During this constantly evolving situation, presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to assure you that Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services is fully operational and well positioned to navigate this challenge and will continue providing the services you have come to count on from us. We are available by phone or email.

Articles Posted in Group Legal Services

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Legal documents can be stressful. The average employee does not understand the verbiage and is easily frustrated. The greatest danger is to sign a document without understanding the obligations or consequences buried within the paperwork.

Common Problems

Some issues make legal documents a pain in the neck.

*Outdated or Invalid Forms. Landlords who own properties in several states may use an out of state lease, which is invalid. These documents might not include current information required by recent changes in the law. The tenant is thus being held accountable for a paper that has no legal standing. Continue reading

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People like to set goals for the coming year. It is an opportunity to do things that will lead to a better quality of life. A project that should be on the 2020 bucket list is having a simple will drafted.

 

It is a task many will put on the back burner, and that is not a good idea. Death comes knocking when you least expect it. An accident or a heart attack can snatch a person and leave behind family and the estate open to dispute.

 

A Simple Will Prevents Domestic Trouble

 

It is sad to say but an estate can bring out the worst in people. Petty disputes can lead to feuds, which will last for years. Matters will only get worse because the probate court will be directly involved when there is no will. Continue reading

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A fantastic corporate New Year’s resolution is a new employee benefit everyone can use. It lets the rank and file know that management appreciates their efforts and is concerned about their well-being. Group Legal Plans are an excellent and very useful service that an organization can offer. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a Group Legal Plan that our clients like.

 

The Services Have High Quality

 

The courtroom dramas are the stuff of television. Most people will never have a day in court, but they still need a lawyer’s services for various reasons. Countrywide has provided pre-paid legal services since 1987. Our benefit options reflect the kind of legal help commonly used.

 

A simple will is a necessary component of sound financial planning. Countrywide attorneys will prepare this document for any Plan member, pointing out the critical clauses and answering all questions. Continue reading

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A warranty is essentially a contract between a consumer and a company. A person buys a warranty with the assumption repair services will be provided if the covered product no longer works. It seems pretty cut and dry, but warranties are not always so straightforward. The devil is in the details.

 

What Do You Know about Warranties?

 

Salespeople will apply some pressure to convince a consumer to purchase a warranty. An individual might buy the contract without considering some important questions.

 

*Do You Know What Is Covered? The warranty will specifically note what is covered. Don’t be surprised if inevitable accidents are not included in the coverage. Parts or labor might only be partially covered or not at all. Continue reading

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Legal issues can create anxiety and some cases produce real fear. An ordinary person does not deal with the law as an everyday occasion. When a problem surfaces, that same person may not understand what to do and needs help. Group legal plans offer a lot of services, but the quality of those benefits depends on the communication the plan allows.

An individual needs help with his or her unique problem. Q&A pages on a website will offer advice on everyday issues but that is not enough. Some vendors will have private chat rooms where a person can explain the difficulties. That sounds nice, but once again, it doesn’t provide high quality. People want to be able to speak directly with an attorney with the assurance that all conversation is confidential.

Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services knows about the importance of a conversation and we give priority to communication between a Group Legal Plan member and a Countrywide attorney. Continue reading

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Courtroom dramas are fun to watch but they don’t paint the full picture of legal services. Most cases are settled out of court. Instead of emotional courtroom encounters, the practice of law primarily involves paper processing and giving advice. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offers better assistance than many group legal plans.

Our Attorneys Make the Difference

Our nationwide network of attorneys is the cornerstone of our reputation. The Countrywide legal professionals practice law in the communities where our clients are located. We encourage face-to-face meetings to allow a Group Legal Plan member to develop a rapport with the Countrywide attorney. If a person has additional questions after a meeting, we permit an unlimited number of telephone calls to the lawyer on a given subject. Continue reading

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It’s ridiculous, but there are group legal plans that try to cut corners with communications. They will use slideshows, emails, or webpages to tell plan members what to do or to convey messages to other parties. What is forgotten in these attempts is the importance of good communications when it comes to pre-paid legal services. The way information is transferred can be critical to the overall quality of any group legal plan.

Contact with the Outside

A group legal plan does not represent a member in the ordinary sense, but there are situations where a lawyer must contact an outside party to resolve a problem. It is not enough to rely on emails alone. The meaning of the message can become lost, or the real intent of the contact is not fully appreciated. It means that letters on official stationery, often several paragraphs long, or telephone calls will be necessary. Continue reading

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Group legal plans will help members with routine legal challenges. They do an excellent job of resolving such issues, but there is a limit to what an ordinary attorney can do.

 

The law is a service that has many facets and specialties. People sometimes need help in areas that go above and beyond writing simple wills. Immigration law is something that many employees need specialized support in, and the same is true regarding adoption law. It requires asking uniquely trained lawyers to provide help, and a referral to those legal professionals is necessary. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services provides high-quality advice, but we will not hesitate to refer a Group Legal Plan member to other attorneys if that will help. Continue reading

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Private citizens are easily frustrated when they deal with public agencies. It appears that a simple request rarely gets a response and when people ask for help, they are turned away because of a technicality. People begin to think that government employees don’t care or that the bureaucracy is intentionally incompetent. That is a misconception, but experience will make people sincerely believe public employees are lazy and stupid.

Group legal plans offer service to help with public agencies, but the quality provided might not be the best. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services can help a person deal with government offices, and we are successful in getting a Countrywide Group Legal Plan member what he or she needs.

Misconceptions Cause Anxiety

Customer service is a major issue in the private sector. Companies that deal with the public are expected to provide superior service all the time and respond quickly to any inquiry. People have gotten used to this kind of attention and they don’t understand why government agencies cannot do the same. Continue reading

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Estates can be orderly or chaotic; the individual determines the state of affairs. A simple will can make life easier for everyone. Too many people keep putting off drafting a will until the future. Kicking the can down the street has consequences that are rough for beneficiaries. Group legal plans promote simple wills as a pre-paid legal services benefit, and plan members should not ignore this chore.

 

The Probate Hassle

 

The mission of the probate court is to assure the distribution of the estate to the rightful beneficiaries. Dying intestate, without a will, makes matters difficult as the state tumbles into probate bureaucracy. Probate court can be a spider’s web of regulations and procedures. The court appoints an administrator to supervise the estate’s distribution. That person reports directly to the court. Seeking court approval for various actions will slow down the process. It can take months before the estate is formally closed. Continue reading