attempted to have his medical bills taken care of by the insurance company. This inspired Harland to come up with the idea of a kind of "legal medical insurance" called Pre-Paid Legal Services.

What Is It Exactly?

Today a network of more than 50 independent law firms across the U.S. and Canada is working to provide Pre-Paid Legal Services for all of the people who are members of this great business. The plans provide for legal service benefits including: unlimited attorney consultation, letter writing, document preparation and review, will preparation, traffic violation defense, automobile-related criminal charges defense, and a general trial defense.

In addition Pre-Paid Legal Services markets identity theft protection and monitoring, and restoration products. The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and is a member of the S & P Small Cap index, and the S&P 1500 Super Comp index. On top of all of these services, prepaid legal provides the option for its members to earn a residual income for every person they sign up.

Points to Consider

The product and the idea are truly unique, and will always be a need for the services. The great thing about Pre-Paid Legal Services is that even if you are not interested in the business opportunity, the product is a great buy. This alone eliminates the majority of the problems involved in these types of businesses.

This is honestly one of the most credible businesses out there. As a business opportunity, there may be better options to consider. The commissions are very small and you may have to work for a very long time marketing your business before you actually make any serious money doing so.

Pre-Paid Legal is a great company, and it is highly recommended that anyone who needs any kind of legal services pay the thirty dollars a month. When it comes to business opportunities you need to evaluate what kind of earning potential you're looking for in a business. The best home businesses of today have amazing potential for quickly replacing income while simultaneously building a strong residual income stream to free you from the working world. All of this can even be done with systems that are 97% automated, allowing you to put in as little as 10 hours per week for a six figure income.
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Notarios Providing Legal Services Constitutes Unlicensed Practice of Law

2010-01-22T16:36:00.000-08:00

By Steven A. Culbreath

Some people in Florida are confused as to what services a Latin American notary public - "notaria," "consultoria" or "notario publico" - can provide regarding immigration matters. In fact, these persons are not attorneys unless properly licensed to practice law in this state, and they should not be relied on for legal advice because they cannot give legal advice.

Numerous complaints have been received about persons of Hispanic descent who have been harmed after mistakenly seeking legal assistance from notaries who offer such services in immigration matters.

Sometimes there is no legal way to immigrate into this country, yet some notaries, without fear of punishment, obtain large fees for immigration counseling and perform no meaningful work for those fees or give incorrect legal advice.

In fact, the fees for most notary services in Florida are set by statute, and notaries are prohibited from practicing law in this state. No one is permitted to charge or accept fees for legal services which they cannot or will not perform.

Lawyers must obtain a college degree from a four-year university, score well on a national law school admissions test, study law for at least three years, graduate from law school, undergo a thorough investigation of moral character, and pass the state Bar examination which includes testing on ethics, state and federal law.

If lawyers fail to give proper advice, they can be subject to the full processes of the law. Immigration matters involve various important rights defined in the Federal Immigration and Nationality Act, and competent legal advice from a licensed attorney is needed to understand these matters.

Florida notaries public, as opposed to lawyers, do not have any minimum educational requirement. They must be at least 18 years of age and a permanent Florida resident. They must submit a signed application with the appropriate fee, have two witnesses vouch for the applicant's good moral character, post a bond, and take an oath.

Matters as important as immigration - where you will live and under what form of government you will raise your family - should not be placed in the hands of an untrained person.

The Florida Notary and the Practice of Law

The Florida notary public certifies that deeds, affidavits, depositions and other writings are authentic or genuine. A Florida notary may also give oaths, make certificates of oaths, and perform marriages.

Notary publics cannot use their title (notario publico, notaria, consultoria) to imply that they are authorized to practice law. The law now prevents a literal translation of "notary public" into a language other than English in advertisements. If the advertisement is not in English, it must contain a disclaimer that states "I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, and I may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice."

Notary publics cannot give legal advice; nor can they prepare immigration forms while holding themselves out as knowledgeable in immigration law and practice. They cannot draw up wills, contracts, leases, deeds or other documents that might affect your legal rights. This would be the practice of law, and notaries in Florida cannot practice law.

Anyone violating the state law which sets forth the requirements for a notary commission is guilty of a felony crime.

What can YOU do?

If you would like to know if someone is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, you may find out by contacting The Florida Bar, 651 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2300, (850) 561-5600 or (800) 342-8060 (toll free). Ask for membership records.

For more information about notaries in Florida, contact the Bureau of Notaries Public, Secretary of State, The Capitol, Tallahassee, Florida 32301, telephone (850) 488-7521.

Finally, if you or someone you know has been misled or harmed by a person who is not a licensed Florida attorney, contact The Florida Bar, Unlicensed Practice of Law Division-Miami Branch, (305) 377-4445; Ft. Lauderdale Branch, (954) 772-2245; Tampa Branch, (813) 875-9821; Orlando Branch, (407) 425-5424; Tallahassee Branch, (850) 561-5840.
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Cost-Crunching Counsel: Nine Keys to Controlling Costs and Improving Legal Services for Your Busines

2010-01-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

By Daniel Harris

Attorneys are all about money, right?

We’re the ones who cue our families for photographs with, “Everybody smile and say, ‘Fees!’” Go ahead. Insert your own joke here. We can take it. But despite the jokes and our reputation, most of us are businessmen, too. We understand the need to control costs. We don’t like wasting anyone’s time, either.

We’re just like you. We thrive on referrals and return business. If we gouge clients, a lot of people hear about it.

So I’m here, as an attorney, to tell you how to keep your legal costs under control. I’ve enjoyed twenty years in my career with firms ranging in size from more than 500 lawyers to firms with less than five attorneys. It’s this simple: When companies follow these nine keys for hiring and using legal counsel, they crunch their legal costs—and actually increase the quality of their legal representation.

Key #1. Get the right lawyer for the job.

Get the lawyer whose practice focuses on the narrow area of law in which you need assistance. (This almost always means you need more than one law firm doing your legal work, by the way.)

Choosing the right lawyer can save you big money in the long run. The focus of my practice is international dispute resolution. Many times, the best way to collect a debt owed by a foreign company (particularly if that company is based in an emerging market country) is to seize an asset of that company in a foreign country. Suing these companies in the United States is very expensive. Many countries do not fully recognize U.S. judgments. You sue here and take the judgment there, only to learn you essentially need to sue again and win in your debtor company’s home country. Seizing your debtor’s valuable asset in a neutral third country can oftentimes be the best solution.

The problem is that many, if not most, of the contracts my clients or their attorneys ask me to collect on outside of the United States weren’t written with that in mind. Why not? Because they weren’t written by an international lawyer. In these cases, I’m only brought in as the specialist to do damage control long after the agreement is executed. Many of these contracts state very explicitly that the client’s home city is the only jurisdiction in which any lawsuit might be brought. So what happens? Such a provision can preclude action in some foreign countries and make seizure in all of them more problematic.

I had a recent case where I am certain we could have collected a million dollars for the client in an overseas jurisdiction had there not been a provision requiring litigation in an East Coast state. My East Coast client may have saved a few hundred dollars by having his regular lawyer draft the contract, but in the end, it may have cost them a million dollars.

Choosing the specialist usually saves money in the short term as well. My next door neighbor asked me to be her lawyer in purchasing a house from her parents. (A reminder: I do international dispute resolution.) I made clear I had absolutely no real estate background and that this transfer would be far more complicated than she probably realized.

My neighbor needed an attorney with experience in these deals. I knew such a deal should be structured to legally minimize various taxes and I told her that if she used someone without experience in this specific area—like me—she increased the likelihood of missing out on some tax benefit. Still, the clincher was when I told her that it would take someone like me around 30 hours to do such a project, while someone who was familiar with the legal territory would probably get it done in half the time.

I recommended a top-flight real estate lawyer with a tax background and told my neighbor she should expect legal fees of at least $3,500. She mentioned that the lawyer I’d recommended had completed the job, tax benefits intact, for much less.

I was shocked by the low fees and called the real estate lawyer for an explanation (I actually thought he had cut my neighbor a break as a favor to me). The lawyer told me it had taken him only three hours for the job because he does about twenty of these transactions a year. That means there is no need for him to research the tax laws each time so what would take me 30 hours takes him three.

This illustrates an old adage about the best way to find the best lawyer for your particular matter: solicit suggestions from your regular lawyer, or a friend who is an attorney. However, you need to ask for more than, for example, someone who has ever done a trademark registration. In that case, you’ll probably be passed off to another lawyer in his firm that has handled a few trademarks rather than getting the name of a well-respected trademark lawyer outside the firm. Using the in-firm corporate generalist for your trademark work will prove mighty expensive if that generalist misses something in the registration.

Key #2: Stay in constant communication with your lawyer.

It may seem completely counter-intuitive that constantly communicating with your lawyer will save you money, but it almost surely will.

In reality, staying in good communication with your lawyer is the rough equivalent of regularly changing the oil in your car. It costs money each time, but a blown engine or (in the case of legal services) a big lawsuit is going to cost you a lot more in the long run than a few oil changes or phone calls along the way.

This brings me right to the next key:

Key #3: Know your goals and tell your lawyer [WHAT THEY ARE}.

This is an “ouch” item. Remember the old Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”? With your counsel, “You Won’t Ever Get What You Want” if you don’t know what you want to achieve through legal representation.

It’s your lawyer’s job to explain various possible outcomes of a case or transaction, but it’s your job to know what your goals are. You are always going to know your business better than your lawyer.

Many years ago, a client came to me about six months into some highly contentious litigation with his business partner. The client had already spent around $50,000 on this case he had brought, but he had a vague sense of uneasiness about it. His regular corporate counsel had referred him to me for a second opinion regarding the litigation.

I met with the client for a few hours and learned that he wanted me to make sure his lawyers were handling the case properly. During this conversation, the client must have told me at least ten times that he never wanted to do business with his partner again. I told him I would review the entire case file and get back to him in a few days.

When we met again a few days later, I told him that his lawyers had been doing a fine job. Again, he kept mentioning how he never wanted to do business with his partner again.

I then asked him whether he realized that no matter what happened in his lawsuit against his business partner, they would still be partners at the end. Here’s the “ouch”: it turns out the client had thought that victory in his lawsuit would remove his partner from the partnership. The client had fifty grand into this process, and that goal of dissolving the partnership just wasn’t going to happen.

I then spoke with litigation counsel who confirmed the lawsuit could never achieve that objective. The lawsuit was just to seek compensation from the partner for business he had allegedly diverted to another of his companies that should have gone to the partnership. We met a few times with his partner (who actually wanted out of the partnership). Within a few weeks, we achieved a settlement that removed the partner from my client’s business—and ended the litigation that should never have been started in the first place.

Key #4: Avoid Litigation.

Being sued or finding yourself in a position where you have no real choice but to sue should almost always be avoided. This is easier said than done, but by living up to your agreements (and getting them in writing), spending a little up-front in legal fees and consulting with lawyers, you can go far in avoiding most lawsuits.

However, litigation is often necessary and should even sometimes be employed to further broad strategic business objectives. Nonetheless, once litigation has begun it is time consuming, difficult to control, and very expensive.

Regular communications with your lawyer will better enable her to head off problems before litigation becomes the only solution. It will also enable her to better position you to prevail in any such litigation, if it cannot be avoided.

I have found that the clients who are best at communicating with me have gone through litigation and truly understand the need to avoid it. Concentrate your efforts close to home. While great time and effort are spent on protecting against injury lawsuits (hot coffee and the like), that risk for most businesses is relatively small and, more importantly, can be insured against. For most businesses, employee and contract issues present a greater danger of getting out of hand. Ironically, these are precisely the issues that are easy to avoid up-front with proactive employment policies and clear written contracts.

Key #5: Use a law firm that appropriately outsources.

The big firms are usually set up in such a way that the profits of the partners come from the work of their associates. These associates are often recent law graduates who are likely to be far less efficient than a more senior lawyer. Put simply, 20 hours at $200 will cost you more than 10 hours at $300.

Associate time is often a lousy value. Law firms love having their associates doing legal research. The associate conducts highly profitable legal research and the law firm avoids having an inexperienced lawyer making strategic decisions. In the meantime you are paying to help train that associate. In seven years or so, he’ll be ready to become a partner and use a new associate to do the same thing to some other client.

How can you avoid putting too much of your legal budget into associates? On each matter ask your lawyer whether it would be possible for her to subcontract out some of the research work by using a part-time contract lawyer or even an overseas research service.

In Seattle there are many lawyers who, for whatever reason, do not wish to work full time and so contract out their legal research services for anywhere from $30 to $70. Though your law firm will justifiably mark up these charges to cover their normal overhead, you still should expect substantial savings. There is even the possibility of using overseas lawyers to assist in initial research of some matters. With competent lawyers in India charging as little as $7 an hour for computerized legal research, there is no reason not to give them the first crack at research that your lawyer will have plenty of time to review and supplement.

The outsourcing used by your law firm should not be confined just to lawyers, either:

* Good Japanese translators are in great demand in this country and so they are quite expensive. For years we have been successfully e-mailing Japanese documents to excellent translators in Russia who charge 1/5 as much.
* We realize substantial savings for our clients by having our Chinese documents translated in China, rather than here.
* We have used Korean engineers for initial engineering review on cases, saving at least 30%.

We even encourage Vancouver or Toronto, Canada, arbitration provisions in our client’s international contracts because Vancouver arbitrators, though quite competent, generally cost about half of those in the locales most commonly used for international arbitration (London, New York, and Stockholm).

Key #6: Explore alternative fee arrangements.

It almost always makes sense to at least discuss with your lawyer billing arrangements other than straight hourly fees.

Perhaps you’ll both benefit from a fixed fee arrangement. Here, you and your lawyer agree on a fixed fee that covers legal services. The real advantage in this arrangement, for both counsel and the client, is the ability to budget in advance and so limit billing “surprises” for both of you.

Contingent fees are another alternative option. Simply stated, the law firm is paid contingent upon the results they achieve. Although you often hear “If we don’t win, you don’t pay” on TV commercials, the more common arrangement in business cases is to use contingent fees in combination with cost-reduced or limited-number hourly fees.

There are also a number of hourly billing variations to consider. One common option is to negotiate a reduced hourly rate plus bonus. Here, an agreement can put your counsel at a reduced hourly rate plus bonuses to be paid for meeting or exceeding deadlines you agree upon.

Key #7: Have your lawyer give you an estimate of the fees and costs.

It’s in your best interest to get an estimate of your legal fees.

An estimate is just that: an estimate. Legal fees are often difficult to predict, particularly in litigation where the opposing party’s tactics greatly influence what your lawyer is required to do. However, you still need an idea of the legal costs you’re about to encounter.

From my perspective as counsel, I have learned that it is always a good idea to give an estimate because sometimes clients truly have no idea exactly what is involved in handling a particular matter. Years ago, a client called me wanting to seize the assets of a Russian company that owed his company about $350,000. Because this was the first time I had worked with the company, I wanted to impress the client and I told him that I would use my contacts throughout Asia to determine whether this company had any assets there that could be seized. I also told him I would be working with a Russian law firm to explore the likelihood of success if we needed to sue in Russia. When he agreed to that strategy, my firm did all of these things, incurring $5,000 in fees and costs. About half of that went to lawyers/agents in Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Japan and to the lawyers in Russia who had written a very good four-page memorandum outlining what would likely happen if we were to sue in Russia.

I reported back to the client within a week and gave him very clear directions on what we needed to do to recover the debt. I then sent out the bill for approximately $5,000, believing we had done a great job very quickly and efficiently. I assumed the client was very happy with our work and would gladly pay the bill. (I can assure you that my clients for whom I regularly do this sort of work would not have batted an eye at the bill.)

My assumption was wrong. The client called and said he had no idea that it would cost so much. This struck me as curious, since the client was a rather sophisticated business person whose company uses one of the big firms in town. Yet he told me that he thought that my search for assets, and my working with Russian lawyers, would basically consist of one afternoon’s worth of phone calls. Because the miscommunication regarding fees was more my fault than his, I drastically cut the bill. But from then on I’ve tried to always give an estimate up front and then continue to update that estimate as the work progresses.

Key #8: Don’t focus too much on the attorneys’ hourly rate.

An in-house counsel for one of the largest corporations in America once told me that, no matter what the hourly fees were at the various firms used by her company, in the end, most of the firms tended to charge similar amounts. According to her, the firm whose partner billed out at $250 per hour simply billed more time than the firm whose partners billed out at $350. At the $350 per hour firm, more work would go to associates.

So here’s the principle behind the key: Focus on lowering your total bill, not on the fees charged by individual lawyers.

Key #9: Don’t forget about insurance.

One of the best investments against monumental legal fees is insurance.

