Los Angeles Press Releases
PR Newswire
DALLAS, Nov. 27, 2012
DALLAS, Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
A new nationwide
study released today by LegalShield shows that working Americans and their
families face a broad array of legal issues daily but only infrequently seek
out help due to the cost, confusion and hassle of dealing with the legal
system. Even for serious legal events
such as divorce, IRS audits, DWI/DUI arrests, real estate purchase, identity
theft, or the death of a spouse without a will, an alarming number of Americans
are forgoing the legal help they need to protect themselves and their families.
The survey shows 57 million of full-time working Americans
experienced at least one significant legal event in the past 12 months, but
only 60 percent of those who experienced such an event actually sought out the
services of a lawyer to help them. The
rest said they were "hesitant" or "dread" calling a lawyer
because they are too hard to find, cost too much and are "difficult"
and "intimidating" to work with.
"Our research shows what we've known intuitively for a
long time – many Americans don't believe they can get the legal help they need
to protect themselves and their families," said Rip Mason, CEO of
LegalShield. "Too many people
believe they have to go at it alone and hope for the best when it comes to
dealing with all but the most serious legal issues. Fortunately, that's not the case. Americans just need to become more aware of
the options – such as a LegalShield plan – that guarantees they have access to help
from qualified attorneys no matter how serious or trivial the issue."
The survey findings show that when barriers to access and
cost are removed or reduced, Americans are more likely seek out the counsel of
an attorney. Ninety-one percent of
respondents said they would seek the help of a lawyer for even the most trivial
issue – such as the review of a rental agreement – if their services were
easier to access and more affordable.
Two-thirds of respondents said they found their lawyer randomly online
or through some sort of advertising and had little information about their qualifications
or experience. They also said they paid
an average of $284 an hour for the services of a lawyer.
"It's not that American's don't believe that they need
legal help, they're just not sure that the benefit outweighs the cost or the
hassle," Mason said. "That why
it's important to remove the negative cost/benefit assumption from the
equation. With LegalShield, members pay
as little as $17 a month to get unlimited access to dedicated accomplished law
firms who are staffed with experienced lawyers specializing in the areas of law
that impact American families the most."
Despite the benefits of legal plans such as LegalShield,
only 10 percent of respondents said they are covered by any sort of legal
service program.
"More and more employers are looking at legal plans as
part of their voluntary benefits package. They see it as a way to address
absenteeism associated with the legal problem employees experience in their
lives," Mason said. "Our study
showed that 66 percent of workers who experienced a legal issue had to take
time off from work to deal with it. The
survey also shows that employees who were covered by a legal protection plan
are happier, have greater peace of mind and are more focused on their work.
Methodology
This study of full-time employees in the U.S. was conducted
over the Internet. A national
probability sample of males and females aged 18 to 64 was drawn from American
Consumer Opinion® Online, Decision Analyst's worldwide panel of over eight
million consumers. The sample was
balanced by geography and selected demographics, such as gender, age,
ethnicity, and household income.
Panelists were invited by email to the screening survey, and those
employed full-time were invited to Decision Analyst's DAISurvey™ website to
participate in the study. A total of
1,000 interviews were completed online from September 20 through September 26,
2012.
About LegalShield
LegalShield is the only national legal safeguard to provide
its members with access to quality legal services from an accomplished law firm
in the U.S. and Canada for legal advice and assistance as much as they want no
matter how trivial or serious the issue.
For as low as $17 per month, LegalShield members get access to qualified
attorneys who are experts in the areas of law that most impact families and
small businesses. Founded in 1972 in
Ada, Oklahoma, LegalShield has more than 1.4 million members and dedicated law
firms in 49 states across the U.S. and four provinces in Canada. The company's website is
www.legalshield.com.
Media Contacts:
Heidi McKinley
James Florez
214.789.9332
214.769.4258
heidi.mckinley@mjacom.com
james.florez@mjacom.com
