Employee Assistance programs (EAP) often provide employees in the private and public sector with legal insurance. The legal insurance benefits include free consultations with a NY attorney and either free or discounted legal services.
Should legal matters arise, having an experienced New York lawyer or team by your side can make all the difference. Legal insurance helps by providing access to a network of attorneys to assist in navigating legal matters and financial protection when facing unexpected legal issues.
Legal insurance, also known as prepaid legal or group legal, offers coverage that grants individuals and families access to a network of qualified attorneys. With legal insurance, participants can receive advice, have legal documents drafted and reviewed, and receive consultation or representation in court — typically at a fraction of the cost associated with hiring a lawyer. Legal insurance is often included as part of a workplace benefits EAP package. Usually, employees have the option to enroll in a plan by paying a small monthly premium or yearly fee to gain access to the benefits.
Legal insurance plans leverage a network of attorneys who have agreed to provide free or discounted legal services as part of their contract with an organization. There are typically no bills, deductibles, or claims forms to fill out, provided you use an attorney within the plan’s network.
Legal insurance usually provides coverage for a wide range of legal issues, excluding some matters such as those involving the workplace. The areas and circumstances typically covered include:
- Family law matters, including divorce, separation custody, child support, and adoption
- Bankruptcy and credit issues
- Personal injury and wrongful death
- Landlord/tenant – including eviction and lease questions
- Real estate purchases and litigation
- Civil actions and small claims court
- Estate planning, such as Wills, Powers of Attorney, health care proxies, and living wills, trusts.
- Name changes
- Criminal, DWI and traffic violation defense
- Contracts
- Probate matters
- Document review
- Caring for aging parents – Nursing home agreements and debts , Medicare/Medicaid, and hospital bills
The purpose of the initial free consultation is to help a member understand some of the issues related to the legal matter that have arisen. The attorney will explain to the member their options and may provide general advice. The consultation is also the time in which costs of the legal matter are explained.
There are many NY EAP and union legal plans with differing benefits. Ask your HR department or union for information about EAP legal service benefits available to you. The experienced attorneys at Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC are panel attorneys for most New York EAP legal insurance plans.