Carry liability insurance and, if feasible, carry directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. Discuss your various insurance options with both your broker and your lawyer. Then, if you do get sued for any reason, have your lawyer check your policy to see if you have coverage. Too many times, companies have assumed their policy could never cover a particular matter when in fact it either might or it does.

These nine keys combined can form a powerful strategy to significantly control your legal costs. You may never be able to smile with your lawyers when they say “Fees!” for the firm’s holiday photo, but you’ll know you’re making the most of your legal budget.
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A Review of Prepaid Legal Services Marketing Opportunities

2010-01-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

By Dustin Cannon

Prepaid legal Services helps people through their Life Events Legal Plan and their Identity Theft Shield plans. They assist in all types of events-both typical and atypical-such as while you buy a house, decide to create a will, or have made an identity theft claim.

The purpose of Prepaid Legal Services is to help those who need legal help to save money. They offer services such as discounts on legal fees and tools such as will kits.

Prepaid Legal also provides a business opportunity, which is to promote their prepaid legal programs. No prior formal education is require-just the ability to read, write and/or speak is mostly needed.

Teachers, realtors, law enforcers, accountants, and stay-at-home parents have all taken advantage of this opportunity. The Certified Field Training Program offered by Prepaid Legal provides users with all the right tools they need for success.

Prepaid Legal trainees are taught every step of the way how to succeed. Prepaid Independent associates responsibilities are simply to show others the legal plan, enroll them for Prepaid Legal Services, and then get paid.

Advantages and Disadvantages

This opportunity has a defined compensation program. The return you receive on every $26.00 membership you sell is between $50.00 and $182.50. You wonder how this is possible, and that is a great question to ask.

The way is works is this: People who sign up with Prepaid Legal Services its memberships. Those memberships are typically renewed every single year, so that means residual money for the company and a profit for you.

The cost of this program is fairly inexpensive at only $99. That is about 10 times less than other business opportunities that may not even make much sense to deliver. Plus, this is a service-specific opportunity that you know quite a large number of people may need in the near future.

You are provided with all the materials you need to take advantage of this opportunity when you sign up. You can also start immediately, and their is no reference check like when you apply for a job.

The disadvantage for some people is that you may be required to meet with people on a more face-to-face level. However, just like any other opportunity, you have all the tools you need with this program in order to be a success online as well as offline.

The other caution you need to take is the fact that the use of Prepaid Legal advantages does not necessarily mean members who sign up will save money. Not all lawyers in every location will honor the benefits offered by the Prepaid Legal Services.

They are more recommended by clients for small legal necessities, such as for the creation of wills. Not only that, but other clients have professed that they were actually able to find lawyers who honored these services and they felt the membership was worth every penny.

Therefore, it is a highly-coveted opportunity right now. Many people are currently participating in Prepaid Legal Services affiliate programs, especially since so many people are concerned about identity theft.
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What You Need To Know About Prepaid Legal Services

2010-01-13T16:29:00.000-08:00

By Brian Walker

We all know that hiring a lawyer could be very expensive. As an attractive alternative to hiring a lawyer, you could use pre-paid legal services. Prepaid legal services are similar to insurance plans, but instead of covering your health, life or home, pre-paid legal services cover your legal needs.

How do prepaid legal services work? Well, just like insurance plans, members pay a fixed monthly subscriptions fee and in return they have access to a range of legal services on-call. The legal services might cover simple tasks such as reviewing of legal documents, writing a simple will as well as more complicated cases such as divorce, trials, real estate issues and bankruptcy, etc. In this way, members of pre-paid legal services pay a fixed amount of money monthly to defray the expense of legal services provided in the future. Prepaid legal service plans might also cover the filing of motions and legal representation in court, but clients might need to pay extra fee for such services.

Pre-paid legal service plans have been sold in the United States since 1970's and in some states they are considered to be insurance and thus regulated by the state's insurance commission. Prepaid legal services is attractive to people who cannot afford to retain a lawyer on a regular basis.

There are some benefits of using pre-paid legal plans. First of all, they are cost-effective. The fees of hiring a lawyer can be very expensive, but the charge of pre-paid plans is more in line with health or home insurance. The second advantage of using a pre-paid legal plan is the simplicity in which the services are priced and furnished. When hiring a lawyer, it's usually hard to understand how they charge their clients, because there are a complicated set of fees involved, such as hourly rates, flat fees, contingency fees, and statutory fee, etc. However, with pre-paid plans, you just pay a fixed monthly fee and if the services are not fully covered, you will know clearly how much you will have to pay. In addition, since prepaid plans offer unlimited phone consultation, this can save you a lot of trouble in the future. Most legal problems can be solved if you take the necessary steps in line with the law. With good advices, you can avoid getting yourself into troubles.

On the other hand, there are a number of limitations to using prepaid legal services. First of all, usually there is a limit on the scope of the legal services that are covered. Secondly, there might be a restriction on your choice of attorney and the quality of the legal services provided.

When choosing a pre-paid legal plan, you should look to see exactly what services are covered. Ask if the service provider have an in-house procedure to handle complaints. Also, you need to make sure you select a plan that has clear guidelines as to how to settle dispute when they arise. In addition, it's important to do some background research on the provider to make sure it's competent and reputable.
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Legal Services For The Indigent Citizens - A Basic Right

2010-01-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

By Carla C. Ballatan

Every people in the country, rich or poor, all share the responsibility of abiding by the federal and state laws. As much as possible, the laws are unbiased to cover every citizen's rights to live honorably and responsibly.

However, instances like poverty could make individuals feel that they do not have as much rights and privileges as those who are quite well off. One of those rights is the right to obtain legal services. Many impoverished citizens, not only in Los Angeles County suffer from injuries and damages of property without acquiring proper legal services.

In order to reach out to those citizens who are underprivileged and inaccessible to services by professional lawyers, the United States Congress made way for setting up the Legal Services Corporation or LSC by passing the Legal Services Corporation Act of 1974. This private and non-profit corporation endeavors to make available for low-income individuals an equal access or opportunity in the justice system.

This main objective is abetted by the provision of top quality legal services and assistance for those who are unable to afford sufficient and satisfactory legal counsel.

The LSC ensures that legal assistance concerning civil issues become accessible for low-income citizens. Free legal services, however, are not given by LSC to the indigent citizens directly. Rather, it has almost 200 local legal services programs all over the country that provides grants.

The LSC have imposed income guidelines. Those who qualify can avail of the legal assistance by the "local legal services programs."

These groups providing local legal services receive funds from private sources and the state and county/city governments.

LSC's Income Guidelines

The LSC was mandated to impose "maximum income levels" for qualifications in availing of the free legal services. This maximum income level corresponds to the 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, as released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Since February 2007, the maximum income level for a family with four members in the United States continental area is $25, 813. In Hawaii and Alaska, this figure is a bit higher.

LSC's Clients

Clients accommodated by LSC have no ethnic, racial and age preferences.
- working poor or low income/salary workers
- veterans
- farmers
- disabled
- victims of natural disaster

LSC's Legal Services

The local legal services programs of the LSC all over the country provides lawyer representation in cases of:
- welfare problems
- housing issues
- concerns on family law
- issues of consumer protection

Legal assistance is provided free for:
- victims of abuse, violence (e.g. domestic violence)
- senior citizen consumers
- tenants
- seniors and veterans

However, only about two percent of the poor people's civil legal needs are able to be addressed by the local legal services programs of the LSC, notwithstanding the dedication of the attorneys.
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PrePaid Legal Services - Inexpensive Access To Legal Help

2010-01-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

By Danny Trammel

It's no doubt that at some point in their life, everyone will need the services of an Attorney. Even the simplest legal help can be very expensive. Whether you need to review a contract, obtain a divorce, a letter written on your behalf, a will written to protect your assets, or even ask for legal advice most people can't afford the Attorney fees that are often necessary to remedy their legal situation.

A growing number of people today are turning to an inexpensive form of preventive legal insurance called PrePaid legal.

PrePaid legal works much in the same way as your Health, Dental or even Car insurance. When you buy car insurance, you pay a monthly fee based on your driving record, age, etc. As long as you pay your monthly premium, you're protected under that insurance policy in case of an auto accident.

With a PrePaid legal insurance plan you also have a monthly premium, it works the same way. Lawyers are available for you and your family in case you need them - in some cases 24 hours a day.

One of the most distinguishable differences between a PrePaid legal insurance plan and other forms of insurance is that your monthly premium never goes up no matter how often you use it. This means that you are able to use your provider law firm as much as you feel it it's necessary and anytime you have a question.

Some employers offer PrePaid legal insurance as a fringe benefit. Employers understand the burden that a legal problem can place on their employees. It almost always leads to less productivity and loss of focus on work. You may want to check with your employer to see if it's available. If it's not available where you work, you can usually request it or obtain it individually.

Although Attorney hourly rates at an all-time high and the cost of a retainer fee is unmentionable for most people, at some point everyone needs the legal advice or legal help. But, before you decide on a particular company or Prepaid legal plan, do your due diligence and make sure you're dealing with a reputable company rather than a fly-by-night startup and be positive that the particular PrePaid legal plan is right for you and your family.
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Prepaid Legal Services Plan - What Do I Really Need It For?

2010-01-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

By Roman Sloan

In a life that seems to throw all types of obstacles a person's way, one often wonders if there is a way to circumvent these things from having such adverse affects on what is considered normal for us.

From medical complications we want help on our side, we want similar help for our vehicles and our places of residence. So when it comes to guarding our identity and our right to be protected legally, why doesn't that cause us to take immediate action.

That's what has made me take a closer look at several companies that offer some type of prepaid legal protection. In researching these prepaid legal companies I question the need for such an added expense to my already growing monthly output.

I contemplate the importance of such a service and wonder if it is sold behind a fear laced message that causes people to take advantage of it quickly. Years ago I used a legal professional because my dad lost his battle with severe illness and I needed help sorting through the final details of his life's legacy.

Naturally we hit a roadblock because the old timer didn't really get around to making regular revisions to his last will and testament. I've read that prepaid legal providers offer last will and testament preparation with complimentary updates annually. I don't even have a will because that's not something that a person just thinks about on a regular basis. I should consider getting one because a couple of statistics say that seven out of ten people will go to their grave without a will.

After speaking with a few prepaid legal providers I learned that one of the first things they encourage you to do is prepare to do your last will and testament.

The interpretation I'm getting from different prepaid legal sources is that they want to be the voice of people who might have legal troubles but can't have lawyers on retainer. Furthermore, I would probably be the equivalent to retaining a whole firm to use at your discretion.

Even if I had to handle several legal situations at the same time like unsatisfactory work on my home, will preparation, or an unjust charge sent to collections, I would be able to have my prepaid legal law firm handle these things on my behalf.

To bad I don't have a myriad of legal situations ready to engulf me; not yet at least. Maybe the will thing could work out for me-I don't have one but I don't really have anything to leave behind either.

Could be that the whole point of having some prepaid legal protection is to prepare for life's "what ifs".
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The Serious Fraud Office and the Legal Services Commission Specialist Fraud Panel

2010-01-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

By Steve Hill

The Serious Fraud Office, also known as the SFO, has jurisdiction in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. The SFO investigates and prosecutes crimes involving serious fraud and has authority under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to recover assets obtained illegally. The SFO only deals with cases involving serious crime usually involving conspiracy and large sums of money frequently with an international dimension.

Any lawyer that represents an accused person in these matters should be a member of the Legal Services Commission Specialist Fraud Panel and have met the strict qualification criteria which enable them to represent those charged with offences being prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office and more importantly to obtain legal aid to mount a publicly funded defence. Crown Court legal aid is means tested and the judge must find it in the best interest of justice in order to authorise publicly funded legal aid.

The Serious Fraud Office only prosecutes very serious cases that involve complex investigations where :-

• monetary value of the crime exceeds £1 million
• the case is of widespread public concern
• there is an international dimension to the case
• highly specialized knowledge is involved in the offence
• the special powers of the SFO are necessary in order to prosecute

Although the Serious Fraud Office have massive resources at their disposal over a third of all prosecutions fail. Those who are convicted in trials prosecuted by the SFO have more than just prison sentences to contend with. The SFO is now also aiming at confiscating assets using the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. A special unit within the SFO has been established to research and discover how hidden cash obtained as a result of criminal activity can be taken from a convicted defendant.
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Prepaid Legal Services Inc - 2 Simple Free Strategies to Explode Your Business

2009-12-29T06:09:00.000-08:00

By Wayne Vassell

Prepaid Legal Services inc is known as a reputable company. Personally I am not involved in this company but I have provided information to help struggling associates learn how to make their business succeed on-line.

Anyway, let me get to the point. I have grabbed your attention because I have two very simple free strategies that will help you succeed in your Prepaid Legal Services Inc business.

So without further delay here they are:

1) Article Marketing - Yes, I know you have heard of it all before, and your thinking it does not work! Well have a think for a minute, why have I invested my time in it? And why have countless others? Yes, you guessed it it does work. However many give up before they know how to make it work.

If you would like to generate over 20 Prepaid Legal Services Inc leads a day just by writing articles then listen closely my friend.

You need to write consistently. It may sound boring but the leads it generates is not! You need to choose your keywords correctly. Only go for highly trafficked and low competition keywords and write at least one article a day. I suggest you submit it to this directory right here, that will be a great start.

2) Video Marketing - Again you may rule this out, but believe me it works. You need to make full use of those keywords you found in step one and do a very quick 2 minute video and submit it to the top video directories.

If you do your keyword research right you will have the equivalent of many little highly trafficked fishing hooks collecting prospects for your business.
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How Pre-Paid Legal Services Saved Me a Bunch of Money on Taxes

2009-12-26T06:07:00.000-08:00

By Carl Coffin

I purchased a Pre-paid legal membership two years ago. As a member I pay $26.00 a month for a wide range of legal services.

One of the benefits that came with the membership was the ability to pick up a phone anytime during normal business hours and speak with an attorney. If I wanted to chat for 30 min. or an hour it didn't matter, my monthly membership fee stays the same.

During 2005 I opened up a LLC (Limited Liability Company) for my real estate business. It seemed like a good idea at the time and I liked the asset protection that the LLC provided. In 2006 I decided to put my real estate business on hold and try something different. However, I did not close my LLC. I left it open on the pretence that I would work my real estate business in the future.

During May 2006 I decided to build a network marketing business. I left the LLC alone for an entire year. When I went to file my taxes at the beginning of 2007 I went to a local accountant. I explained my situation to her and this is what I gave her.

1. My personal income W-2

2. My business income 1099

3. LLC info.

Now, as far as my personal and 1099 were concerned they didn't present a problem, however when it came to my LLC, she told me that I would need to contact a CPA and fill out a business return.

I was confused, especially sense the LLC didn't produce any money for the year. I also new that she wanted to charge me $500.00 to complete my return as is and a CPA would be even more.

I know this sounds cliche, but what did I do? That's right, I called my TAX ATTORNEY. I ran my situation by her and she informed me that all I had to do was file my 1040 and schedule C for my network marketing business and file an additional schedule C for my LLC just showing that the LLC made no profit for the year. That's it! No CPA!

I took my attorney's advise and filled out all the returns and submitted them electronically for a little over $100.00. I saved $400.00.

It was great to have an experienced attorney to call when I needed help. The best part is the advise I got was right on, I've had no problems with the IRS for that tax year.
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What Quality of Legal Services to Expect

2009-12-23T06:05:00.000-08:00

By Carla C. Ballatan

Attorneys know early on, in their careers that law deals largely on nurturing a relationship. Whenever clients seek out lawyers for their problems, they always gauge out how they were treated and how they feel about the person behind the profession.

Discerning clients wisely retain lawyers who treats them respectfully and whom they are most comfortable with and are likable. It is but typical for a client to retain a legal service provider who assures them of the positive outcome of their case.

However, these do not comprise the main qualifications that clients expect from their lawyers.

If you are a client who has sustained personal injuries and damages due to an accident caused by another party's negligence, it is during the process of your case that you demand a lot from your lawyer. Since you hired the personal injury lawyers' legal services, you do not just sit back and wait for him to say that your case is already won.

Logically, you would want to be largely involved and always updated with the latest development of your case. You need to hire an attorney whose legal services acknowledge and address this fact.

As such, the main things to consider when looking for a lawyer are the following:

- Quality of his or her service skills

- Capacity for building a successful relationship and bond with his or her clients

- Ability to inspire your confidence in his or her aptitude as adviser, lawyer and team player

Particularly, make sure that your attorney is:

1. Responsive and available - an indication of excellently honed service skills in an attorney is his or her availability to take your every phone call to hear out your inquiries and requests.

