With the amount of advertising online and the range of focus areas, from family disputes to business contracts to criminal defense, finding a lawyer can feel overwhelming.
Many law firms choose to market themselves for specific focus areas, but that doesn’t mean you should have to look for a lawyer each time a new issue comes up. General practice lawyers often have experience with multiple areas of the law.
LegalShield revolutionized how people access lawyers by assigning members to provider law firms to help with many of life’s issues for an affordable monthly fee.
This guide walks you through 11 categories of legal issues and how lawyers can help. Many of these issues are covered by a LegalShield® Plan, so talk to a provider law firm about your specific situation.
Personal matters
You might need a lawyer to help you navigate a difficult situation in your family life, employment, driving, or taxes.
1. Family law
If you’re experiencing a major life change involving your kids, your spouse, or your relatives, lawyers can help you understand your rights and the required procedures.
Some common family legal issues include:
- Divorce and legal separation: Ending a marriage, dividing assets, settling debts, or spousal support
- Child custody and support: Coming up with parenting plans, deciding where kids will live, and obtaining ongoing financial support
- Adoption and foster care: Taking the proper legal steps to bring a new child into your family
- Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements: Protecting assets and setting expectations before or during marriage
- Domestic violence: Getting restraining orders, handling sensitive court proceedings, and safety planning
Situations involving family law can be highly stressful and emotional, but services like LegalShield connect you with experienced provider lawyers who can help you navigate them.
2. Estate planning
Estate planning involves preparing for what happens to your assets and your loved ones after you're gone. It’s also how you make your wishes known should you become incapacitated.
It’s a good idea to set up Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney while you're still able to think clearly. Clear instructions help your family make decisions with confidence during emotionally difficult times.
Working with a lawyer gives you control over who gets what, who takes care of your kids or pets, and who makes decisions on your behalf if you're ever unable to. If you're ready to start the conversation, LegalShield can connect you with experienced provider lawyers who can answer your questions about estate planning.
3. Employment law
Legal issues about employment can include wrongful termination, workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, wage theft, and retaliation for reporting issues in the workplace.
If you've been fired for an illegal reason, denied overtime pay, or treated unfairly because of your race, gender, age, or disability, a lawyer can explain your options.
A LegalShield Membership can help you get in touch with a provider law firm who can answer questions about employment-related legal needs.
4. Real estate
For many people, buying a home is the biggest financial decision they'll ever make. Having a lawyer review contracts, disclosures, and closing documents is an important step to help you catch problems before they cost you thousands.
You might need a lawyer to help with these situations:
- Reviewing purchase agreements and closing documents
- Title searches and disputes
- Zoning or property boundary disagreements
- Tenant issues
Understanding what a lawyer can help with in real estate matters can help you decide if you need one. If you're buying, selling, or dealing with a property dispute, LegalShield can connect you with provider lawyers who can talk through your real estate law questions.
5. Tax law
If you have a dispute or issue with the IRS, you probably need a lawyer and an accountant. For individuals, this might mean representation during an audit, negotiating a payment plan for back taxes, or dealing with liens and levies.
For businesses, lawyers help with things like corporate tax planning, state and federal, tax issues, and disputes with state or federal agencies.
6. Traffic law
Traffic violations are one of the most common ways people interact with the legal system, so there are many experienced lawyers who can help you with traffic law issues.
Lawyers can help you respond to tickets for speeding, reckless driving, running red lights, and driving without a valid license or insurance. They can also advise on more serious charges like DUIs and hit-and-run accidents.
A ticket can lead to losing points on your license, higher insurance rates, and fines. Sometimes you can get tickets reduced or dismissed, helping you avoid long-term consequences. A lawyer can help you understand your options.
Remember these tips if you receive a traffic ticket, and get help quickly by talking to LegalShield provider lawyers with experience in traffic law.
Business matters
Running a business inevitably comes with legal exposure. Lawyers can help you review company documents, manage liability, know how to protect your intellectual property, and advise on debt restructuring or bankruptcy if necessary.
7. Corporate law
If you're starting a company, you might want legal advice to help you decide whether to set up an LLC, corporation, or partnership. Lawyers can walk you through the options and help make sure everything is filed correctly with the state.
Lawyers can also draft operating agreements, partnership agreements, and other documents that clarify how the business runs and who's responsible for what.
As your business grows, you may need to hire employees, bring on investors, buy another company, or sell your own. You should get legal advice with every important milestone.
LegalShield Small Business Plans are great for business owners who want to make the most of their money by avoiding expensive hourly billing for consultation. You get access to a provider law firm starting at just $59.95 per month and receive a discount for more in-depth services if you need them.
8. Consumer protection law
Lawyers can help businesses manage risk and defend against lawsuits. If a customer slips and falls in your store or someone claims your product injured them, you’ll want a lawyer who knows liability cases, and a provider law firm can help you find the right professional to help.
