Legal Shield Reviews – Legit or Scam?
Legal Shield (www.MyLegalShield.com) is new name of PrePaid Legal, which is an innovative type of legal insurance company. The concept behind Legal Shield was formulated when the founder had a terrible car accident in 1969.
He realized he had car insurance and medical insurance, but no form of insurance to cover the large legal bills he incurred as a result of the accident. In response to this incident, he created a legal services company that acts similar to any other insurance.
Members pay monthly fees for a package that has a variety of coverage, and if something should happen while they are covered, they will not only have representation but many fees will be prepaid, hence PrePaid Legal.
What Kind of Coverage Is Offered?
The most popular plan offered by Legal Shield is the family plan, which costs $26 a month and provides coverage for problems that occur with motor vehicles, possible trial defense, and IRS audit assistance.
This package also includes preventative legal assistance, which covers things like creating a will and updating it yearly, as well as a 25% discount on legal areas not covered in the other included areas.
Legal Shield also offers packages that handle identity theft, which is one of the fastest growing areas where average citizens require representation.
Legal Shield as a Business Opportunity
Much like car insurance, Legal Shield is sold by independent representatives with a network marketing compensation plan. To become a Legal Shield independent representative costs a one time fee of $249.
Commissions are paid in yearly advances to their associates, and associates have the ability to build residual income if they are able to retain clients who maintain memberships longer than one year.
But while there is excellent opportunity for independent earning with Legal Shield, being an independent representative for any company is hard work.
Legal Shield does its best to give their representatives leads on new customers who have shown interest in their services, but it is still the responsibility of the associate to find and sign up new members and to ensure that they are satisfied enough with their service that they remain active clients.
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May 12th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
I love Legal Shield. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have a home. Thank you Legal Shield. Now on my third year and never letting go. Best of all, I get a monthly invitation to go visit with the attorneys to gain relationships. Lots more to brag about.
April 27th, 2012 at 1:02 am
Can you earn commission monthly (as earned) or is it only by yearly advances? Not a big fan of chargebacks. Thank you.
April 23rd, 2012 at 2:07 am
If you read the positive comments, it almost seems as if it’s another associate making a fake account and advertising it even more by saying “it saved my family” or “I saved thousands”. Don’t listen to this bs. I know a guy in the business and he’s just another money hungry associate that just wont take “no” for an answer. He makes it seem like it’s a must to have. It really isn’t. If anything they need you more than you need them.
April 15th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
I signed with legal shield however didn’t like the way the “independent associate” presented himself. He sounded to me as if he was a lawyer. When I told him why I needed the membership with legal shield he said, “I can do this for you. I will get your problem solved.” what’s more, the associate took my personal information instead of allowing me to do it on-line. He also offered me a password for my login to which I declined. Now, the associate left me wondering if he set me up for personal information identity theft. By the way I thought I was talking to a lawyer. It was after I gave my personal info that i realized I was with a broker. Because throughout the process he sounded as if he was a lawyer.
April 11th, 2012 at 10:16 am
Its like having a lawyer on retainer 24/7. Been a member better than 30 years.Have used it about 5 times.
Best service ever.
My wife and I were leaving a cruise ship a few years ago from the port of Miami when we hailed a taxi. Normally we use the shuttle from the port. But this time the starter was forgoing this wheelchair bound passenger. To make a long story short when we reached Miami Airport my wife noticed we were missing a bag. The Driver said he would take her back to the port to retrieve the bag. When they returned with no bag wanted to double the $35.00 normal fare and tip. After our discussion on the fare due to him leaving the bag. He called the policeman over trying to intimidate this Bilateral Amputee with the threat that I’ll be charged WITH THEFT OF SERVICES. At this point I called my (800) Legal Sheild PPL # Spoke with the attorney I passed it to the policeman.Less than 2 minutes My wife and I were on our way. after paying our original fare & tip. By the time we reached Dallas Tx our bag was waiting for us in baggage claim lost & found. GOOD BAGGAGE TAGS ARE A BLESSING PLUS PPL
Avrey says:
April 23rd, 2012 at 1:18 am
It’s so sad to me when people are so obviously taken-for-a-ride with services like this.
Let me say – I am a lawyer, actually, I have two law degrees. The “services” Legal Shield are offering you are nothing short of a complete scam.