He or she also returns your e-mail and phone messages promptly, even if the return message or call is only to schedule a particular time where you can both discuss matters in depth.

Instructs the secretary or receptionist about where and how he/she can be reached if not in the office, when you can expect him/her to be back or if someone else can assist you despite of his/her absence.

2. Knows time management and organization - always thinks ahead and keeps in mind schedules and deadlines to be met. Conversant about delegating tasks to his/her staff according to priority.

3. Meets deadlines - has an established timeline of the critical dates when a phase of a task will be completed. He or she keeps in touch with the progress of assignments especially when delays and problems come up concerning the delivery of required projects.

4. Follows up with you and communicates the status of your case - he or she gets in touch with you before you even try to call him up.

Always make sure that you get references from other clients who have earned the loyalty of the lawyer you are planning to retain. By doing this, you would know in exact terms, what you could expect from his/her.
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Pre Paid Legal Services Scam

2009-12-20T06:03:00.000-08:00

By Steve Jankowski

Pre-Paid Legal is a company that has been around for many years. It is a public company that markets primarily through network or multi-level marketing. Members pay a monthly membership fee in addition to a sign up fee. Membership gives you access to an attorney that participates in the prepaid network.

There are many people that make a very significant income marketing this business. Unfortunately, if you do a quick search online, you will also fine a number of people that say that their experiences amounted to a Pre Paid Legal Services Scam. Pre paid legal is not a scam.

It is a sad fact that most people that start home businesses fail. Many of these people then look at the business opportunity that they had embarked on as a scam or rip-off. Pre-Paid is not a scam. You can make a fabulous income with it...if you work it hard enough and have the ability to bring many people into it through your network.

However, selling pre-paid legal is, in my opinion, kind of like selling prepaid dental services or burial plots. You are selling potential pain alleviation. I would much rather market something that people can get excited about! There are many network marketing or direct selling products available that are much more positive in nature and they are, therefore, much easier to sell.

If, for instance, you sell a product that people need and like, you are much more likely to have members under you in that organization that will stay with the program for much longer. Since the main goal of anyone that joins a home business opportunity is to make money, it should be a significant requirement that people really like the product that they are selling.

I do not believe in a pre paid legal services scam, but I do think that there are many better ways to make money in a home business. If you are looking for a home business, finding a product that excites you should be significant criterion in choosing your home business. If you actually like the products that you are marketing, you will enjoy the business much more, will be more effective in your marketing efforts and will likely make more money.

If you find a product that you like and then decide to embark on a home business, you must realize that every home business does take effort. Most people that fail do so because they quit or do not put enough effort into the business. People that have home businesses that are wildly successful worked very hard to get their business to that point. There is nothing quite like having a successful home business and enjoying the freedom and income that it provides.
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Factors of First-Rate Personal Injury Legal Services in California

2009-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

By Carla C. Ballatan

Under the state laws of California, personal injury is defined as an essential part of the Tort Law. Tort is actually a Latin word that means inter alia or an intentional or negligent civil wrong not occurring from a statute or contract.

Intentional torts are wrongful actions that aim to hurt someone, deliberately. This is usually cases involving battery and defamation. On the other hand, most personal injuries involve negligence and strict liability.

An action that brings about personal injury allows a victim to sue another person or entity for committing civil wrongs and claim for money damages.

In the state of California, many kinds of personal injuries occur. Most of these are due to the negligence of someone or some entity that should have been more responsible or is expected to exercise a standard of care.

California Courts uses the term of California Personal Injuries to cases wherein negligence is a major factor that caused an accident:

These cases include but are not limited to the following:

- Motor vehicle accidents - car crash, SUV rollovers, truck accidents, automobile accidents

- Slip and Fall Accidents - premise liability injuries

- Product liabilities - injuries arising from defective or dangerous products

- Airplane Accidents

- Wrongful Death

Still other cases involving personal injuries in California are train accidents and swimming/drowning accidents. There are also several medical malpractice lawsuits in the California Courts.

Given the many personal injury claims and lawsuits, occurring in the state, many lawyers are also present in California who are well trained and experienced in handling personal injury legal services.

Among the many, there will always be just a few several who can offer the finest possible services. If you were a resident of California who has acquired injuries from an accident due to someone else's negligence, you would do well to find those injury attorneys who can offer you truly expert legal services.

Several factors that make a personal injury lawyer a top rated legal service provider:

- With experience of 10, 20 or more years

- Capability to deal, in the most proficient conduct, various types of cases involving personal injuries

- Ability to offer incomparable legal advice to clients according to what the case requires

- Ability to dig or investigate deeper into a case that is otherwise difficult to prove in court, and provide evidences with maximum importance

- Specializes in consumer rights advocacy against the large insurance companies and law firms dealing with defense of sued parties

- Charges higher percentage on their clients' recoveries or compensation

- Capable of nurturing a dynamic relationship with clients and resolving complex legal matters

- Professional plaintiff attorneys noted for their aggressiveness and intellect.

You should look for these top factors in finding personal injury lawyers to represent you or your loved ones' personal injury case. PI attorneys with these attributes are sure to have reached successful settlements/verdicts worth millions.
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Is There Really a Pre-Paid Legal Services Hustle Out There?

2009-12-14T05:58:00.000-08:00

By Glenn Arcaro

There are so many home business's out there, it's impossible to keep count. They seem to be popping up all the time these days. I certainly can tell you that there are many, many scams out there and people just phishing for your money.

Pre-Paid Legal has not escaped the criticism that almost every home business has had to endure at one time or another. Some out there seem to think there is a Pre-Paid Legal services scam just waiting to happen to them! Well, I really wanted to get to the bottom of this company and see what the fuss is all about.

The Pre-Paid Legal company has been around for over over 20 years. It is a publicly traded company. Members pay a monthly fee which varies based on how much coverage they desire. This membership gives you access to a lawyer on a number of different issues. Situations can vary from representation in a minor traffic citation, all the way to the presence of an attorney if you should ever been audited by the IRS.

The product which is their memberships are sold through network or multi-level marketing. Don't be scared! These aren't the days of old. Network marketing is has been embraced by such people as Donald Trump, who himself has started his own network marketing company. Do you think he researched the industry before he decided to jump in? You bet!

Now, if you clicked on this article looking to find a Pre-Paid Legal services scam, sorry to disappoint you. While network marketing certainly isn't for everyone, Pre-Paid Legal in my opinion seems to be a stand up company. They offer attorney services that the average person just can't afford.

We all know that we live in a world where the justice you receive is in perfect sync with how much money you have. With Pre-Paid Legal's lowest membership price, coverage can be had for as little as $17 a month.

We all make decisions in life. No matter if we want to be employees and be told what to do and when to do it or set out on our own and blaze a new path. There are inherent risks in each. Personally, I have chosen the path of entrepreneurship. Only for the simple fact of while comfortable at the moment, a J.O.B. can be cut at any moment.

This is a business of promotion and marketing filled with people who know NOTHING about promotion and Marketing. That's a problem. Forget what your upline tells you about bugging you friends and family until people join you business only because they feel sorry for you. Buying lead? Cold calling? Forget it! Nobody likes doing that and your upline knows that.

The average person signs up roughly 2 people in their network marketing career and your upline knows this. See, the big players in this business know the numbers and the fact that you will probably quit. What they don't tell you is that they want you to grab the closest people to you while you are still excited about your new venture.

Basically, they know you are a sinking ship so they want to pile on as many people on the boat as they can, before you sink. They don't tell you that at those friendly home meetings or the big conventions do they?

This, like any other business is a business of skill. They more skills you master the more successful you will be. Period. Hassling aunt Edna into joining your business isn't a skill. Well, maybe it is... It's just not one that's going to make you any money! If you want to be make money in this or any other business, find a skill you want to learn and become a master at it. Then move onto another skill.

It's no mystery that anyone who works in front of a computer should be looking over their shoulder these days. There's an army of people in third world countries such as India and Philippines who can do the job just as well as anyone in the western world, if not better! They don't complain, they're willing to work much longer hours than most people, and do it for a fraction of the price. The major corporations have already made their decision. It's not the future, it's the now!

We all make our own decisions in life and for me, I choose to take life into my own hands. Personally I would rather burn on my own than drown with my head being held under water. I don't know about you...

Whether it's the Pre-Paid Legal services or The Trump Network are right for you is a personal decision. Just be sure to do your due diligence and do what is right for you and your family.
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Solicitors' Guide - Instantly Cross Sell More of Your Legal Services to Your Clients and Prospects

2009-12-11T05:56:00.000-08:00

By Nick Jervis

Often when I attend a new solicitors practice to help them with their marketing, I am amazed at the lack of thought that has gone into promoting the services of the law firm. From the outside of the office there is often very little evidence of the services that the law firm can provide for passers by, there are no posters in the windows and the signage is old or tatty. Some simple changes can be made to the practice both internally and externally that can significantly improve the cross selling of your legal services to your clients. I will start by looking at the outside of your offices and then walking through the building and looking at your marketing communications. By the end of it, if you implement the changes I guarantee you will see results.

Your Premises

Let's start with the first thing your clients see when they visit your offices. This is your chance to promote your services completely free of charge to the outside world. Are you making the most of it? Can you answer yes to all of the following questions?

* Do you have brightly illuminated signage (all bulbs working)?
* Do you list all of your core services clearly on your exterior signage?
* Are your telephone number and website address displayed?
* Do you have an A board outside of your offices with thought provoking and changing posters inside it?

If you cannot answer yes to all of these questions, act now to make immediate improvements and make the most of that passing trade. One final point on this section is that in this day and age you have no excuse if you still shut for lunch. In a tough economic climate you must be open at every opportunity possible, and if you take the time to make the changes above you need to be open to make the most of your passing trade.

Your Reception Area

Once a client or potential client enters your reception area, they are a captive audience. You can now sell your services to them and they expect you to do so. First things first, remove every single item of printed material that is not your own. Now is not the time to promote other local businesses or charities. By being a successful practice you will have far more opportunity to give to reception, but do not do this in your reception area.

Do you:

* Have at least three different types of promotional materials for all of your services? Eg a brochure, direct mail postcards, and legal help sheets?
* Have advertising posters on the walls?
* Have testimonials and case studies praising your services?
* Have a receptionist who is trained to cross sell your services?

Your Client Communications

Now we move onto your communications with existing clients. How can you cross sell your legal services to your existing clients in your client communications?

* Add a PS to every client letter promoting one aspect of your service
* Enclose a different promotional item with client letters every month (eg Wills in January, Personal Injury in February, Moving Home in March (in time for Easter)).
* When your clients send you a thank you letter, thank them in writing and ask them to recommend their family and friends to you for the same excellent service.

Conclusion

When the economy tightens, you need to do all that you can to win more business as cheaply as possible. Cross selling more of your legal services to existing clients and prospects is one of the easiest ways of winning new instructions. Take the action above and you will be well on your way to winning new business for your solicitors practice.
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Prepaid Legal Services Review - Is Prepaid Legal Fraud?

2009-12-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

By Mathew Robar

So we are here to discuss Prepaid Legal and whether or not it is a scam. We will examine the business opportunity and see if you can make money with their program.

Prepaid legal has been around for about 35 years and was started by Harland Stonecipher. They have an agreement with a reputable law firm that gets paid monthly for their legal services.

Prepaid legal services include audit services, trial defence, motor vehicle defense and preventive legal services.

The cost of the service is typically around a dollar or so a day. Not bad if you have a big case come up that you need a trial attorney for.

That being said, there have been prepaid legal scams before, the first of which showed up around 1930's in Europe.

They are now one of the largest network marketing companies around boasting over 1.5 million members.

As in other network marketing companies, you will be able to build a down-line and get compensated off of that down-line.

Since they have been around for about 50 years, they use a lot of the same old tactics. You will start with your warm market, i.e. family and friends.

They also teach what is called the 3 foot rule meaning anyone within 3 feet you should talk to about the opportunity.

In conclusion, prepaid legal is not a scam and if you are ok with building a business on the backs on your family and friends, then it might be a good opportunity for you.

If not, then you may want to look at an opportunity like the one below.

Good Luck out there!
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Discounted Legal Services Scam Or Shelter For Your Affairs

2009-12-05T05:46:00.000-08:00

By Ryan Wegman

When you need advice you need it fast, phone book ads state free consultations with an attorney near you. You make the call, set the appointment only to find out you have 10 minutes and 3 questions. You spent hours building your list of questions, preparing to take thorough notes hoping to solve your issue without having to pay an arm and a leg.

Your 10 or 15 minutes of fame is suddenly cut off with the words you fear most, "We can help you with your legal matters it's going to cost $XXX.XX/ hour. You sigh knowing that you can't afford the services and feel like the whole event was a waste of your time as well as theirs. You read in the local phone book or paper about free legal aide and again you prepare for the meeting to find out that your needs cannot be met since this is a county sponsored event.

You scratch your head, look bewildered and feel frustrated beyond all belief. You're getting no where. You have a friend who is an attorney and you seek to go plug him/her for the info you need, you set up lunch at a nice place and put your best foot forward. Your colleague arrives and catching up soon begins. As you go for the one off approach to slide your way into your request your associate smells it coming and stops you in your tracks.

They tell you this is not a business luncheon and you're not a client so stop before you embarrass yourself. You silently whimper to yourself as you hold back your emotions. All you can think of is the fact that you need help, you need it now yet you can't afford the expense. What do you do? If you only had access to attorneys by phone so you could solve your issues or at least get access to them in the privacy, comfort and convenience of your own dwelling.

The problem is that many of the major "discounted legal plans" have attorneys who aren't worth their weight in salt or don't care about your out come. The intake people don't seem to want to give you the support you need or even seem to care that you're a real human being with needs of grave importance. Their only concern is when their next break, lunch or time to go home is happening.

Again you feel like you have been ripped off. You need piece of mind, experience and commitment to satisfy your needs. There are a few plans who offer experience, proven results as well as client satisfaction. Where do you find them? How do you make contact with them? These are all secrets unless you have the insider information.

Most of which is attainable from outside sources, you know sources outside you reach. What if all you need are simple things not involving legal court representation, or major counsel then discounted services are the way to go. All the attorney support you need at a fraction of the cost. Also many offer incentives to join their association; free services, some steeply discounted services and discounted legal representation.

The weight of these benefits more than justifies the association costs, although what if a membership could offer more than legal services would that be of interest to a consumer or a professional seeking change and advice. What if you could access every facet of your financial well being in the same membership package, asset protection, financial advice, debt and equity management, identity protection and a service guarantee just for starters.

Not all service companies are created equal. Many are one dimensional and lack the appeal or know how to prevent certain aspects of your life from being exposed to risk. You hear it al of the time at the office "it's not my job or responsibility." That's how you feel when you use many discounted services. In fact I have seen many of these fly by night companies make peoples lives more vulnerable to risk that need be.

You owe it to your self to be informed. Get involved in your life and take responsibility to make a change, never leave your options up to a good pitchman cover your basis and get multiple inputs before you decide what your best course of action is.
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How to Choose a Solicitor For Legal Services

2009-12-02T05:43:00.000-08:00

By Dave Furnevall

Are you in need of legal services? As you know it can be a minefield trying to find a reputable solicitor that will be affordable and flexible to your requirements. This article looks at the main areas you should consider when choosing legal services to ensure you get the right outcome without spending a fortune.

What sort of legal services do you require?

There are many different areas of law and you need to find a specialist in that field. If your problem is uncommon you may have to choose a solicitor that is outside your local area. If you need a personal injury solicitor or conveyancing laywer you should be able to find a selection to choose from within your local area, making the process easier as you can discuss matters face to face and be available to sign papers at short notice.

Get Recommendations

Most people will have had some dealings with a solicitor so it is a good idea to get recommendations from friends or associates. If you do use the solicitors services it is worth mentioning your friend as they may well hold some negotiating power when discussing fees, especially if the recommendation comes from a long-standing client.

Get Several Estimates

On most general legal services you can usually negotiate on price. On specialist services you may have to pay a premium to the leading firms. Make sure you get several quotes but do not decide on price alone, a price may be cheap for a reason, the level of service or availability may not be comparable. Be careful that you are comparing like for like when choosing.

You may be eligible for legal aid so check whether you qualify and whether the solicitor is able to offer you services through legal aid. Also ask if you can get a fixed price or free initial interview. Don't be afraid to ask questions, you can easily gauge experience levels and professionalism from an initial contact.

Accreditations and Trading Length

The best legal firms are understandably keen to brag about their accreditations and pedigree. Look out for Lexcel, Family Law, Planning Law etc Accreditations on any advertising or website. The age of a firm is usually a good indication of quality of work.