Lawyers can also help you avoid lawsuits before they happen by reviewing contracts, helping establish policies to make your workplace safer, and making sure you have the right insurance.
9. Intellectual property (IP)
If you have created something valuable, whether it's a brand name, a logo, a book, or an invention patents, trademarks and copyrights, collectively referred to as intellectual property, can help you protect it.
A patent can keep others from making, using, or selling an invention. A trademark can protect business names, logos, and other specific classes of goods and services. A copyright protects original creative works, like writing, music, and software. If you want to protect your intellectual property, your provider law firm can connect you with a lawyer experienced in IP law.
Other areas of law
These categories of law aren’t included by default in LegalShield Personal Plans, but there are other options that provide some services for these areas.
10. Commercial drivers
Commercial drivers are held to a higher standard than regular motorists. Federal regulations set strict rules for hours of service, logbook requirements, weight limits, and even a lower blood alcohol limit for DUIs. A violation can put a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) holder's entire career at risk.
If you’re dealing with a violation that could cost you your license, a lawyer can help with your defense. They can handle DOT hearings, logbook violations, weight violations, and other issues specific to the trucking industry.
If your livelihood depends on keeping your CDL, you need a lawyer who knows how to fight for you. The LegalShield plan for commercial drivers connects members with a provider law firm that can support with certain licensing situations, moving and non-moving violations, and more.
11. Civil litigation
Civil litigation involves disputes between two people that end up in court, as opposed to criminal charges brought by the state. A lawyer can help by representing you when you're suing someone or being sued. A LegalShield membership provides a schedule of hours for trial defense matters, and you can receive discounted rate services if you are the plaintiff.
Civil litigation can include these scenarios:
- Breach of contract: Someone didn't hold up their end of an agreement.
- Property damage: For example, a neighbor's tree fell on your car, or a contractor damaged your home.
- Professional negligence: An accountant or other professional made a serious mistake.
If a conversation can’t solve the dispute, LegalShield can connect you with a provider law firm that can help with civil litigation issues. You'll get access to provider lawyers who can provide trusted legal advice to help you confidently work through the issue.
How a LegalShield plan helps you
If you wait until legal issues pop up to start looking for a lawyer, you’re already at a disadvantage. You might be calling around, trying to find a free consultation or paying an expensive bill just to get a letter written.
LegalShield connects you with a provider law firm that can help you with a variety of issues and answer questions as you have them, all for an affordable monthly fee.
You can fit it into your budget
Traditional lawyers have different ways of charging, and their fee structure may depend on the practice area or specific circumstances. Some work on contingency, meaning they take a portion of whatever you receive at the end of the process. Others charge hourly, and some work on a retainer, where you pay a lump sum for their services during a period of time.
Most people assume they can’t get consistent legal help without expensive retainers. LegalShield offers affordable access to knowledgeable provider lawyers as part of their memberships.
You can get help with a variety of issues
Legal issues can come up in multiple areas of your life, including your family, property, debt, consumer disputes, or workplace.
The great thing about LegalShield is that you can get help with a variety of issues. Get reliable advice in one place instead of starting a new search for each problem.
Get connected with an experienced provider law firm through LegalShield
When you need help with a legal issue of any kind, having affordable access to experienced legal professionals can make all the difference.
You might be hiring employees, going through a divorce, or just need someone to look over a contract before you sign. Instead of spending hours searching for a lawyer, LegalShield connects you with provider lawyers who can answer your questions.
With a LegalShield Plan, you can:
- Speak with an experienced lawyer, usually within a business day
- Get legal advice on legal matters
- Have letters written or phone calls made on your behalf
- Access 24/7 emergency legal help for covered situations like an arrest or traffic accident
Reach out to an independent associate to learn more about the LegalShield Legal Plans available in your area.
LegalShield is a trademark of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (“LegalShield”). LegalShield provides this blog as a public service and for general information only. The information made available in this blog is meant to provide general information and is not intended to provide legal advice, render an opinion, or provide a recommendation as to a specific matter. The blog post is not a substitute for competent legal counsel from a licensed professional lawyer in the state or province where your legal issues exist, and you should seek legal counsel for your specific legal matter. All information by authors is accepted in good faith. However, LegalShield makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of such information. The materials contained herein are not regularly updated and may not reflect the most current legal information. No person should either act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything contained on this website. Nothing on this blog is meant to, or does, create an attorney-client relationship with any reader or user. An attorney-client relationship may be formed only after the execution of an engagement letter with an attorney and after that attorney has confirmed that no conflicts of interest exist. Nothing on this website, or information contained or transmitted by this website, is intended to be an advertisement or solicitation. Information contained in the blog may be provided by authors who could be a third-party paid contributor. LegalShield provides access to legal services offered by a network of provider law firms to LegalShield members through membership-based participation. LegalShield is not a law firm, and its officers, employees or sales associates do not directly or indirectly provide legal services, representation, or advice.