LegalShield Review

About LegalShield

LegalShield is a legal subscription service. When you pay for a subscription to LegalShield, you will get access to a dedicated provider law firm within your state. You will receive discounted legal support compared to what you would pay if you hired a lawyer on your own.

LegalShield was established in 1972. According to the company, they were one of the first to offer legal expense plans. Today, the company works to help protect over 4.5 million individuals and 140,000 businesses.

LegalShield doesn’t employ the lawyers you will work with, but rather, maintains a national network of independent law firms. According to the company, the lawyers within their network have, on average, 22 years of experience. The LegalShield Law Firm Finder includes names and background information about the law firms and lawyers affiliated with their service. You can review this information before subscribing.

You can review the LegalShield law firms before signing up for the service. Photo credit: LegalSheild

LegalShield Products

LegalShield offers three personal plans and three small business plans you can choose between. Each plan gives you the option of choosing monthly or annual billing. Every personal plan includes the following services.

Estate Planning

LegalShield’s personal subscription plans include the preparation of three of the most common estate planning documents:

• A standard will ensures that your estate is divided among beneficiaries according to your wishes
• A living will is important in planning for medical care if you should become incapacitated and cannot consent to your care
• A durable power of attorney allows you to designate a person to handle your financial and medical affairs if you are incapacitated

LegalShield members can have any or all of these documents prepared by a provider lawyer. As mentioned above, the Advanced and Premium plans include annual reviews and updates at no additional charge. The Premium plan also includes establishment of a trust.

24/7 Access to an Emergency Legal Help Hotline

LegalShield members also have access to a 24/7 emergency legal help hotline. Members can call the hotline if they:

• Are detained by a law enforcement officer
• Are involved in a vehicle accident resulting in injury
• Have an emergency concerning a minor child in their custody and a child welfare agency
• Are served with a warrant

Access to this hotline can be a reassurance, and since LegalShield’s plans include family members, the whole family can potentially benefit from this resource if they ever need it.

IRS Audit Assistance

Representation during an IRS audit is available to Premium plan members. This service includes consultation, advice, representation, and negotiation after being notified of an audit. If needed, the Premium plan also includes five hours of pre-trial help and 300 hours of trial time, which can be used if you are sued by the IRS.

Trial Defense

Five hours of pretrial help is included in LegalShield’s Basic, Advanced, and Premium plans. The number of trial-time hours and the timeframe during which you can use them varies by plan:

• Basic – 150 hours, maxing out after five years
• Advanced – 300 hours, maxing out after five years
• Premium – 300 hours, maxing out after three years

Traffic Tickets

Members can call their provider law firm for assistance if they receive a traffic ticket such as a speeding ticket or moving violation. They can also receive legal advice if they’re charged with a covered motor vehicle-related crime with a fatality. The Basic plan has a 90-day waiting period before you can access these services. The Advanced and Premium plans both have 10-day waiting periods for traffic ticket representation and counsel.

If you have an Advanced or Premium membership, you can also get legal help reinstating your driver’s license, should you need it.

Residential Loan Services

Members can have a provider lawyer prepare their mortgage documents once per calendar year. The lawyer can also review residential home purchase documents prior to closing.

Additional Benefits

If members need legal services that aren’t included in their membership, they will receive a 15-25 percent discount off of the provider lawyer’s standard hourly rate.

Members can also receive discounts on products and services from brands like Verizon, Costco, and Amazon. These discounts are pretty unique, and they’re something many other estate planning services don’t offer.

LegalShield Pricing

LegalShield’s plans can be billed monthly or annually. If you opt into annual billing, you will save 50 percent over the monthly billing rate. No matter which billing cycle you choose, you’ll get the same services, like access to the 24/7 emergency hotline.

The Basic plan includes coverage for you and your spouse, at no additional cost. The Advanced and Premium plans also include coverage for your eligible child dependents. Everyone covered under your LegalShield plan is entitled to the same level of services, including traffic ticket representation. Plans also include use of the LegalShield scheduling app.