Procuring legal services from a solicitor is something which requires research and thought. To make sure you get a high level of service and professionalism for whatever type of work or advice you need, the points above will help you decide.
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Valuable Legal Services by Personal Injury Lawyers

2009-11-29T05:41:00.000-08:00

By Carla C. Ballatan

Lawyers specializing in personal injury cases are confronted with issues that are important aspects in the nation's legal system. The practice of contingency fee system and flooding the American courts with frivolous lawsuits are but two of those issues.

However, no one can blatantly deny the fact that personal injury lawyers are important for their clients. Many clients can testify that a personal injury lawyers are professional legal service providers dedicated to bring justice to victims of negligence and wrongful conduct.

The contingent fee basis

Personal injury lawyers not only in LA have given a priceless service for the justice system in America by dedicatedly working on a case on a contingent fee basis. This kind of attorneys/lawyers fee system means that the client only pays his lawyer once he recovered rightful payment for damages through a successful settlement or jury verdict.

If the personal injury lawyer failed to recover anything for the client, then he stands to receive nothing for the legal services he had provided. Thus, this is guarantee enough that they use discretion in taking up cases. They can only take case with merit and the high possibility of getting recovery for the client.

While personal injury law firms continuously advertise their services in order to seek clients, they have astute principles on taking up cases.

Advertising personal injury legal services

It was in 1980 when firms with attorneys specializing in personal injury cases first advertised over the mass media. They used the radio and television in order to broadcast their services to clients who have been victims of wrongful and negligent acts.

It was a bold step for law firms since during the previous years, no legal service providers attempted to advertise their services. It was only in the Yellow Pages that law firms can be found before the bold step taken up by personal injury lawyers.

Soon, the advertising of legal services became successful enough that most other law firms, even those practicing other branches of the law have followed suit.

When it was first practiced, the American Bar Association or ABA http://www.abanet.org/ issued concerns that advertising of personal injury legal services by lawyers specializing in it might tarnish the professional image of every lawyer. They also expressed sentiments that it might lead to more lawsuits that are considered frivolous.

However, these concerns died down when in 1996, the ABA released a comprehensive study of the advertising done by its members. The report issued conclusions recognizing that the television advertising has become the means for legal services to be accessible for the poor and less privileged in the society.

Previously, this sector of the society did not know about or did not have access to their rights and dealing with personal injury lawyers.

The report also concluded that the reputation of lawyers who are experts in personal injury claims and litigations and all other lawyers have not been tarnished because of the television advertising.
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Pre-Paid Legal Services - Do You Need It

2009-11-26T05:38:00.000-08:00

By Glenn Lamb

There are a variety of plans from different companies for individuals or businesses. Usually you can call a legal firm selected by the plan for questions and legal advice on issues and important decisions. The plan will often cover a set number of legal calls and letters on your behalf. The provider may also do document review. Some plans will include will preparation and or trial defense service. IRS audit legal services are another common benefit. Some plans also cover services to help with identity theft issues.

I am an insurance agent in Texas. I sell Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. legal insurance. I also have a family plan that I purchased from them. The few times that I have used their services they have done a good job for me. When I have called the designated law firm a secretary has taken brief information about the issue. Then an attorney calls back in about one or two hours to consult. Two times I have requested a letter to be written to the opposing party. Both times I was impressed with the quality of their work and the letters were effective.

Should you get a per-paid legal policy? In my opinion you should consider it if you will make use of the service. How many times have you had a legal question and not consulted with an attorney because you didn’t want to pay the cost? If you will make use of a legal plan it can be very cost effective. Also consider the big cost you would have if you have to defend against a suit or criminal charges. Is that something you would like to insure for?

If you do decide on a plan, shop around for the program that is the best fit for your needs. Make sure you read the plan details and have your agent explain any items that are not clear. Texas residents can contact me at www.farmersagent.com/glamb or www.insurance-for-texas.com for more information.
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Prepaid Legal Services Review and Blastoff - A Must Read For Prepaid Legal Associate

2009-11-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

By Shola Abitogun and Ola Abitogun

I am sure someone has already told you about blastoff on Facebook or Twitter. I was getting a whole lot of mails about blastoff everyday in my inbox which makes it annoying after a while. What is blastoff?

Blastoff can be compared to Facebook (at least that is what they declare). It is a website where you can meet people. You can customize it to whatever design you want it. You can personalize your page with the music, videos, blogs and shopping site that you want.

If folks that were introduced to blastoff joined, and they shop, you will get paid a percentage of the amount they paid. You will get access to more than 300 shops like Target, Macy's, Best Buy or Starbucks. On October 12 when blastoff became public, individuals have the option to pick up legal special discount. A prepaid legal associate will obtain some kind of payment from blastoff. Just know this: Blastoff is just another way for prepaid legal associate to make some additional money.

Cons of Prepaid Legal business opportunity

In my judgment, Prepaid Legal business opportunity is ideal for you if you are a good sales person. Majority of the Network Marketers are not making money for this particular reason. Network Marketing companies usually preach that MLM is not about selling. I concur with that declaration. But you will need to grasp how to win over the people that you speak to so that they can check out your services.

I will bet that 95% of the prepaid legal associates have not used their services even though they are paying for it monthly. I do not think the Prepaid Legal services are that sellable. This is a tough economy period. The best product and services out there are the necessities that people will use anyway. Example of this would be a telecommunication services. Whether folks are employed or not, they will pay their phones bills and probably watch TV too.

Should you join This business Opportunity?

You have to determine the answer to that question. Can you attain financial freedom with the prepaid legal business opportunity? Yes. Though I believe you will some difficulties in selling these services. Prepaid legal has one of the best payment plan out there. To make any good money though, you need to develop your sales skills. But who says financial freedom is easy?

Another skills set that you need to refine is marketing skills. There is a proven method that you can use to market yourself in such a way that people will literally beg you to join your business. You should take advantage of the internet revolution. We have dozens of systems you can use on the internet that will showcase you to a lot of people everyday. You need an online MLM lead generation system.
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Choosing the Best Legal Service Provider

2009-11-20T05:33:00.000-08:00

By Harpreet Oberoi

the legal service firm.Most of the giant law firms and the in house legal departments of huge enterprises have always been enjoying the benefits from legal service providers in India. However when it comes to hiring legal services, law firms in India are often confused about choosing the best law services provider who can meet their service requirements and expectations.

There are several fields you will need help from a professional services provider who has handled India patent issues previously like the problems in patent drafting India or issues with India corporate law. Apart from this the legal service provider chosen by you should also help in different legal services like trademark registration India, patent drafting India, design registration in India, company incorporation and several other legal services of India to name a few. Additionally the providers should also be equipped with the right staff that should include an Indian attorney, Indian lawyers and agents for other services.

Apart from this information, it is recommended that you ask the service providers several questions about their business in order to choose the best ones. Some of the questions you can ask are, 'how long has your law firm been doing legal business in India, also ask them if they are a member of any local state or the national association, or find out about the legal professional they have worked with in the past and if the profession needs specific licensing or registration The most important information the client mist know is what kind of services the firm provides and the type pf lawyers they have staffed in the legal service firm.
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Prepaid Legal Services - An MLM Company That Provides Justice and Financial Freedom For All

2009-11-17T05:31:00.000-08:00

By Prince Samuels

Prepaid legal services were founded by Hardland C. Stonecipher. It has been serving North American families since 1972. A New York stock exchange based company. Mr. Stonecipher's motivation for equal justice started this innovation. The core reason why he got involved with the concept of helping the average person get justice was due an accident he was involved with. The accident took place between he a woman that had more money than he had, but had no choice but, to go court. According to the police report she was wrong, but in the end she took him to court anyway. Broke, and couldn't afford a lawyer he used the last penny he had for his daughter college tuition to fight the case. Mr. Hardland had no choice but to go to court. He realized that there was system in the U.S to help the average person gain access to justice system so his search led to Europe where they had such a system since the 1800s for common people. Mr. Hardland C. Stonecipher brought that system back to the U.S, and that was the birth of prepaid legal.

Determined to make a change for everyone to have access to a lawyer, he started prepaid legal services to help you get a lawyer any time 24 hours and seven days a week to some of the best law firms in the country with minimum cost.

You see this system provides more than just legal services as you will learn later. Prepaid services have many great benefits for you, your families and friends. According to Harvard School of Business, there are five areas to evaluate when looking at a company's credential.

1. The company: Prepaid legal services was founded in 1972 that over 35 years of business success. The company is debt free and this is very important when you want to get with a company.

2. The need/market place: Prepaid services have no competition at all. This is the only network marketing company that provides both legal service and network marketing compensation plan.

3. The product: As a member, you will have access to legal preventive services, motor vehicle services, IRS audit legal services trial defense and 25% discount on other legal services not cover.

4. The compensation plan: So far from my experience it has one of the best compensation plans in the industry. You get paid everyday when you join as an associate and introduce the system to other people. I think everyone needs this as they need health care.

5. The timing: This is definitely the right time for those in need of a lawyer, and want to make extra income especially in this recession. Having access to both a lawyer and building your financial future is very vital these days.

In conclusion, prepaid legal services has more to offer those that are in need of a lawyer to fight for justice. Our justice system is right now in need of restructuring and we need your to help with this restructuring. From my experience, I think prepaid legal will lead the way to create a system of justice for all people. This is what you call justice for all.
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Low Cost Legal Services - Affordable Protection is Available When You Need it (Finally!)

2009-11-14T05:29:00.000-08:00

By Sofia Hogan

Often time's affordable legal services are needed when we expect it least. Suddenly you get a traffic ticket, need to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy, get a divorce or are summoned for the dreaded IRS audit. But where do you turn to when such emergencies arise and cash is limited?

When people find themselves in these situations, they may not seek help or counsel from a qualified attorney because, more often then not, the perception is that it may cost too much or the process is intimidating.

There are quite a few low cost legal services law firms and companies that provide access to quality services to their customers. If you feel your family may need extensive legal protection, shop around for a law firm or legal plan that provides a discount on all legal services, not just some. Most legal companies have pre-negotiated rates with some of the top legal service plans out on the internet today, which make these monthly legal help memberships so valuable.

When inquiring about a monthly paid discount legal service plan, here are some questions you should ask:

How many attorneys are part of the network? This number will indicate whether or not you have a broad range of attorneys in which you could be directed to.

What legal services are provided for free? What services are provided at a discount rate? This question will help you determine if the program is going to fit your future legal needs.

Who is covered under the program? If only the applicant of the plan is covered and not a family member living under the same roof, seek out another company. Family members living under one roof should be covered.
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High Cost of Legal Services - Is There a Better Way?

2009-11-11T05:26:00.000-08:00

By Debbie Carroll

7 out of 10 Americans' had a legal situation last year that could have benefited from some advice from an attorney. There are times that we must have attorney representation for issues like divorce, child support, child custody, bankruptcy, real estate transactions, foreclosures, criminal issues, and business matters. Yet, there are other situations in which it would be nice to be able to have access to an attorney if we needed some advice on other legal issues. Common legal issues facing American families today include credit issues, employment issues, landlord tenant issues, tax questions, employment issues, bad neighbor issues, and consumer issues.

Legal services can get pretty pricey, depending on what your needs are. Attorneys can charge $200 to $500 an hour depending upon the circumstances. For most of us paying high attorney fees is just not something we can afford. How would it feel be able to simply be able to pick up the phone and be able to get some legal advice without worrying about the cost?

Only the wealthy in America have attorneys on retainer, what are the rest of us to do?

There is an option, a legal service plan. Legal service plans have been available for many years and allow people to pay a small monthly fee to get access to an attorney. Most legal plans offer many of their services at no additional cost or other services at deeply discounted rates.

Plan members receive unlimited consultations on legal matters either on the phone or in person at the attorneys office. The member can get all of their questions answered and the attorney can determine the best way to resolve their legal issue. If the issue is simple and can be resolved with a letter or phone call, they will do this at no cost to the member. Plan attorneys can write letters, review contracts and documents, prepare wills and do much more usually at no additional cost to the member. If the issue is more serious and requires the attorney to provide additional services not covered in the free services, clients can expect to save 40 to 80% off those services.

When considering a legal plan, find out exactly what the plan covers and what the plan does not. Look carefully at the fine print and see if anything is excluded. Choose the plan that will provide you with access to the best attorneys and give you the most savings.

Some legal plans are combined with other benefits including credit repair and debt relief, identity theft protection and other services that may save you more money.
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Changing Concept of Legal Service

2009-11-08T05:24:00.000-08:00

By Sutanu Maulik

The concept of high end legal service is changing drastically. As the business organizations are facing tremendous competition, legal disputes are increasing by leaps and bounds. Regulatory authorities are trying to enforce maximum control mechanism to make them accountable for the stake holders.

To adapt with this situation, demand of high end legal service is increasing day by day. Keeping this situation in mind now some companies are offering complete legal solutions. They have veteran lawyers and huge networks to solve all type of legal problems with high efficiency in terms of quality, cost and time.

Maintaining a huge data base and very wide spread operational network is allowing them to address all disputes, irrespective of time and place in an efficient and effective manner. These companies are providing wide range of legal services. Laws relating to cyber, corporate governance, media and entertainment are serious matters of concern for modern day's business entities. To maintain the smooth flow of business and hassles free competition, those companies are providing professional services.

After analyzing the nature of disputes and clients requirements the legal service providers are customizing their services. This type of services also helping the clients to get relief from day to day legal hassles and allowing them to concentrate on their core business.

These companies are also helping their clients to frame strategies regarding advertisement and all other societal norms so that they will not take any missteps which can raise legal actions against them.

Thus in present society the concept of legal service has changed from reactive quality service to proactive customized time efficient quality service.
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Why Become an Independent Associate of Pre-Paid Legal Services

2009-11-05T05:21:00.000-08:00

By Scott Beehm

What makes Pre-Paid Legal Services a great opportunity? Well one of the first things that makes it a good choice is that the membership itself is very inexpensive. Follow that with the fact that becoming an independent associate is very reasonable too. I don't know of anywhere you can start a business for less than $300.00. And I do mean less than. The normal one time charge to become an associate is $249.00, however, I have access to time dated promotional material that can reduce the start up costs dramatically. But even with that said, even if you were to pay the full $249.00 and then purchase a few tools to get you started like business cards and such, you still are in business for less than three hundred bucks.

Another advantage to becoming an independent associate in my organization is that you get me as a mentor. I can give you advice on how and where to market, who and who not to talk too. And if you need help with anything, I am only a phone call or email away. Not a bad deal.

Now I will not promise you that you will become rich over night. If that is what your looking for, please, buy a lottery ticket, not this. I am trying to help people earn extra income. Can you replace your current or lost income? Absolutely you can. There is no question that there is an opportunity to earn a very large income here. But it is not a guarantee, you will have to work at it. This is not something that is handed to you. I have been involved for almost four years now and I am not what anyone would call rich. But I do work from home and I do enjoy the time freedom I have to build my network. As an independent associate in my network I will give you all of the advice I can and help you in any way I can simply for the asking. I do not charge anything to my team members for any kind of consultation or help. I am here to assist you in your quest to be a success.
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Prepaid Legal Services - How Can You Make Money From It?

2009-11-02T02:46:00.000-08:00

By Kevin Tyler Smith

One of the most popular MLM systems nowadays would be Prepaid Legal Services. Now, there's no need for you to be intimidated with the company's fancy name and nature of problems that are dealt with. It is possible for you to earn money from their proposed income opportunity even if you did not finish law school or had a degree that is related to law.

What Is It All About?

This company, founded by Harland Stonecipher, has a contract with a highly regarded law firm that gets a monthly pay for all the legal services that they've provided. Prepaid Legal Services has been operating for moreover 35 years and their most frequent legal plan would be the Expanded Family Plan. This plan offers the various legal services, such as: Trial Defense Services, Motor Vehicle Legal Expenses, Preventive Legal Services, Preferred Member Discount and IRS auditing services.

Other than the family plan, they also have other best sellers, one of which would be the Identity Theft plan. The company had made a partnership with Kroll Background of America a few years back. Kroll actually specializes with Identity theft and have authorized prepaid legal associates to promote the Identity theft service. This plan would only cost $12.95 every month. If you're a prepaid legal member, then it would only cost an additional $9.95 every month. This gives you full protection from the ever common crime of Identity theft nowadays. You get to have continuous credit monitoring along with credit restoration.

Marketing On Your Part

This business involves showing and not really selling. The whole marketing aspect actually involves sharing to people the membership benefits of this company. As their associate, you'll find yourself frequently educating and explaining about the services they provide rather than trying to persuade people to purchase something even if they feel that they won't need it.

Educational Background?

The beauty in this business is that it could work out fine regardless of your educational background or experience. In fact, a lot of their associates actually come from different professional backgrounds and walks of life, some of which include: postal employees, real estate, direct sales, education, advertising, insurance, printing, accountants, law enforcement, stay-at-home parents and even students.

