Free Small Business Legal Services

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In today's litigious business climate, most small business owners will find themselves requiring the services of an attorney on a regular basis. When drawing up a buy-sell agreement, reviewing a lease or collecting funds, it is imperative that a business owner seek the advice of a licensed professional.

Most business owners try to avoid the high cost of legal care by utilizing the self-help approach. This leads to costly mistakes that can be financially devastating down the road. Small Business Legal Plan members have access to a nationwide network of pre-qualified attorneys who are contracted to provide free and discounted legal care. Members can save thousands of dollars each year and avoid the pitfalls of self-help legal care.

Attorney Proviced Free Services*

• Unlimited initial phone consultation for each new legal matter
• Attorney review of 5 independent documents each quarter (10 page maximum each)
• When appropriate, plan attorneys will make an initial phone call on behalf of business (2 per month)
• When appropriate, plan attorneys will write an initial letter on behalf of the business (3 per month for new subjects)
• Initial collection letters (10 per quarter)
• One initial face to face consultation for each new legal matter (30 minutes maximum)
• Become the registered agent for the business in the state in which it was incorporated
• In certain situations, attorney liability may require plan attorneys to ask for a retainer from the member prior to providing some of the free legal services.

Plan attorneys will provide extended legal care at the reduced hourly rate of $125.00 or 40% off attorney’s usual and customary hourly rate, whichever is greater. In most cases, attorneys can accurately estimate the hours for any given case.

Attorneys often work on a contingency fee basis on cases such as personal injury and collections. This fee is usually expressed as a percentage of the amount collected or awarded. In collection matters, attorneys will accept 18% if the case is settled before formal court proceedings begin. After proceedings begin, the fee is 27%. On all other contingency matters, there is a 10% discount on the lower of either the state maximum or the attorney's standard rate.

In the case of extended legal care, plan attorneys may ask you for a retainer. Any retainer sought will be computed by multiplying the number of hours a plan attorney believes a case will take, by the appropriate discounted hourly plan rate. For instance; 10 hours x $125.00 = a retainer of $1,250.00. Any unused portion of the retainer will be returned to you.

*Court costs, filing fees and time charged for travel to and from any courts are additional.