Have questions? Here is more information on Legal Services.

How does Legal Services work?

You and your family will have access to a nationwide network of plan attorneys that have contracted with Legal Club to provide free and discounted legal services. Upon contacting MSD, you will be referred to a plan attorney based on language, area of law, and location.

What are the benefits that are covered for free?

The following nine (9) services are available at no charge:

• Initial phone consultations for each new matter (no time limit)
• Initial face-to-face consultations for new legal matter (no time limit)
• Review of independent legal documents (6 page maximum per document, no limit to the number of new independent documents)
• Plan attorneys will prepare a free Simple Will for you and your family, as well as update the Will annually for free. (See definition of Simple Will in Section 3 of the Plan Guidebook)
• A state-specific, web-based, free Living Will form is available to Members. This form can be notarized by a Notary Public. Store this document in a safe location
• Plan attorneys will help Members represent themselves in small claims court
• Assistance in solving problems with government programs, such as INS and Welfare
• When deemed appropriate by your plan attorney, he or she will write letters on your behalf (one letter per legal matter, with no limit on the number of new legal matters)
• When deemed appropriate by your plan attorney, he or she will make phone calls on your behalf (one phone call per legal matter, with no limit on the number of new legal matters)

In many states, attorney liability may require plan attorneys to obtain a retainer from the member prior to providing some of the free member benefits.

What services are deeply discounted?

The following are eight (8) commonly used legal services for which plan attorneys have agreed to charge a one-time, deeply discounted fee.

Court costs, filing fees, and time charged for travel to and from any courts are additional.
Detailed Legal Services definitions can be found in Section three (3) of the Plan Guidebook.

Guaranteed Low Hourly Rate:
Plan attorneys have contracted to charge no more than $125.00 per hour, or 40% off their usual and customary hourly rate, whichever is greater, for legal care that goes beyond the free and discounted services described above.

Retainers:
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 plan’s discounted hourly 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. 

Contingency Fee Discounts:
The contingency fee discount will be a 10% reduction of the state maximum rate or the attorney's usual rate, whichever is lower.

How can I contact a plan attorney?