Membership Costs

The company has a membership fee amounting to $149. They also have a monthly fee of $25 in order for you to stay as a member every month. Hence, all in all, it would cost you les than $500 every year for you to become a member of this MLM system. Nonetheless, you would still have to consider your monthly fees for your Web page along with your weekly meeting fees that is essential to maintain the business.

Advantages

This company brings about a lot of advantages on your part. For one, it would be a lot cheaper for you to but the services that they offer in one program in comparison to hiring an attorney. Additionally, it transforms you into an Internet marketer, which also has its added benefits. Majority of the time, you wouldn't need the services of an actual lawyer anymore, but instead you'll just need full access to the right legal information so that you'd be able to fix some common legality concerns. Additionally, the company's products are very reasonable enough that even average people could easily afford.
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Outsourced Legal Services For Law Firms and Inhouse Legal Departments

2009-10-30T02:44:00.000-07:00

By Saravanan Pk

Large law firms and in house legal departments of large enterprises have enjoyed the benefits of outsourcing (quicker turnaround and lower costs) with success for quite some time in the United States.

On the other hand, small and midsize enterprises and law firms have just begun to outsource legal work to enjoy these benefits. This has become possible with a wider availability of technology at a lower cost, in addition to the arrival of a new breed of vendors who are addressing the unique requirements of small and midsized enterprises and law firms.

These vendors are providing services with better quality, by leveraging on technology and through deployment of experts in the work which is outsourced. Lawyers from India are increasingly familiar with US law and have several years of experience in doing legal work for US law firms and in house legal departments of large corporations. It has become possible to deploy experts these days due to aggregation of work from various clients, and the cascading higher volume of work.

The law firms and in house legal departments have enjoyed the benefits of a quicker turnaround time. The work left with the Indian entity at the end of their day is completed and available when they arrive at work the next day. These have become as important as the other core reason for outsourcing, namely saving of costs - law firms and enterprises have been able to save between 50 -60% of their cost by outsourcing legal services.

What work can be outsourced?

Any work that can be done without requiring fact to face interaction with clients or physical presence in a court of law can be outsourced. Some of the typical examples of work outsourced are in:

a) Contracts: Drafting, Review and management
b) Litigation Support : Discovery management, review, analysis and coding and Presentation
c) IP Rights: Search, Application for patents and defence
d) Legal and Business research

a) Contracts - Drafting, Review and Management

We prepare first-cut drafts of contracts that are fit for purpose and conform to your house style. You need to provide:
• Standard templates that conform to your house style and
• Unique variables relating to each contract

Your lawyers would still be in control over the quality of the draft and enforceability in courts of law without having to log expensive time in preparing the first cut draft.

We can handle a wide variety of contracts including contracts for:
• Sale of securities and derivatives
• Sale of goods or services
• Sale or mortgage of property
• Lease of property
• Lease of equipments
• Employment etc

We manage your contracts by maintaining a comprehensive database of all your contracts that provide:
• Contract information (Purpose, Period, Entities, Addresses, Counsel, Validity, Termination rights, Applicable law, Jurisdiction etc
• Summary of terms
• History of notices

We maintain a summary of all obligations and covenants (to facilitate compliance) and all rights (to enforce compliance)

b) Litigation Support

Our litigation support services include:
• Discovery management,
• Review
• Analysis and coding and
• Presentation

To help your lawyers focus on successfully winning or defending cases.

We help your lawyers to stay focused on winning the case by providing discovery management support.
Our services include:

• Understanding case issues and priorities
• Determination of collecting strategy
• Determination of work processes to speed up and yet not miss out on collecting documents
• Quick focus on most useful documents by continuous elimination of irrelevant items
• Quick analysis of documents for materiality, relevance, confidentiality and privilege; rapid automated
codification and validation
• Quick production of documents to facilitate rapid internalization and access

We can work with your proprietary document discovery management system or any standard off-the-shelf solution including ConcordanceFYI and CaseLogistix.

In spite of increasing popularity of e-discovery, physical paperwork has continued to stay. We help your lawyers by reviewing physical paper documents and codifying them for rapid prioritization and access.

We measure our success by reducing your attorney's document review time and cost. Not just by being more competitive than other providers in discovery process.

c) IP Rights

Our lawyers (supported by domain professionals) can support you in -

• Prior Art Search,
• Assessment of patentability,
• Patent proofing,
• Invention disclosure evaluation and
• Drafting the application for patents.

We offer support in IP Asset management with review of potential or existing infringements and in litigations to protect against such infringements.

d) Legal and Business Research

We conduct research on industry standard private databases as well as public domain databases to provide research support to your team of lawyers to win/defend litigation or to provide counsel to clients on complex issues.
Our research support includes:

• Reviewing legislation
• Reviewing case law precedence
• Reviewing journals
• Reviewing contracts and
• Preparing summaries and abstracts.

Where to outsource?

Law firms and in house legal departments typically outsource legal work to someone who is willing to understand their requirements, and give quality service that they require.
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Pre-Paid Legal Services - Work From Home Business Opportunity

2009-10-27T02:42:00.000-07:00

By Brian Turk

Pre-Paid Legal Overview
Pre-Paid Legal has an agreement with a reputable law firm that receives a monthly payment for the legal services that they provide. This company was founded by Harland Stonecipher, and has been around for a total of 35 years. Their most common legal plan is the Expanded Family Plan. The plan offers the following legal services:

- Preferred Member Discount on any additional legal matter.
- Motor Vehicle Legal Expenses
- Trial Defense Services
- Preventive Legal Services
- IRS audit services

Membership Costs
Pre-Paid Legal has a one time membership fee that would cost $149 to join and a $25 monthly membership fee to remain a member each month. So in a nut shell it would cost under $500 per year to be a member within this business. However, your monthly website and weekly meeting fees would be an additional cost.

Pre-Paid Legal Advantages
Pre-Paid Legal has many advantages; since it is a lot cheaper to buy these services offered within the program then it would be to pay for an attorney. In addition, as an Internet marketer in this business you have a couple of things going for you. Most of the time you don't need an actual lawyer, instead you just need access to the legal information in order to resolve some general legality concerns. Plus, their products are reasonable enough that it would not cost too much for your average person to buy.

In conclusion, Pre-Paid Legal offers a nice program for someone that wants to feel comfortable knowing that they have legal services readily available to them. However, I was looking to make a nice income online and this company does not have a healthy compensation plan for someone that wants to go above and beyond within the Internet marketing business.
For other information visit==> http://arsandy.wordpress.com

Traditional Lawyers Bypassed For Online Legal Services

2009-10-24T02:40:00.000-07:00

By Kennard McGill

Consumers looking for legal help for common legal matters can find legal documents online to help resolve legal issues without hiring a traditional attorney.

Online legal service sites saw an increase in the number of Americans wanting to create a will or living-will after the controversial Terri Schiavo case, which brought to the forefront the importance of having a binding legal document that, will express your wishes in the event you were unable to speak for yourself. In fact, nearly 70% of Americans don't have a will.

Legal document services online can provide immediate solutions to many common legal matters for a fraction of the cost many Americans would otherwise spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars using a traditional attorney.

Many legal document services have online forms that contain advanced provisions that are not found in do-it yourself kits or manuals. Legal documents online are written by professional attorneys with years of experience from a variety of different legal professions and backgrounds.

The process can be as simple as answering a few questions online, having a professional review your legal form for accuracy and signing off on the final version. In addition, depending on the type of document you need you can have your legal forms prepared within 48hrs.

There are a number of legal document forms that range from Incorporations, forming an LLC, Last Will & Testament, Online Divorce, Prenuptial Agreements, Copyrights and Immigration Services.

As more American consumers turn to the internet to find products and services online, finding professional legal help is now easier then ever, especially when you can create and complete your legal documents from the comfort of your own home or office.

Having the proper legal documents to protect yourself or your family is now more important then ever before. Whether you are looking to get copyright protection, file a small claims form, or start a living will, online legal services can help. The best part is you don't need to worry about expensive legal fees from a lawyer.
For other information visit==> http://arsandy.wordpress.com

Would You Call it a Legal Service Or Malpractice?

2009-10-21T02:38:00.000-07:00

By Anjali Chugh

You call it a legal service?

"I paid my Attorney in Manhattan (NY) $7,000.00 for getting my immigration papers processed and he screwed up big time. I kept walking in and out of his office for about three months, not paying attention to the wrath of my bad tempered employer or to the deductions he made in my wages for not showing up in the office on every alternate day. Getting my legal status in place was a priority for me that time; nothing else seemed to be as important. Every time I entered my Attorney's office, I used to wait for my turn for hours together; (apparently he had hundreds of clients visiting him every day) and finally when I used to be ushered in, he would give me exactly 5 minutes to talk and I had to use all the senses at my command to effectively utilize those precious 5 minutes for having my queries answered. The worst thing was that he even lacked the courtesy of asking me to sit down. He used to make it look as if I was getting the work done for free and he was obliging me with the services he rendered. After a couple of months of filing the papers I got shot (point blank) with a 'Denial letter' from the immigration department. That day I had felt like Heavens falling. I was in a total mess and that Attorney had the nerve to ask me for more money in order to get the appeal filed, knowing very well that I wasn't earning more than $300.00 a week. Worst of all, when I asked him what my chances were, he made it clear in his harsh and insensitive tone that his services did not have any sort of guarantees attached. My whole world had seemingly collapsed and all he could do to help was, to give me a choice, to hire any other Attorney if I so desired. I still remember him smiling brazenly at me, totally unaffected, when I walked out of his office with tears in my eyes."

This is what happened with one of my acquaintances, a couple of years ago. Poor fellow did not have the courage to file a complaint against the Attorney as he did not want to jeopardize his case further. He was new to United States and did not know his rights and the worst thing was that he had got that huge amount of $7000.00 wire transferred from his home country, as he did not have a regular job that time. Needless to say, that in States, a person cannot even think of surviving without a Social Security number which is issued only after the legal status is granted. Having that kind of money down the drain in 'one go' and that too without any results, I can only imagine his predicament in that nerve-racking moment of his life. The question is...would that Attorney have ever thought, even for a single moment, about that poor man, after he quietly walked out of his office, that fateful day?

Legal malpractice

We have thousands of people complaining about the professional misconduct of the Attorneys who seem to show absolutely no concern over the problems of their clients. For them every client is just a case and nothing more than that. They charge exorbitant amounts as legal fees but do not deliver proportionately. As a result of their intimidating fee structure, a large percentage (of people) is left with no choice except to forego their rights or else approach the courts (if the situation so demands) with zero knowledge of the existing legal system; either way it proves fatal for such helpless people. They either get bullied by the Judge or face the music in the court dumbfounded, with butterflies in their stomach as they stand no chance against the legal jargon used by the opposing Attorneys.

Prepaid legal services

I found that 'Prepaid Legal Services' (PPL) was a perfect alternative in situations where it is difficult to afford an Attorney. These services turn out more beneficial in helping with day to day legal issues for which we, normally, do not hire an Attorney. They would charge you anywhere between $15 and $25 per month towards membership fees, depending on the State you are living in. In lieu of the membership fees, they extend many benefits ranging from, issuing legal notices and letters on your behalf free of cost, giving free legal consultation and complimentary document review up to 20-25 pages. In addition, if they feel you need an Attorney for any court case, they assign your case to a law firm (in their panel) which will take up your case at a 25-30% discounted legal fee. Sounds fair! These firms, however, are mostly loaded with cases and you really need to be patient for them to call you back. Also, they prioritize cases depending on the urgency involved.

Legal aid society

Yet another way to have a lawyer defend your case, in the event of acute financial hardship, is to seek the assistance of 'Legal Aid'. These organizations work with a principle of 'justice for all'. They see to it that no one goes without legal support and guidance only for the reason of shortage of finances. They, however, have to be convinced with your 'financial crisis' plea, before they take up your case. Due to lack of adequate funds, these organizations do not widely advertise their services, as a result of which, a large percentage of people remain absolutely clueless as to their existence and the way of approaching them. These societies exist in every State and all what one needs to do is to search for their addresses or phone numbers in the local directory. They have really helped many distressed people who had almost lost all hopes of getting a fair chance. Some links for legal aid help are mentioned below.
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A Review of the Prepaid Legal Services Income Opportunity

2009-10-18T02:36:00.000-07:00

By Brian Garvin and Jeff W

We all know how important it is to have insurance, whether it is car insurance, health insurance or even life insurance. Did you ever think about legal insurance? Well, that is what Prepaid Legal Services provide.

Harland C. Stonecipher started these services in 1969. He was in an auto accident that left him with huge legal bills. That is when he started searching for any legal defense plans in European legal industry. That is when he found the Sportsman's Motor Club that offered legal expense reimbursement services as part of their motor club. He decided to start these services and began marketing in 1983. Now the company is in 50 states and Canada. And they market strictly through a network marketing system.

What does Prepaid Legal Services offer? They market legal service plans. They have a network of law firms over the US and Canada. The customer purchases a type of legal insurance that connects them with a law firm in their area. They receive legal services such as document preparation; unlimited attorney consults over the phone, and will preparation, traffic violation defense problems, general trial defense and criminal defense for auto related charges. They also offer identity theft services that can be added to the customer's package.

This is a program that has a direct sales compensation plan. An Independent Associate will be able to make $50 to 182.50 on every $26 membership sold. When the Independent Associate markets 5 memberships per week, he or she is made a Senior Associate. At that level, the earnings will be $500 per week.

Prepaid Legal Services provide "hands on" experience in how to present the membership with others and help them to see the opportunity in sharing it with others. It works very simply.

1. You will first show the Prepaid Legal Services plan.

2. Sign them up

3. Mail the enrollment form to corporate office to be processed

4. Get paid

As soon as the membership packet is received at the main office, then a commission check is deposited right into your bank account. If you submit new business daily, you get paid daily.

What sets this apart from other direct sales marketing plans is the "daily pay" plans. Commissions, overrides and bonuses are paid on a daily basis. When an associate makes a; $26 membership sale, the company pays out a total of $245.50. The reason they do this is because most members stay with the company over the years.

Building your business is the best way to insure a great income for you if you decide to be a part of this company. When you have 3 legs beneath you and 75 sales, you reach the top level of Executive Director. If you only had 30 associates in your group sell one membership per week, assuming a one-year commission advance, you would be able to earn $975 per week. This is if everyone that purchases a membership stay in the program.

To get started will only be $49. This will include your sales materials; you're training in the field, Support from your team, support from the Home Office through the Marketing Services Team, access to marketing supplies and online associate services.

Do your research on the Prepaid Legal Services before you decide. Think about how you will find your leads, your marketing plan. Do more in depth research on the marketing plan. Network marketing has statistics of 90% failure rate. Don't be a part of that 90%.
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Prepaid Legal Services - A Legitimate Business Opportunity?

2009-10-15T02:34:00.000-07:00

By Lawrence Tam

PrePaid legal services Inc is a network marketing company that offers certain legal services for a fixed monthly fee to its subscribers. In this article, let's see the business aspect of this MLM Company and check out the potential to earn as a PrePaid legal associate.

The Service

Why does anyone need legal insurance? The same reason why you'd need health or life insurance! Everyone's accountable to the law and we can never predict when we may need the services of a lawyer. Legal insurance is a means to minimize your legal expenses. Membership to this service entitles you to the services of a lawyer for matters such as wills and other legal documentation, settlement of legal issues and minor trial work. Issues such as divorce, drugs related cases and major criminal problems are not covered, but members can use the services of a lawyer for such issues at a discounted rate.

A Look At PrePaid Legal Inc

The idea for this venture was born in 1972 when its owner, Harland C Stonecipher got into a legal scuffle and had to cough up huge sums of money. He felt the need for an insurance that would mitigate unexpected legal expenses as well as keep them in touch experts in law to get their queries answered. The business was started as a network marketing company to spread the word through independent associates who could explain details to customers in person. Now, Prepaid legal is established in 50 states and in Canada. In addition to legal insurance, the company also offers a monitoring system to prevent identity theft.

Problems? Is PrePaid Legal Inc A Scam?

After a series of lawsuits against the company, many people started proclaiming this business to be a scam. Is PrePaid Legal a scam? My answer is NO. This company has been around for more than thirty years and is listed in the New York Stock Exchanges. This firm is definitely legitimate. It's easy for MLM companies to gain a bad reputation because there are so many bogus enterprises that take advantage of network marketing techniques.

Complaints against PrePaid Legal are mostly from ex-distributors who joined hoping to earn six-figure incomes magically. To them, the grapes were sour; they were not able to generate income beyond a level and they put the blame on the pyramid structure.