I’m sorry, but what do you think the “lawyer” on the phone did for you? He’s not acting as your lawyer – that is 100% – because there is no attorney/client relationship created over the phone, and so he was not representing you. You didn’t need to call a lawyer at all. You needed to contact the police, and explain the situation. It almost certainly would have turned out the EXACT SAME WAY (you not having to pay the double fare). Why did you think you needed a lawyer? Did you think the taxi-driver was going to take you to court??? This whole thing is just beyond ridiculous. This service exists to take advantage of people without the legal education and knowledge to know better.
I advise everyone in the STRONGEST POSSIBLE WAY to stay away from this scam.
April 10th, 2012 at 8:44 am
I took their HORRIBLE legal advice and am now being sued on top of being a victim. They told me to go to the Bar if I have any problems with their actions. DON’T USE THIS
March 29th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
This is a pyramid scheme company. They make you buy in, for $180 and then it is $20 a MONTH to use their services. They want you to collect people to do their business for them which is…..a pyramid scheme! BEWARE. Do not work for them, their health insurance package for one individual is $1000 a MONTH. BEWARE. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR WORK.
Steve says:
April 3rd, 2012 at 10:11 am
First of all, this person doesn’t have the correct numbers which tells me that did no digging into the company. If your any sense of normal intelligence and are interested in legal shield do some actually digging people. The company has been around for 40 years and was listed on the NY stock exchange until recently being bought out by a large investment group called Mid Ocean. This investment group only buys sure bets, to give you an example they own sbarro’s pizza, time warner cable and many other large companies. You pay for home owners insurance and may never have a claim, you pay for health insurance, life insurance, car insurance as well and may never have a claim. This is no different. It simple investing in legal insurance and selling it if you become an associate. Do me a favor and do be ignorant. Do your research about the company that was formerly known as prepaid legal when they were on the stock exchange and ignore opinionated people that are to lazy to actually make something like this work. One last thing for the record. They don’t get paid on a pyramid scheme. They get paid the same way people do that sell you insurance. Is that a scheme as well? and if so why do you have it?
March 22nd, 2012 at 4:55 am
I have been a member with Legal Shield for over two years now. As a business owner this is one of the best investments I made that help me protect and grow my business. Thanks for the great service :-)
March 21st, 2012 at 12:26 pm
Legal shield is not only a great service that offers great protection, but can also be a very big business opportunity. With the right drive and skills to sell this to others, there is the potential to make very easy and fast money
Avrey says:
April 23rd, 2012 at 1:20 am
aka: pyramid scheme
March 15th, 2012 at 1:22 am
Hi,
Another Associate what if you don’t have another job due to the economy being weak? I was just downsized few weeks ago this is all i do.
I know its not a get rich quick and its not an easy thing to do.
So life quality this is directed at you too you must put a lot of time and effort into this
I’m an expert on the services and i’ve had a horrible time signing anyone up for memberships.
I’m a manager my team has fallen apart so to be honest people come and go in this business.
You need to market and find the right people as the friends, family thing doesn’t work
Geoff
ps-i’d get small business certified and group certified as just selling memberships with family plans wont solve your problems right away.
March 11th, 2012 at 8:21 pm
JFA Online is Legal Shield’s branding and printing company. They treat Legal Shield’s Associates horrible. And the people who are making the money for Legal Shield (Associates) have to sit back and take it. Some have found other ways to deal with purchasing supplies. Legal Shield will not do anything because the company is theirs. If JFA Online makes an error, it will always be “to bad” for the Associate. Perhaps when more of Legal Shield’s Associates leave and JFA Online has a severe decline in business, both will want to be on the straight and narrow. Meanwhile JFA Online is having a field day. It is terrible.
Mike says:
March 23rd, 2012 at 7:45 pm
Funny, because I’ve been with Legal Shield for a year and JFA has always delivered. I’ve never had a problem and when I wanted to make changes to my order or information they provided a format to do it, as long as its within the guidelines and time that was allocated to make changes, which is explained to the associate before placing an order.
I’ve made thousands of dollars since I’ve started my business for protecting families and small business with our service. My members love the service because my support team properly explains how the membership works. Looking forward to the commercials coming out on tv later this year and a bright future in Legal Shield.
