Legal Expense Insurance. The future of lawyering? Forum

[Drake014]

There's been a lot of discussion about there being too many lawyers in the US currently. This is possible, but could it lead to new services that might bring greater equality in our justice system?

I have an acquaintence who sells a form of Legal Expense Insurance. The most popular company for it in the US, to my knowledge, is Prepaid Legal Services. Basically, its like medical insurance. You pay let's say $30 a month and if you ever get a traffic ticket, sued, custody battle, or just need to call for quick legal advice, you get it. Apparently, this has been popular in Europe for a very long time. I, personally, have had access to the NAR legal resources because I'm a member. Even though they only handle real estate related law, having them to call has been extremely helpful to me outside of my professional use. I'm sure neither NAR or Prepaid Legal Services are the best legal aid, but they're certainly better than nothing. The only question that remains, is legal expense insurance worth the present and/or future cost?

Here's a couple of articles that touch on the subject if you feel like reading one:

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http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/ ... RTM0013358

[Cleareyes]

It will likely have a role to play, but I'm not a huge fan.

LMO's anyone?

[Drake014]

It will likely have a role to play, but I'm not a huge fan.

LMO's anyone?

I'm not a huge fan of HMO's either but they're preferable over not being insured. I think just like HMO's, this is aimed at the middle class or lower or small businesses--people who can't normally afford a lawyer.

I just think its a possible rebuttle to all the people saying we need to shut down half of the existing law schools or those who say we have too many lawyers. I've probably made a claim like that myself in the past.