Why Should You Join PrePaid Legal?

- Legal insurance is relatively new as compared to other kinds of insurance. This should make it easier for you to sell the product.
- The compensation structure and bonus schemes are attractive. There's good prospect to grow in this business. Commissions are given as soon as the order is handed in.
- This is a service that will be helpful for everyone. There should be many takers for this service if marketed the right way.

Distributor Problems

This is not the kind of business that could be sold to customers by strictly following procedures of a typical MLM firm. In fact, using techniques such as inviting people to demo parties, tempting them with gifts and offers and persuading them to buy your service would make your business seem more like a scam because most fraudulent dealers use the same modus operandi. Distributors are not likely to generate much income by just following MLM procedures such as cold calling or prospecting just don't work anymore.

Selling Techniques

This is a business that could generate really good levels of income if marketed properly. Instead of concentrating on people you know, reach out to the world outside by communicating to them about your product. Online marketing would be the best way to do this. With innovative tools such as facebook and article marketing, you're sure to divert a lot of attention to your business.
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Is Pre-Paid Legal an Effective Solution For Legal Services?

2009-10-12T02:31:00.000-07:00

By Christopher Castillo

Why Would Anyone Need Pre-Paid Legal?

Harland C. Stonecipher discovered a need for a different kind of insurance that would be able to handle the legalities of life. Harland was involved in a serious car accident and ran into monetary problems when the expenses from the accident began to accumulate. It was then that Harland decided that there needed to be some kind of legal insurance for those who cannot afford legal consultation and representation. Many people in the world today have been in the same position as Harland C. Stonecipher before he founded this company. This is why Pre-Paid Legal has been serving North America since 1972.

With such a useful service that has been around for 37 years, why doesn't everyone use Pre-Paid Legal? After discussing this with a member of Pre-Paid Legal, I was told that there were a few reasons. First off, many people in society today are intimidated by lawyers. Because there is so much "jargon" in the legal industry, no one feels that they can really be sure that they understand how the legal system works. Because of this, many lawyers get the stigma that they can often change the "rules" in a legal situation whether it be right or wrong. Which is why there are many distasteful stereotypes about lawyers being dishonest and unethical. Another reason why many people are skeptical to the notion of having legal expertise available to them is because they think that it would be too expensive. Pre-Paid Legal is designed to be affordable to everyone from all walks of life. Not only is the member of Pre-Paid Legal covered, but their family is covered as well.

What Are The Benefits of having Pre Paid Legal in One's Corner?

There are many times in life when certain issues arise in one's lifetimes where one could use some kind of legal expertise. Pre-Paid Legal benefits include five primary legal areas of coverage: Preventive Legal Services, Motor Vehicle Legal Services, Trial Defensive Services, Rederal Tax Audit Legal Services, and any other exceptional legal service that one may need. There is also a Will Preparation Service that offers a annual updates of one's will and testament.

Is Pre Paid Legal Really Credible?

Pre Paid Legal has a connection with over 50 independent law firms in the United States and Canada that are ready to lend their legal prowess to anyone who owns a membership. Pre Paid Legal stock is traded on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) as PPD. It is also a member of the S&P 1500 Super Comp index and the S & P Small Cap index. This is a truly revolutionary and unique service, because no one really knows when they will need a lawyer. I believe that is the product that can give one's family a legal piece of mind.
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Legal Services Plans - A Popular and Effective Option

2009-10-09T02:29:00.000-07:00

By Carla C. Ballatan

If you do not know about it yet, there is a system of legal services plan and membership program for those who find themselves in a quandary involving legal issues.

This concept has already been around and has been implemented for several years already. In Europe during the 1930's, legal plans have become largely popular and have remained as popular as it was, nowadays.

In our country, the American system of implementing legal plans steadily gained popularity. More and more companies offer different plans and options according to who will be availing of such legal services.

Many individuals and business entities have already discovered the value of such services.

How do legal plan services work?

This kind of services works by awarding provisions of basic coverage and lawyer services for a certain amount of pre-paid fee, considered as the membership fee. The payment of such fees is on a regular basis, either annually or monthly, depending on what was agreed upon by the individual, group or entity who signed up for membership.

Through payment of such fee, the member will have the access to a lawyer or attorney and the legal services they provide. Without a legal services plan, the individual would have to pay directly to the lawyer, in several cases, a considerable sum of money as service fee being charged by the lawyer or attorney.

Does this kind of plan help solve your legal concerns and problems?

It is quite helpful if you do have the necessary budget for the fee system imposed by a lawyer in rendering his legal services. Nevertheless, it does not solve all of the legal issues you are confronting.

What is the focus of legal plans?

• Preventive kinds of legal care – avail of legal services like professional lawyer advice and assistance to prevent having legal difficulties in your personal or business ventures. Some also handle basic legal issues wherein many individuals and businesses require legal support with.

This can be availed by having a free consultation with a legal counsel without any further cost arising. The consultation can be done using the phone. You will be given a chance to call the lawyer for different legal matters and issues, however numerous. For every question or issue that you raise, you can avail further of a free session with the lawyer.

• Legal plans – another kind of legal services being provided. It includes a free will with annual updates. Some plans include writing a letter of correspondence or accomplishing calls for you.

This kind of service is quite valuable. If you are in the middle of a dispute, many issues can be cleared up with their awareness that you have an attorney representation.

Coverage for document and contract review will also be provided as part of the legal plans. If you have questions regarding the purpose and preparation of documents, then a lawyer will happily oblige you with necessary answers.

If you require more legal services such as court appearance and any other extra help, your membership in the legal plans entitles you to discount on the hourly fee being charged by the lawyer.

As you can see, even though there are certain limitations with the legal services plans, being a member of it can help you greatly, especially in identifying potential legal troubles and staying out of them and having great and affordable options when you find yourself in a quandary.
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Pre-Paid Legal Services - Home Business

2009-10-06T02:27:00.000-07:00

By Brian Turk

Pre-paid Legal is the ONLY organization of its kind in America today. European citizens have, at least, an 80% participation in legal coverage. Prepaid legal is a great vehicle to accomplish this for those who choose to actively build their businesses. It is a real shame that some in this nation are not motivated to "get ahead" since welfare programs (for some) enable some to live a subsistence existence rather than strive for more. Prepaid Legal is the antithesis of those scams. Not only is this business opportunity an honest reputable home based business, but it also is very affordable at 99 dollars to get started in.

PPL does not want their associates to work online-- they want you to travel to meetings, prospect in person, etc. They offer little or no online support and, if you don't sign up a minimum amount of people within 6 months, they cancel your account (but not the contract you were forced to accept for their services) without warning or notice. PPL's advocates have a tendency of blaming PPL's barrage of negative press coverage on short-sellers of its stock (as opposed to the actual content of the negative press). In PPL's defense, short selling is considered to be a questionable practice by many and there are plenty of abusive short sellers in the market.

Pre-Paid Legal boasts their "legal services plan." The truth is that very few legal services are ever provided under the plan. If you have a criminal case, contrary to what you've been told, the plan is useless. However, they still have a product that everyone needs and could use at some point in their life. It would cost an average of $300.00 a year to be a member of this organization.

In conclusion, the PPL program does offer a nice product, but their compensation seems flawed. You really can't make too much money in this business if that is what you are looking to do. Many people want to make money while working from home, rather than trying to solicit people off the street.
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10 Questions You Must Never Forget to Ask Before You Sign Up For a Legal Services Plan

2009-10-03T02:25:00.000-07:00

By Lalitha Brahma

When my employer downsized and I first wanted to start my business, I wanted to consult a lawyer, because I had several questions coming up in my mind. I approached my friends, relatives and searched in the internet to locate a lawyer to answer my questions. I realized that my questions will have to be answered by lawyers in different areas of law. It was not feasible for me to hire each of those lawyers and seek consultation. It took me several hours of time and effort to come up with a solution. Based on my research, I realized that having a legal services team would serve my purpose, even if I had to pre-pay a membership fee. Have you ever felt this way? If you answered yes, then you must ask yourself the following ten questions while researching to hire your Legal services team.

1. Are you getting access to top quality lawyers? You can review their ratings at Martingale-Hubbell's website. Apart from yourself, is there an option to cover your family, business and employees?

2. Every state/city has different law. Do you get access to lawyers in all the states? Do you have to pay additional fee for each state?

3. Is the membership fee affordable? Do you have the options to pay monthly/quarterly/yearly?

4. Are you bound by any contract or can you cancel the membership any time?

5. Do you have to call a long distance number to access the lawyer or would you have the ability to access by using a Toll Free number?

6. Do you have the ability to receive unlimited consultation for the membership fee you pay?

7. Do you have to pay additional premium for your family members or would you pay one rate for your family?

8. Do you have to pay any additional fee for every situation you seek consultation?

9. Would you have the ability to ask questions/get additional consultation on a pre-existing issue?

10. Do you have Customer Service support by phone, email and snail mail?

There are several Legal Services Plan available for you to enroll. In addition to doing your due diligence about the company and management, asking the above questions will benefit you immensely in hiring the right Legal Services team. You will feel empowered to protect your family and run your business smoothly and with peace of mind.For other information visit==> http://arsandy.wordpress.com

The Skinny On Prepaid Legal Services

2009-09-30T02:22:00.000-07:00

By Jeff C Hoffman

Legal services can be quite costly nowadays. But you need not have an unlimited cash flow to be able to engage the services of competent legal experts. Many firms now offer prepaid legal services and in order to be able to maximize their use, be sure of the matters below before utilizing the service.

1) Consult the service you need

Before seeking out legal services, it would be best to consult the services you actually need. Determine counsel would undertake the legal issues you have and make a list of the activities that. This would limit the work that needs to be done and your expectations would be managed as to the services that would be provided you.

2) Formalize the services to be provided

To be able to share a common ground as to the services to be received and to be paid for, it is best that terms of engagement agreement would be entered into between yourself and the counsel. The provisions would detail what is the work that needs to be performed and the cost of the services that would be provided you.

3) Find the best deals

You need not limit yourself to one service provider. With the many firms that provide legal services in the market, it would be easy to seek out a quotation of prepaid legal services. Reach out to three or four firms and make price comparisons and service offers to get a better feel of the reasonable amount for the services. Also, you can find the best offer that provides the lowest cost for more service value.
For other information visit==> http://arsandy.wordpress.com

Conference Call Services In Marketing Legal Services

2009-09-27T02:15:00.000-07:00

By George H. Purdy

New technologies are changing the way business is done today. Telecommunication tools such as satellite technology, cellular telephones, DSL, advance networking, and the Internet all provide a newer, more convenient, and more innovative way for people looking to communicate with each other. Conference call services is one of the most cutting edge and effective of these new technological communication tools.

Using conference calls , it is possible to hold virtual meetings with people located the world over. It is no longer necessary to spend large amounts of time and money to travel to a particular location for an important meeting. It doesn't matter whether you are in Nashville, Paris, Kuala Lampur; you can be in constant touch with stakeholders in your work by means of conference calls.

Conference call services have proved especially groundbreaking in the legal sector. When an in-person meeting is impractical, a conference call can bring together a legal dream team literally at the push of a button. Whether several lawyers or legal scholars wish to confer with each other, or whether they wish to consult expert witnesses or forensic scientists to provide specialized information, conference call services facilitate the types of communication which are so important to the legal profession.

Time saved in a lawyers schedule can save a life. The people in the legal profession can be stressed for time as they have long office hours doing research, scanning paperwork and discussing with clients. Lawyers have found Conference call services as an effective way to handle their business proceedings as well as save valuable time.

These services can be used for marketing legal services because small law firms have the ability to perform same quality of services with similar kind of resources as large law firms. The ability of small law firms to provide special and focused services and with the same quality as a larger law firm would be paramount in attracting potential clients from larger law firms.

Conference calls are also easy to record, transcribe, and then review later. Whether you need to refresh your memory or study the contents of a conversation at length, these transcripts are yet another benefit to conference call meetings. It is clear, given all the benefits that have been discussed, that legal proceedings should always include conference call services.
For other information visit==> http://arsandy.wordpress.com

Prepaid Legal Services Network Marketing Review

2009-09-24T02:13:00.000-07:00

By Carl Coffin

If you are looking for a network marketing company that offers a unique service to it's customers then you might want to take a look at Pre-paid legal services. Here's why...

Pre-Paid legal services offers legal expense plans that give middle and lower class Americans access to the justice system. If you look at the legal system today you will find a broken system. There are millions of lawsuits filed everyday from divorce, child custody, civil suits, criminal suits, etc.

There is also a huge problem with identity theft nowadays. It is very easy for someone to commit drivers lisence fraud, social security fraud, and credit fraud.

Pre-Paid Legal Services is a 35 yr. old New York Stock Exchange company and was founded by Harland Stonecipher. They offer a wide range of legal plans. The most common plan is the expanded family plan. The plan covers you and your entire household for $26.00 a month. The expanded family plan is broken down into five titles of coverage.

1) Preventive Legal Services

2) Motor Vehicle Legal Expenses

3) Trial Defense Services

4) IRS audit services

5) Preferred Member Discount on any additional legal matter.

A special membership called the Legal shield is added on with the expanded family plan. It allows a customer to contact their attorney immediately if they are arrested or detained. It doesn't matter if they are detained at two in the morning, they can contact their attorney.

As far as a network marketing opportunity you have a couple of things going for you. The legal industry is hard to get access to, most people can't afford the high price of attorneys. Also, a majority of legal problems can be prevented if people have access to legal advise. Another advantage to their opportunity is it's highly affordable for the average consumer. Your talking about a $26.00 or less monthly expense. Their memberships are not a hard sale to make if explained right.

I wouldn't do this review justice if I didn't mention the other popular membership that Pre-paid legal offers. It is the Identity theft shield.

Pre-paid legal partnered with Kroll Background of America a number of years ago. Kroll specializes in Identity theft and has allowed prepaid legal associates to market the Identity theft shield service.

For $12.95 a month or $9.95 a month added on to a Pre-paid legal membership customers have complete protection in regards to Identity theft. The service provides continuous credit monitoring and credit restoration. If a customers Identity is compromised they will be provided with an expert that will go to work to restore their name. The service provides 600 hours of the experts time with no additional charge.

Today, we know that Identity theft is one of the fastest growing white collar crimes in America. We also know that most people use credit or debit cards to pay for purchases. This provides a huge opportunity for associates to cash in and help consumers.

The compensation plan that Pre-paid legal offers is very generous. They pay out 1 yr advanced commissions on all their plans. For example, if an associate sells the expanded family plan for $26.00 + the Identity theft shield for $9.95 an associate will earn starting out $36.00 and it goes all the way to over $250.00 for marketing a $35.95 membership. Obviously I can't explain the entire comp plan in detail in this article, that's why I placed a link at the end for more information.

In closing, I want to mention the last benefit of the network marketing opportunity that Pre-paid legal provides and that is they PAY DAILY. When a membership is process they pay their associates the next business day.

I attempted to write a short overview of Pre-paid legal but now I want to talk specifically to the home business opportunity seeker. If you desire to learn how to be an ENTREPRENEUR and how to MARKET the Pre-paid legal service plans the easy way then you need to partner with leaders who can teach you how. For more information check out the resources below.
For other information visit==> http://arsandy.wordpress.com

Why Need A Prepaid Legal Services Plan?

2009-09-21T02:04:00.000-07:00

By Zed Miller

Having a prepaid legal services plan is important in the current scenario where one is uncertain of his/her safety and security. A prepaid legal services plan comes is use when you or your loved ones need legal help.

According to a survey conducted recently, 75% of the total population in America requires legal services every year. From issues like divorce to child custody, real estate issues to accidents, etc we all go through events in our lives that need legal help. Moreover, most people are not aware of their legal rights as the citizen of the country. An attorney helps you getting justice against the wrong done to you by providing expert advice and making you aware of your legal rights.

Getting legal assistance in US can be a costly affair and consequently, many people are apprehensive on consulting an attorney for their issue. The consultation fees that an attorney charges, range from $100 per hour and this might be more at times depending on the requirements of the case. A prepaid legal services plan lets you access legal assistance of an attorney without pay high fees.

A prepaid legal services plan is just like your medical or car insurance. You just need to pay a nominal monthly or annual fee and get legal services of the top expert attorneys for all your legal matters. A pre-paid legal services plan connects you to the best attorneys for your requirements at affordable fees.

One of the biggest advantages of opting for a prepaid legal services plan is that you get connected with the most appropriate attorney for your legal issue. Most people have no clue how to find a good attorney for their issue. With a Pre-paid legal services plan you get legal assistance of an attorney who is specialized in the area of the law you need help for without having to go through hassles of finding an attorney or settle for one who charges exorbitant fees.