If its not working for some of you, then you are not attending your weekly briefings and trainings so you can learn how to present and market the service.
Geoff says:
March 15th, 2012 at 1:03 am
Hi,
I agree Jfa is not that great and Legalshield better have some great tricks up its sleeve with advertising this year.
I talk to many disgruntled associates out there.
Many associates are working there asses off and not having much success due to lack of marketing and credibility.
Also i demanded a refund from JFA Online and they told me i’d get a credit what BS.
I’ve been with LegalShield since January 2010
I might ad the services are really good i had the attorney call me back from Parker Stanbury in 8 minutes.
March 4th, 2012 at 12:43 am
scammers
March 1st, 2012 at 10:06 pm
I signed up yesterday was told that I would get help today they said I would talk to a lawyer in 2 min it was 20 min before I spoke with someone they gave me the run around said they would give me a 25% discount and I really needed there help it’s a bunch of bs. I won’t be renewing my account. Don’t waste your time
Avrey says:
April 23rd, 2012 at 1:23 am
Uh you can find it at Legal Aid or a Pro-Bono Clinic.
Getting a call in under 20 minutes is not a “miracle” – in fact, it’s far from it.
Also, many law firms offer a “free consultation” – (which is basically all Legal Shield tries to do anyway) – so this whole service is really a total scam.
Michael says:
March 3rd, 2012 at 2:47 pm
If someone told you an attorney would call you in 2 minutes, they are smoking crack. The company promises a call within 8 business hours. You received a call within 20 minutes, which is a miracle in attorney land, for under $36 per month.
As for the service, if the attorney is not helpful, call customer service – they take complaints very seriously and will work to resolve them. The service is not perfect, but for $17 a month or less for basic coverage, where else will you find at attorney to write letters, review contracts, or talk to you at all?
February 24th, 2012 at 10:42 pm
My goodness! This is everything that they claim to be and so much more! I would have never imagined that I would be able to obtain this type of service at the cost they provide. I can’t imagine not having them despite only use them for less than a week.
Simply the best affordable legal service for small businesses and individuals like you and me!!!
February 24th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
I used Legal Shield over 12 years and have saved thousands of dollars. I was denied an insurance claim by Allstate for $9500. I called my provider law firm which made a call to Allstate corporate offices in Illinois. Once Allstate found our I had an attorney and they couldn’t wiggle out, they covered my claim. Wow! That paid for my membership for 31 years! I recently had an employer refuse to pay me my last pay check for $1,200. I had the law firm write a letter stating that it was illegal under state law for the employers to withhold pay checks. Got a call the next day from the controller and asked me to pick up my check for $1,200. That paid for another 6 years of membership. That’s power in access to the legal system. No better value in America! Anyone like the knucklehead above who says this doesn’t work, doesn’t need an attorney, he needs a shrink. It works!
Avrey says:
April 23rd, 2012 at 1:29 am
This is utterly ridiculous.
First of all, you’ve been wasting your “premiums” to Legal Shield.
Your first situation – Allstate not paying your claim. You absolutely did not need “Legal Shield”. What you needed was to hire a lawyer. Unless you know absolutely nothing about the legal system, you know that the losing party in a law suit pays the other parties “costs”. Which means if you had hired a lawyer (without Legal Shield) – not only would they have settled your claim, but they would have had to cover your costs for the lawyer you were forced to hire due to their failure to settle as well. So, first “Legal Shield” argument disputed.
Second – the fact that you thought you needed to pay Legal Shield to “write a letter for you” is beyond ignorant. All you had to do was write that letter YOURSELF. Dear: Employer. It’s illegal not to pay your employees. Please pay asap, or I will take this claim to the Small Claims Court. They would have paid immediately (obviously – a LAWYER doesn’t need to tell the employer what they are doing is illegal, any individual can tell the employer this) – and if not, you could have taken them to small claims court, (for free), and compelled them to pay your wages.
It’s incredibly sad to me that your entire last pay check – ALL of the money you earned on your last pay check – went to paying for the service that you claim helped you GET that paycheck, when in fact, it did nothing that you could not have done yourself. So, premium AND paycheck wasted.
Please everyone, do your research. The fact that people are getting sucked into this pyramid scheme is unbelievable.