When you get connected to an attorney through the prepaid legal services plan that you opt for, you get legal advice and assistance from the initial stage of filing your case to courtroom litigation at the most affordable fee.
For other information visit==> http://arsandy.wordpress.com

The Legal Issues of Starting a Business

2009-09-18T02:26:00.000-07:00

Depending on what kind of business you want to start, you may have to get permission from the town or city. Some areas of a city have special zoning regulations in place that do not permit a business in a residential area, even if you plan to operate it out of your home. You do have to get a license from the government for taxation purposes and so that you can claim your expenses when you have to file your income tax return.

Of course, you do have to have insurance on the building and the stock if you sell products and if you provide services, you will need to have your equipment insured. You might say that you plan to run an Internet business out of your home so none of these issues will apply to you. No matter what kind of business you have, you need to have a business taxation number that allows you to collect taxes from your customers. You also have to pay taxes on the income that your business generates.

If you plan on opening a business where you prepare or serve food, then you have to deal with health and safety issues. Government inspectors will do regular inspections to make sure that your premises are clean and that you prepare the food in the proper way. If you wish to serve alcohol, you will have to obtain a special licence.

Having your own business also means that you have to deal with issues of hiring and paying staff. Accurate financial records are necessary in order for you to determine whether or not your business is making a profit.

Franchising Relationships, Legal Issues, Notices and Communications
In the World of Franchising every thing must be documented as the relationships could go South and turn into litigation. It has not always been this way, however due to the number of attorneys trying to scrap the creme off the money flows in the industry it has become a constant legal game. Personally I am more in line with Caesars thinking of what to do with all these professional parasites or Lawyers. [opinion].

Never the less part of the CYA documentation war in franchising has to do with notices and communication between franchisors and franchisees. 7.4 Notices and Communications
All notices required by this Franchise Agreement will be in writing. They may be sent by international air mail, certified or registered mail, postage prepaid and return receipt requested, first class-postage prepaid return receipt requested; international overnight courier or such other means of delivery affording proof of receipt. They may be delivered personally and receipted. Notices will be delivered to Franchisee at the address of the Franchised Business as set forth in this Franchise Agreement, to Franchisor at our mailing address at; _____________, or to other locations specified in writing.

If Franchisee is a business entity, Franchisee must designate in writing to Franchisor the name and address of its agent to receive notice. Notice to the agent will be conclusively presumed to be full and adequate notice to Franchisee. Notice shall be deemed to have been given on the date of actual receipt, or if delivery is refused, on the date of attempted delivery.

What Are Some Key Legal Aspects Of Starting A Business?

2009-09-15T02:17:00.000-07:00

1) Develop a Strategic Business Plan
This plan will be the blueprint and backdrop for your business – the thing upon which all other aspects of starting your business are based. Also, having a business plan will make it much easier for you to receive financing for your new business. Very few people actually have the available funds to cover start-up costs, and a business plan is something you can present to family, banks, or other private investors to gain their confidence in your venture. It should outline in detail how you plan to operate your business, and exactly what this business is.

2) What Kind of Legal Entity is Your Business?
This will determine whether you can be sued for issues arising between the business and your customers. It is extremely important, and often neglected when starting a business, but this can actually make or break you during those crucial first years when the business is trying to be established and grow. You do not want to be left with liability issues, debt problems, or unnecessary obligations, and what kind of legal entity you are will also determine the tax strategy that the government applies to your business.

3) Determine Capitalization
You cannot survive as a business without proper capitalization, and this will include both matters of equity and debt. Equity is gained through sales of business ownership interest, such as stock shares, allowing this portion of capital to not require repayment to financial backers. If you don’t have adequate capital, your business will fail, regardless of how thorough your business plan was.

4) Taxes, Taxes, Taxes
Everyone pays taxes… and so will you and your business. You’ll have to deal with income tax, employment tax, sales tax, and any other state taxes imposed by local governments. If your business fails to pay the required taxes, you as an owner will be held responsible – thus, you’ll need to develop tax plans for your business on a regular basis, in order to ensure you’re following the most current regulations and tax laws.

A. Business & the Legal Processes
Whatever business one is involved in, and since humans are opinionated creatures, there are inevitably situations that will arise causing disputes. This may be a simple misunderstanding, may be lack of provision of quality goods or services or even failure of one of the parties to adhere properly to an agreed contract, gratuitous or otherwise.

A standard legal process has nine steps :
Jurisdiction – If a court is to hear a case it must have jurisdiction to hear the matter and the power to bind the parties.
Pleadings – they are the necessary paperwork for the trial to begin. The plaintiff files the initial paperwork, referred to as a complaint or petition.
Discovery – Lawyers at this point in the process will gather together necessary information and witnesses before a trial.
Pre-trial conference – these are often held for federal civil cases and at this meeting lawyers and the judge try to organise and narrow the issues of the case to the most important ones to make the trial more efficient. At this point out-of-court settlements will often occur.
Trial – the trial is proceedings before the court. If a jury is selected the selection process is often referred to as voir dire. The jury decides the factual disputes and the judge interprets the law and instructs the jury. Should it be that the plaintiff’s case carries no merit a summary judgement can be made by the judge, effectively ending the case without further trial.

Jury instruction by the Judge and the Verdict – The judge instructs the jury about the issues of law involved in its decision. Post-trial motions. This includes asking the court for a retrial and indicating why a new trial is warranted, the main reasons normally being errors of law or procedure, jury misconduct or unusual damage awards.
Appeal – Generally, each party of a lawsuit is entitled to one appeal at an appellate court. The paperwork supporting the basis for an appeal is referred to as a brief.
It is filled with lengthy arguments and with citations of prior court decisions and applicable statutes to make the case for a new trial.
Parties can of course, settle a business dispute without the courts and bring in a neutral peacemaker who has two main methods at his/her disposal.
Mediation – the mediator has a non binding authority to direct the parties to a fair settlement.
Arbitration – an arbitrator has the power to bind the parties of a dispute. The decision is final and there are no appeals and the arbitrators are registered trained professionals.

B. Prepaid Legal Business Opportunity Review
Before we begin, yes there are already numerous Prepaid Legal business opportunity reviews all over the Internet. Each represents a unique overview numbered just for your convenience.
1) How Prepaid Legal Services Got Started?
A gentleman by the name of Harland Stonecipher (a life insurance salesperson), had a serious car accident that changed his life. Stonecipher found out that he was insured for his car and medical expenses but not for his legal expenses of several thousand dollars.
He thought why not have legal insurance and that marked the very beginning of the "seed" of the Prepaid Legal business opportunity. In 1979 Prepaid Legal became a public corporation when its stock was traded on the NASDAQ exchange. You now see a company which offers legal expense reimbursement services selling plans through independent associates.

2) Selling Legal Plans
As a matter of fact the Prepaid Legal business opportunity means you will be selling plans often described as legal insurance plans. A typical plan provides your customers with certain specific legal services at no cost. Plus, reduced rates for other services in exchange for a membership fee, premium, or some other sort of prepayment.
You have the chance to offer individual or family plans, employee benefits plans and business plans. Individuals and families join for a minimal monthly or annual fee, usually through a credit card company. If you take a look at their website (the official Prepaid Legal business opportunity page), you will see that a minimal fee of $49 is all it takes to be a prepaid legal independent associate.

3) Your Compensation Potential And Weakness
With your Prepaid Legal business opportunity you will get the chance to earn a direct, linear and leveraged income. You're paid an advanced commission of $69 to over $250 every time you help enroll someone into the Prepaid Legal business opportunity. You initially start off as a Certified Field Trainee.
You should know by now that the Prepaid Legal compensation plan is focused on a network marketing concept.

4) Your Ultimate Strategy
If you are considering to save some money on legal expenses, the Prepaid Legal business opportunity is a nice fit to your interest. Your first step is to invest in a good online marketing package for your income advancement.

Legal Secretary

2009-09-12T02:09:00.000-07:00

Legal Secretary According to a recent article at a top web site for employment searches in reference to legal secretary work, job growth for legal secretaries will grow at an average rate and many positions will be available as many experienced workers either retire or transfer to other occupations. This is of course is good news to you if you are interested in becoming a legal secretary.

If you are new to this field and you want to be successful without wasting a lot of money as with anything you should do your research and find out as much information as you can before spending a lot of money or going to a school. One does not become a legal secretary by chance. You will have to concentrate on typing speed, your knowledge of Microsoft Word and how to gain employment by registering at employment agencies for work.

Also, there are some things that make legal secretarial work different than just being a secretary. One very important thing when working in law firms is automatic paragraph numbering in Microsoft Word. A lot of schools just follow a curriculum and sometimes teach things that are not even necessary.

If you are interested in finding out what you need to know before going to a legal secretarial school or learning from any other source to avoid wasting your time first visit http://technorbinfo.com/default.aspx. You will get a good starting point and strong foundation in beginning your legal secretarial or legal word processing career.

A. Legal Secretary Schools
Questions asked on employment agency word processing tests
What kinds of questions are asked on employment agency tests for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel? Well, from my 14 years experience of being a legal secretary/word processor in New York I have seen a wide variety of tests ranging from extremely easy to pull-your-own-hair out hard, even if you are bald! Most given are automated computerized tests which are among the easiest. They ask basic questions for example, on a Microsoft Word test how to bold, or add a row to a table with usually the hardest question being how to merge. On harder tests, usually a custom test you are usually asked to create styles from stock Microsoft Word, how to work with section breaks, create a table of contents or an index or create a table with different types of tabs. I've even seen tests where they ask you to create a red herring which is text that is going at a 90 degree angle to the regular text on a page.

B. Legal Secretary Job Training Tools
There are many tools that exist now that did not in the 1990's and early 2000's for learning how to become a legal secretarial/word processor. The internet and cd-roms did not exist back then and they are some of the tools that one can use to help become a legal secretary/word processor. Before these mediums existed people would have to learn from on-the-job training only. In the 1990's WordPerfect was the dominant software and in many ways much more complicated than Microsoft because of the reveal codes feature. In WordPerfect everything that was applied to a document had to be coded properly and everybody used coding differently. The main advantage that Microsoft Word has over WordPerfect is that it eliminated this feature and there is basically one way to do a task. In WordPerfect you would have to search for codes and they could be in any location, the top, middle or bottom of a page along with many other codes. And for all of this most people learned WordPerfect from on the job experience. Learning Microsoft would take less time but now one could learn in record time.

With the advent of the internet and cd-rom technology one can learn word processing in record time. These subjects are discussed along with many other topics such as typing speed, registering at employment agencies, questions asked on employment agency word processing tests and much more at the link given below.

Legal Advice on Defending Yourself Against Others

2009-09-09T01:59:00.000-07:00

At one time, it was not illegal to defend yourself if someone attacked you on the streets. However, in a few states, if you retaliate when assaulted, both parties are arrested, even though you were merely defending yourself against the attacker.

This is sounds like insanity, but the laws has determined that “word against word” is the issue; thus, the crime should be taken to court to determine what caused the incident, why the incident occurred, and who is responsible for the crime committed. Under the Texas Penal Codes, for example, the law states that under a defending act of a third party, that the person is legally excused if this persons utilizes “force against another to... [protect the third party.]” This person cannot use this action if he feels that the third party is in no danger; however, if the party feels that the victim is in a life threatening situation, or else brutality is involved, then this person must use thoughtful consideration in taking action to protect the third party.
Other states may only permit the party to restrain the culprit until the police arrive. For more information on self-defense, check your local state laws. This is crucial because your stay may have completely different laws than the law cited above from the state of Texas–and if you have to defend yourself in court, you will want to know what those laws are and if they work in your favor or against you.

Legal Advice Steps for Juvenile Petitioning
Nowadays, countless children are appealing in courtrooms for criminal behaviors. Parents are asking everyday what is the best legal advice for their children’s cases. When a child is accused of a criminal act, he is first arrested and then taken to a juvenile criminal court. The difference between adult court and juvenile courts is that the parties at the defense table include parents, children, and a probation officer. The parties will sit at a wooden table to discuss the charges and what the courts should do to penalize the child.

The summons is the “legal” documentation that is sent to the parents from the onset of the charge, thus requesting that both parent and child appear before a judge. During the “intake”--or else the first hearing--the child attends; whereas the child is referred by the arresting officers to attend. Few times, other sources such as parents, teachers, store owners or others will request a “referral” of the child, which summed up is the “arrest.”

After the first couple of steps are completed, the “detention hearing” takes place. The next phase is known the “intake decision,” where the case is considered a “petition” case or “non-petitioned” case. If the case is handled under the non-petition rule, then the deciding officers, probation officers, and so forth have decided that the case can be handled without going through normal court proceedings.

Once a plea bargaining conference begins and no plea is offered, the child and other parties will appear in an “adjudicatory hearing,” where evidence is presented.

Legal Forms

2009-09-06T01:56:00.000-07:00

Legal Forms are needed in every important sphere of human activity, including accounting, financial dealings, affidavits, credits, agreements, bonds and declarations, entering into various types of deeds, marriage, divorce, notices, wills and testaments, copyrights, contracts, health and insurance.

A hastily selected or wrongly formatted Legal Form can land you in trouble. You should, therefore, be thoroughly careful before obtaining and filling out a Legal Form. It should not be filled in haste or ignorance. A huge variety of Legal Forms are available from law firms and business establishments over the counter or on the Internet. They may be available free of cost or at low cost.

Don’t download a form because it is free or cheap. It may be outdated, or may not pertain to the specific issue you are addressing A little money spent on the purchase of the form may save you tons of money and harassment in the future. You should thoroughly and patiently read the instructions before filling out a Legal Form. There may be certain laws and provisions with very serious and far-reaching legal consequences, and ignoring or hastily skipping over them may cost you very dearly later on.

If in doubt, consult your friend, an experienced person or a specialist before filling out the forms. Find the latest version of the required form from your local law library or the Internet, and compare it to the one you are going to fill with it before submitting it.

Business Legal Forms
A business sustains its proprietor. Even a small-scale business requires certain Legal Formalities for its successful functioning. The premises in which it is housed cannot be purchased without filling out some Legal Forms. Then there may be numerous other aspects like contracts, electrification, sales tax, income tax, employee records, salaries, insurance, telephones and so on, which require filling out Legal Forms for their execution.

You may be required to fill out Business Legal Forms. The best course would be to contact some of your experienced and knowledgeable friends and seek their advice. You can also buy these forms from your local bookseller.

There are numerous sites of business consultants offering their services with the relevant Legal Forms, some free and some with cost. If you are on a budget, you can download free forms just to get some idea about their nature. But you must remember that though ‘free’ is a very powerful and irresistible offer, there are no free lunches anywhere in the world. So you must be very careful while reading these forms. Laws regarding business keep on changing. Once you have obtained the form, you should check the validity of its contents with an official version, which may be available from your local law library/center. It is always advisable to consult some lawyer or business expert before filling and submitting the forms.
You may be harassed or even arraigned for providing wrong information, and your business will suffer.

Pre-Paid Legal Services - Do You Need It

2009-09-03T01:52:00.000-07:00

There are a variety of plans from different companies for individuals or businesses. Usually you can call a legal firm selected by the plan for questions and legal advice on issues and important decisions. The plan will often cover a set number of legal calls and letters on your behalf. The provider may also do document review. Some plans will include will preparation and or trial defense service. IRS audit legal services are another common benefit. Some plans also cover services to help with identity theft issues.

I am an insurance agent in Texas. I sell Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. legal insurance. When I have called the designated law firm a secretary has taken brief information about the issue. Two times I have requested a letter to be written to the opposing party. Both times I was impressed with the quality of their work and the letters were effective.

Should you get a per-paid legal policy? How many times have you had a legal question and not consulted with an attorney because you didn’t want to pay the cost? If you will make use of a legal plan it can be very cost effective. Also consider the big cost you would have if you have to defend against a suit or criminal charges. If you do decide on a plan, shop around for the program that is the best fit for your needs. Texas residents can contact me at www.farmersagent.com/glamb or www.insurance-for-texas.com for more information.

Legal Services Plans - A Popular and Effective Option
If you do not know about it yet, there is a system of legal services plan and membership program for those who find themselves in a quandary involving legal issues.
In Europe during the 1930's, legal plans have become largely popular and have remained as popular as it was, nowadays.

In our country, the American system of implementing legal plans steadily gained popularity. More and more companies offer different plans and options according to who will be availing of such legal services.

Many individuals and business entities have already discovered the value of such services.

How do legal plan services work?
This kind of services works by awarding provisions of basic coverage and lawyer services for a certain amount of pre-paid fee, considered as the membership fee. Through payment of such fee, the member will have the access to a lawyer or attorney and the legal services they provide. Without a legal services plan, the individual would have to pay directly to the lawyer, in several cases, a considerable sum of money as service fee being charged by the lawyer or attorney.