February 13th, 2012 at 9:50 am
they are insensitive and unresponsive.
anonymous says:
May 16th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
she did cite her reasons, she didn’t cite the subject.
Carla says:
April 25th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Could you please explain your personal experience that makes you say they are insensitive and unresponsive please. Thank you!
Marina says:
March 28th, 2012 at 11:54 am
Cite your reasons for making this comment.
February 10th, 2012 at 1:12 am
I used the services 10 times in the past 3 years and it helped me save over $7,000 dollars and headache.
1) I clicked on those ad where it says Free Ringtone. It’s not FREE! They charged me $9.99 on my phone bill for a year and a half which amount to $150. I called the company up and demand a refund. They had me listen to elevator music for 45 minutes. No refund. Call my attorney who wrote a letter. Got a $100 refund.
2) Bought a high dollar mattress from a store which guarantee 90 days Comfort Exchange. I slept on it for a month and a neck pain pain develop because it was too soft. Brought it back to store to exchange for a firmer one, the salesperson said I have to pay $250 for even though it’s same model. We got into a 45minutes argument and she insisted I must pay $250. Call LegalShield attorney who wrote a letter on my behalf. Then I got an apology letter from the company that they’ll honor the Exchange, didn’t have to pay $250. Went back to the store and didn’t see that saleswoman.
3) Got a rolling stop ticket of $242. Call my Legalshield attorney who went to court on my behalf. The whole thing dismissed. No points on my record. No fee. And no record. My insurance rate remains the same. Yes, I was guilty, but don’t wanna pay to Farmer Insurance.
4) They review my Refinance and Roth documents before I sign them. They gave me a piece of mind
5) Got another traffic ticket of $694 in another state. They referred to a different Law Firm in that state who went to court on my behalf. No fee. No point. No Records. Auto insurance thinks I’m a safe driver.
6) Driving home late one night. Got pull over by officer because the tail lights was out. He asked for my insurance and driver license. I handed him both along with my LegalShield card and on it basically said I have access to a lawyer 24/7 in an emergency. He got out his flashlight and read it for 30 seconds and let me go and inform the nearest auto store to get a light bulb.
7) A good friend got detain by the INS because over stayed his student Visa. But for three days I didn’t know where he was. So I call 911 to report a missing person. 30 minutes later a detective called me back and inform me that my friend was safe in an non-disclosed location, wouldn’t tell me why they detain him. Our mutual friend suspected he had immigration problem so she called an Immigration attorney on the Yellowpages. They wanted $1,500 retainer fee and charge $189 hourly rate. Luckily, my good friend sign up for Legalshield membership through me. I called the Legalshield attorney on his behalf. They referred me to an Italian American Immigration attorney who has 25 years of experienced. He gave me a 25% discount for the service. I only paid $375 and within 15 minutes he was able to locate where my friend was and thoroughly advice me what to do to visit him.
Is the service worth it? I would say definitely yes and would keep it for life. This is the Nation of laws I wouldn’t dare to leave home without my Legalshield card. The membership isn’t for everybody, but most intelligent people would own it to protect their family for pennies a day!
Avrey says:
April 23rd, 2012 at 1:35 am
“Most intelligent people would own it”.
I am a lawyer, as is my older brother. My father is a doctor. Almost all of our friends are lawyers, and doctors, investment bankers – etc – and otherwise similarly educated. As a lawyer, I am of the opinion that Legal Shield is a total scam. Not ONE lawyer I know, currently work with, or have worked with in the past, has either obtained or recommended this service. In fact, it’s known to be a scam.
February 1st, 2012 at 5:41 pm
I had the membership for several years before I needed to use it. When I did, I got the letter I needed and the problem went away. Another2 years or so went by before I needed to use the services again and Initially, I was not happy with the lawyer that was assigned to help me. I called to complain, and in less that 2 hours after the complaint, I received a call apologizing and assuring me I would get another lawyer to call me the next day. I actually got that call that same afternoon and again, my problem was resolved! This membership is important to me because I cannot afford a lawyer every time I need some advice. This is a resource and the lawyers provide the legal knowledge I don’t have and they can talk me through the process and advise me if I need it. I hope I never need to go to court for anything major but having the additional discount will help. For those of us who cannot afford a lawyer on retainer, this is a very good alternative. Definitely worth it for me!!!
January 30th, 2012 at 11:20 pm
Legal Shield is such a phenomenal service. It gives me confidence to know that I have over 50 attorneys watching my back. Knowing that if somebody tries to rip me off, my attorneys will step up and get me my money back.
“Mr Upset” said he wasted a lot of $$$ buying a membership. That is impossible. The membership is month to month with no contract, and the most expensive family plan is $26/month! If you were speeding, you deserve a ticket buddy! But I have personally used the traffic part of the membership, and the attorneys went to court for me for free! I didn’t have to pay anything extra, it was part of my membership! I have also never had an attorney take more than 8 hours to call me back, and I have called over 20 times so far.
“Just another average person” said this membership is bull, but was so vague in the description of their problem, nothing they wrote makes sense. I’ve never got the run around from the attorneys, and I have called a lot. They are extremely friendly and informative.
The bottom line is I have used my membership about 5 times, and it has already paid for itself for over 5 years. I’ll be keeping this membership for life!
January 10th, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Its pure Bull they don’t help… I had two issues with them and they did nothing they refer, refer, and give you the weakest advice. That if they get your email or call you back. They have you running around when then you think hey I could have just done this my self. A stranger in another field of work can give you better and greater advice. To use their service is pure waste of time and money. If you have the money to throw away and are looking for mediocre legal advice this is right for you.
January 6th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
I signed up for Legalshield which I felt was a great deal until it was time to actually use the services. I had a difficult time contacting an attorney through the number provided. I left a message and was contacted days later only to get the run around on my speeding ticket I received. I was told they would provide me an attorney at a 25% discounted rate since I had legalshield and that my best option was to just pay the speeding ticket and take drivers school to get rid of the points on my license. So I basically wasted a lot of $$$$$$ with Legalshield in a nutshell. Save your money and avoid them.
Carla says:
April 25th, 2012 at 8:21 pm
In order for that to have happened you had to have had your membership for less than 15 days. Otherwise, you are not being honest. That is one of the easiest issues for them to take care of. Do you care to share more details about your ticket to give your comment more merit?
January 4th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
I’ve been a member of Legal Shield (Pre-Paid Legal) since 1996. In full disclosure I’ve also been an associate since 2004. I have had excellent experiences every time I’ve used it. My retention of members is very high. Why? Because I set the right expectation that it is primarily a defense plan for life events. I also make sure my members use the document review and will preparation service so they experience how it works.
I’ve lived in Michigan, Rhode Island and now Pennsylvania. All three provider law firms are excellent. Since my primary occupation is data security compliance consulting, I have had many issues handled by my Legal Shield attorneys, I know I can always count on their excellent service.
Ms. Inquiring says:
March 14th, 2012 at 9:42 am
Thank you Mr. Listerman, Another Associate, and Life Quality. Your inputs has been very helpful in my research of this product. I once was a member years ago when it was Prepaid Legal and used the service once without any problems; I cancelled my membership due to financial reasons. I’ve recently been approached to join as an associate through a trusting friend. I decided to do as much research as possible prior to responding. I truly believe to be successful you must believe in what you’re doing; in this case, believe in the product. Checking the reviews has been one source of research and I felt the responses from you all were sincere. Thanks again.
Peace and blessings and much success to you all!
Another Associate says:
March 12th, 2012 at 9:46 am
Life Quality: I’m not sure if you’ve gotten a response from anyone else, but I can tell you for me this has been a real and true opportunity. I too take the approach of Mr. Listerman with the people I present the membership to. This product isn’t a fix all and isn’t going to cover every single life event for free and magically fix all of your problems. But it gives you access to attorneys so you can always find out your rights. This isn’t a get rich quick company either. If you join as an associate, treat the opportunity as a business. Put the same effort into your own business as you do your regular job. The product isn’t for everyone, but that’s ok. I am married with 3 children to support, and I am steadily building my business to where I want it to be.
life quality says:
February 26th, 2012 at 9:58 pm
From all the comments yours is the one that makes more sense for me. I believe in the service and I just paid for my membership,
I haven’t use it yet, however
i am thinking to join as an associate but i still have some doubts if it will work or not. please put your hand on your heart and tell me if this is a real opportunity for a person who has a family and is looking to get a better life quality. thank you