Does this kind of plan help solve your legal concerns and problems?
It is quite helpful if you do have the necessary budget for the fee system imposed by a lawyer in rendering his legal services. Nevertheless, it does not solve all of the legal issues you are confronting.

What is the focus of legal plans?
• Preventive kinds of legal care – avail of legal services like professional lawyer advice and assistance to prevent having legal difficulties in your personal or business ventures. Some also handle basic legal issues wherein many individuals and businesses require legal support with.
This can be availed by having a free consultation with a legal counsel without any further cost arising. You will be given a chance to call the lawyer for different legal matters and issues, however numerous. For every question or issue that you raise, you can avail further of a free session with the lawyer.

• Legal plans – another kind of legal services being provided. Some plans include writing a letter of correspondence or accomplishing calls for you.
Coverage for document and contract review will also be provided as part of the legal plans. If you have questions regarding the purpose and preparation of documents, then a lawyer will happily oblige you with necessary answers.
If you require more legal services such as court appearance and any other extra help, your membership in the legal plans entitles you to discount on the hourly fee being charged by the lawyer.

Tips For Finding Legal Aid Services

2009-08-31T01:47:00.000-07:00

When you really need legal help and there is no other place to go, then you can try a legal aid service. As I've been working for legal aid services of Oregon for seven years I know best what I am talking about. If there were no legal aid services poor people would have no where to turn to when they have some kind of legal problem. Of course, there is free of charge legal criminal representation provided but it's not good enough. In that case the state does not offer free civil representation. Just imagine what a disaster it would have been if there was no legal aid service.

Once I was working as a corporate lawyer, so I've seen both sides. Then I worked for a big rental agency and there have been many times when I helped them with the eviction of clients so that they could develop their properties and get higher rent rates. I realize my work was not just and thus I am not proud of my actions. However, my life got the right direction when I started working for the legal aid services of Oregon. I believe that everyone deserves representation both rich and poor people. In case the poor don't find a legal aid service they are left all alone. Even when they get some help from the legal aid service, the poor are stuck with a bunch of lawyers with limited resources and time. The poor might have a chance but it wouldn't be a fair battle in court with the big legal bully guys on the other side.

What this country should do in order to solve the rank injustice problem, is to guarantee equal legal representation to every citizen. Until this dream of mine comes true, I will be here, working in legal aid services of Oregon, giving my best to help destitute people in dire need.

Utilizing Legal Aid Services
I have worked in the human services field for years and I am well aware of the fact that most people don't know that there are legal aid services available. When people need legal advice they can turn to a variety of legal aid services. Most of the states in the US offer legal aid services to people who cannot afford to pay for lawyers. In each state there is a different division of legal aid services, they may be located by regions, counties or cities. It is good to know that legal aid services include many different services.

For example, if you need a legal advice about a crime you shouldn't talk to a real estate attorney and in case you need information about taxes a criminal attorney won't help you. In case talking over the phone is not good enough, then you will have to hire the attorney to help you solve your case. This is when you can turn to the legal aid services in your state. There are states which provide public defenders for criminal cases. Sometimes these services are divided into separate offices. In some states legal aid services handles only civil matters and family court cases. For instance, the legal aid service in my city offers help for divorces for women who are victims of domestic violence. The local office also protects the civil rights of vulnerable adults.

Maybe you are wondering how legal aid services can be free of charge. Sometimes local or state governments hire attorneys to provide services to individuals in the community. It is great that there are legal aid services because this is the only chance that the poor will be able to protect their rights and will get legal advice. However, when you turn to the local legal aid services office you should be ready for long waiting as the attorneys working there have very heavy case loads.

Before any attorney in such offices provide you with whatsoever legal service you will have to give your financial information in beforehand to insure you qualify for legal aid services. If you go to one of the offices for legal aid services you will also be informed if they can take the particular case that you need legal representation for or not.

Training for a Paralegal Job in the Legal Profession

2009-08-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

Many paralegals work in the offices of solicitors and barristers, where they are responsible for preparing and managing legal cases under the oversight of a fully qualified solicitor. Other paralegals work in private firms and companies, where they oversee the legal standings of that firm’s contracts, review the legalities of company pension plans, prepare and file annual reports and maintain the minute reports and financial records for the company.

There are some recognized courses of instruction for those wishing to find jobs in the legal profession as paralegal, but there is no specific educational requirement. Most firms that hire paralegals will have their own in-house or on-the-job training. While there is currently no prescribed course for paralegal training, the Scottish Paralegal Association offers the following guidelines for training as a paralegal.

A paralegal should have instruction in professional ethics, legal research and analysis of legal materials. They should know how to draft legal documents, and understand the administrative process of filing pleadings with a court. They should have substantial knowledge of the law and understand the workings of major research tools for legal matters. There are many universities and training institutions that offer courses and certifications for one interested in a career in the legal profession. These include bachelors and postgraduate degrees with concentrations in legal studies, associates’ degrees in legal studies and a certificate for completion of a course in paralegal studies.
The job schedule is generally regular office hours (Monday-Friday, 9 to 5).

A. Preparing for a Job in the Legal Profession
As a job seeker, you’ve probably been told repeatedly to prepare some questions to ask at the end of your interview – but seldom got advice on what constitutes a good interview question. In brief, a good interview question is one that shows your knowledge of the field, and focuses on the company rather than on what you expect to get from your association with them. If you do your research on the company in advance, you’ll likely find some good subjects for questions. I saw in the trade papers that the property boom is expected to continue.

• How much of my job will involve supporting solicitors involved in real estate law?
• How much of the firm’s efforts are put into charity work, and how can someone in my position assist in that area?
• If the latter, what does the firm expect this new position to accomplish?
• What would you say are the biggest challenges for the person who accepts this position with your firm?
• What would my typical day be if I accept this position?
• I have particular skills in (name an area). How do you see those skills being utilized in this position?

Likewise, you’ve probably been told to prepare answers to the most commonly asked interview questions – but again, few people tell you what those questions are. It’s rather difficult to prepare answers to questions you don’t know! Here’s a list of some of the most commonly asked questions in interviews for jobs in the legal profession.
Describe your experience in the legal field.
• How do you see yourself fitting into a team here at our firm?
• Why should we hire you?
• How do you deal with conflict in the workplace?

Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker.
• How did you handle it? What was the result?
• Do you prefer to work on your own or do you function best as part of a team?

We all have comfortable ‘roles’ in the workplace – the organizer, the cheerleader, the communicator, etc.
• What is your typical role in a team/workplace environment?
• How would you deal with being overwhelmed with too much work landing on your shoulders at once?

In most cases, there are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Some career advisors will recommend that you attempt to divine what answer the interviewer is seeking and answer accordingly. In truth, if that strategy is successful and you are offered the position, you’ll simply find yourself in a job that is not a good fit. Be honest, give your best answers, and expect that the interview process will work as it’s meant to work – by matching you up with a firm where you’ll feel at home and make great contributions.

B. Four Unusual Jobs in the Legal Profession
Legal Jobs – Top Four Unusual Jobs in Law
Legal Lecturer
Many lawyers find extreme satisfaction in teaching what they know to others, and these days, says a study on the academic profession, a large proportion of those who teach law are female. An article published in The Times in May estimated that approximately 42% of legal academics are women. What’s the attraction? The average starting wage for a legal lecturer is about £35,000, and about 13% of those in the field of legal academics get a wage of £50,000 or above.

Company Secretary
Legal secretaries are in great demand within the legal profession. A legal secretary must have the understanding to properly type legal documents and pleadings, leases, wills, tenancy agreements and the like. An entry level law secretary can expect a salary of £10,000 to £14,000 per year. Experienced legal secretaries can earn £25,000 per year and more.

Paralegal
Paralegals generally work within a law office, but are not fully qualified barristers or solicitors. The duties of a paralegal often involve document management, research, drafting contracts and pleadings, preparing court related documents, meeting with clients, attending court, general clerical work and offering legal advice. It is not unusual for private firms in many disciplines to hire a paralegal to manage and oversee contract management and legal matters for the company. It is not unusual for paralegals to complete additional training and work their way into positions as Legal Executives and eventually, solicitors.

Court Administrative Officer
Court officers and assistants help manage the daily running of the courts. They may assign courtrooms, book dates for hearings, manage and maintain the flow of paperwork pertinent to the days’ cases, prepare the day’s case list and follow up on decisions made by the courts. The starting salaries for court administrative officers range from £12,000 to £16,000 per year. An experienced court administrative officer can earn up to £20,000.

What is Legal Aid Service?

2009-08-25T01:31:00.000-07:00

Legal aid service is essentially the act of providing free legal assistance and in certain cases court representation as well, to people in the low income range who are unable to pay for any legal charges and living within a specified area. As part of the government's efforts, the Legal Aid Society have been ensuring that legal aid service is being slowly incorporated in every town, city, and state.

The majority of these legal aid service providers aim to serve as many clients as possible as they are mainly from non-profit organizations and are composed of a pool of talented lawyers who are willing to offer their services readily.

There are mainly two common types of legal aid services available: Civil/Family legal aid and Criminal legal aid.
Civil/family legal aid is available for many types of private disputes that will, or might, go to court.
1. matrimonial and relationship property problems
2. problems to do with care of children
3. care and protection orders for children and young people
4. adoption
5. paternity
6. (mental health) compulsory treatment orders
7. recovering a debt
8. breach of contract (for example, hire purchase)
9. defamation
10. bankruptcy or insolvency

However, civil legal aid does not offers help for the following :
1. divorce ("dissolution of marriage")
2. the Disputes Tribunal
3. mediation in some cases
4. immigration matters (except for refugee matters)

Criminal legal aid is available for criminal offences that will usually go to court.Anyone charged with or convicted of an offence can apply. In addition, anyone appearing before the Parole Board can also apply for this legal aid.
1. murder or manslaughter
2. possession of drugs
3. drunk-driving
4. theft
5. fraud
6. arson
7. possession of dangerous weapons
8. shoplifting
9. molesting, rape and other sexual offences

In addition, there are many places where you can find legal aid services.

How Do You Qualify For Legal Aid?
Legal aid is free assistance to individuals who have low-income but have a need for non-criminal related services. In the usual case, US citizens can qualify for legal aid if the legal assistance that they need is for a civil matter such as consumer rights or a divorce.

There are also a huge network of legal aid offices and Community Legal Clinics, spread across the country to assist those in need of legal assistance. However, not everyone will be entitled to free legal aid, you must first qualify for it.

First of all, the legal aid office will look at your personal financial circumstances to decide if you qualify. For instance, if your legal situation is serious and you have little or no money left after you pay for the necessities like transport and lodging, it is likely that you will be able to qualify for it. For people with little income or money, legal aid is offered to them free of charge. People who have a little money but insufficient to hire a lawyer may have to contribute some money out of their own pockets. In this case, you will be asked to sign a Payment Agreement which states the terms of payment to the legal aid office.

You may wish to pay legal aid a certain amount or pay
a lump sum of money every month. As mentioned earlier, not everyone will be able to obtain free legal aid. If you do not qualify for legal aid, you can still approach the Community Legal Clinics for assistance. These clinics have lawyers and trained legal workers to give you advice and represent you. The cases they deal with include housing, (landlord and tenant) social assistance (welfare), pension, Worker's Compensation, employment insurance and immigration and employment rights issues. If your case falls within one of these categories, you can go to your nearest community legal clinic to obtain more information.

Another alternative is that you can go back to the legal aid office and approach them for an appeal form. At the meeting with the committee (which comprises a group of three lawyers), you will have to defend your decision to file for an appeal and convince them to grant you the legal aid.

Your lawyer cannot officially start working on your file until he has a legal aid certificate.
If your situation is an emergency, you will have to inform the legal aid staff who will help you to fill out another application. This will enable them to tell you right away whether you can get legal aid. If you already have a lawyer, legal aid will mail the certificate directly to your lawyers.

How to become a Legal Secretary in the England or Wales

2009-08-22T00:36:00.000-07:00

I hope you find the following information on Legal Secretarial/PA jobs useful.
Legal secretaries assist in all aspects of running a law firm. The legal secretaries¡¦ jobs can include basic tasks such as word processing, audio-typing and dealing with general clerical work. Some legal secretary work can include meeting clients, arranging meeting and some even attend court or police cells.
Legal Secretary jobs can incorporate all areas of law - from criminal and civil law to property, family, corporate, private client and banking.

SKILLS and INTERESTS
If you are looking for a Legal Secretary job you should:
Have excellent secretarial skills

QUALIFICATIONS
There are no formal qualifications to becoming a Legal Secretary, athough a high standard of general education is required. To become a Legal Secretary office and administration experience is useful as is some existing knowledge of the law.
Career Development

Employers often offer on the job training. There are different pathways that lead to legal secretarial qualifications:
** The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PA¡¦s
The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PA¡¦s offer a diploma that¡¦s has been recognised as the most comprehensive qualification for Legal Secretaries. The diploma is extremely useful if you are looking for jobs as a Legal Secretary.
• Outline of the English Legal System
• Outlines of the Law of Contract and the Law of Tort
• Conveyancing and an outline of Land Law
• Civil Litigation
• Succession (Wills, Probate and Administration)

The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PA¡¦s also offers courses for Legal Secretaries who would like to specialise in one are of law.
The subjects covered are:
• Civil Litigation
• Company and Corporate Law
• Conveyancing
• Criminal Law and Practice
• Matrimonial Law and Family Practice Succession

Institute Of Legal Secretaries Website and further information: www.institutelegalsecretaries.com

** ILEX Legal Secretaries Certificate & Diploma
ILEX offer a Legal Secretaries Certificate (Level 2) and a Legal Secretaries Diploma (Level 3)
The ILEX Paralegal Programmes (ILEXPP) for Legal Secretaries are now considered the benchmark for those aspiring to or working in a legal environment as secretaries or personal assistants. The ILEX Legal Secretaries Certificate covers the following areas:
• Legal Word Processing
• Administration in the Legal Environment
• Communication Skills in the Legal Environment
• Information Processing in the Legal Environment

The ILEX Legal Secretaries Diploma covers the following areas:
• Advanced Legal Word Processing
• Advanced Administration in the Legal Environment
• Advanced Communication Skills in the Legal Environment
• Advanced Information Processing in the Legal Environment

** OCR (RSA) Legal Word Processing
OCR(RSA)offers specialised qualifications in legal text and legal word processing. The course is for those with previous word processing experience who wish to specialise in legal work.

Legal styles and formats. Legal terminology and English grammar are also covered
Legal Text Processing is part of the OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA) suite of qualifications in text processing which are widely recognised by employers as benchmark qualifications in text processing.

Candidates who are successful in achieving accreditation will be able to extend their range of text processing skills at intermediate level and progress to different optional units within the suite of units at Level 2 or to progress to the OCR Text Processing Advanced (Level 3) qualification.

Legal Secretaries work in all areas of law from solicitors offices, barristers chambers through to law courts, police stations and within in house legal teams. It is possible to start as a legal secretary and work towards becoming a legal executive, paralegal or a licensed conveyancer.

Online Legal Forms Can Save You Time and Money
While there are certainly times when circumstances are such that you need to hire an attorney, many legal matters are routine. Although attorneys would have you believe that every legal maneuver requires their assistance, the reality is that you often don't need a lawyer - you just need the proper legal forms.

If you were to attempt to draft your own legal forms, you'd immediately run into a roadblock. If you haven't been to law school, you'll have no way of knowing what constitutes acceptable or unacceptable legal language.

US legal forms are fairly standardized, so there's no reason not to take advantage of online legal forms. The truth is, attorneys use template legal forms themselves. When you download legal forms, you're essentially just cutting out the middleman.

So, what kinds of legal forms might help you out? You can easily use a legal form to set up a power of attorney, for example, and not have to hire a lawyer. Likewise, you can use online legal forms to deal with a variety of personal matters, such as creating your Last Will and Testament, creating a Living Will, utilizing the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act, selling your motor vehicle, entering into a construction contract, or signing an affidavit.

Online legal forms are also helpful for matters involving real estate and property.
Likewise, if you are a business owner, you can save a tremendous amount of money in legal fees by utilizing business legal forms. Online forms include templates for automobile rental agreements, articles of incorporation, bylaws, assignment of stock certificates, shareholders agreements, buy-sell agreements, and subscription agreements. You can even find employment agreements and business consultant agreements.

While online legal forms can't take care of every single legal matter, they can certainly handle those that are routine. In addition to being inexpensive, online legal forms give you the flexibility you need to instantly obtain the legal form you require.