The attorney support available during the will preparation process alone justifies LegalShield’s cost. According to Forbes, the average cost of preparing a will with help from an estate planning attorney is $300, and that doesn’t include the additional documents, like power of attorney, that you’ll receive with a LegalShield subscription.3

LegalShield’s prices are reasonable and comparable to other online legal service providers. For example, Rocket Lawyer, which offers a will, living will, and medical power of attorney, has plans starting at $19.99 per month when billed annually.

If you’re looking strictly for will preparation and don’t need lawyer support, a service like Rocket Lawyer could save you money, compared to LegalShield. However, LegalShield’s value is in the attorney support, the diverse document preparation options, and the emergency lawyer access. If you need legal services on more than one occasion, such as for traffic tickets and will preparation, you could save money with a LegalShield membership. Keep in mind that membership also entitles you to the annual updating of your will, trust, and living will, so you’ll always have the opportunity to easily alter important documents, plus acquire input as to the changes you may wish to enact.

Customer Support

Customers can call 1-800-654-7757, email LegalShield, use the online chat function, or use the LegalShield app to get support. LegalShield customer support is available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST on Monday through Friday. Unlike companies like LegalZoom, which offers customer support on weekdays and weekends, LegalShield customer support is not available on weekends. LegalShield states that customer support emails will be answered within 24 hours.

Additionally, LegalShield customers receive access to a 24/7 emergency hotline, which is a feature that most other online will makers don’t offer. This emergency access to member law firms is a valuable feature. It gives members peace of mind knowing that they can get help if they’re ever arrested or encounter another type of legal emergency.

LegalShield Reviews

Customer reviews of LegalShield are overwhelmingly positive. At the time of this article’s writing, LegalShield has a 4.6-star rating on Trustpilot (out of 5 stars). LegalShield also has a 4- out of 5-star rating on Consumer Affairs.

Several reviewers state that the will preparation process is simple and highly automated, making it easy to prepare their wills. Many customers who requested to speak with a lawyer said they received a call back from a lawyer within eight hours, and that they received thorough answers to all of their questions.

Negative reviews often described issues with a specific lawyer, not with the LegalShield service. One reviewer was frustrated that she hadn’t received help in canceling her service. Another LegalShield member, who has subscribed to the service since 2010, stated that she’s noticed a decline in customer service, a lack of professionalism, and lawyers who appear to be rushed in their interactions with customers.

How to Create LegalShield Estate Planning Documents

If you’re ready to start your will, LegalShield’s Guided Will Questionnaire will help you through the process. Once your membership is active, you can sign into your account through the LegalShield app and access the questionnaire. Many users describe the will creation process as being simple, step-by-step, and user friendly. You can save your progress and finish at any time.

The LegalShield Guided Will Questionnaire asks you some basic questions to help you through the process of creating your will. Photo credit: LegalShield

You can also connect with a lawyer through your account on the LegalShield app. LegalShield will pair you with a law firm in your state, so the attorneys will know your state law. You can upload documents, describe your problem or question, and schedule a call with a lawyer. Lawyers can also make phone calls or write letters on your behalf.

Comparing LegalShield to the Competition

LegalShield’s estate planning documents, including a will, living will, and durable power of attorney, should be enough for many members with fairly basic estate planning needs. LegalShield is more expensive if you’re looking for more extensive estate planning, such as trusts and their related documents. If you want to prepare a trust economically, a one-time fee service like LegalZoom might be a better choice.

In terms of pricing, LegalShield is most comparable to LegalZoom, though LegalZoom lacks LegalShield’s 24-hour emergency legal hotline. While there are less expensive services out there, like Rocket Lawyer, they often lack the ongoing legal support that LegalShield offers.

Final Thoughts on LegalShield

Estate planning is a crucial part of financial planning and security for seniors. LegalShield offers a comprehensive, affordable service that includes will generation, power of attorney, and living wills, ensuring your medical and legal wishes are clearly outlined.

In addition to estate planning, their services cover a wide range of legal needs—from traffic tickets to IRS tax help—and extend to eligible family members. This makes LegalShield more versatile than many other online will services that we’ve reviewed.

We’ve found that customer support is responsive, efficient, and knowledgeable, and is available via phone, online chat, and email (within 24 hours on weekdays). A standout feature is LegalShield’s 24/7 emergency legal hotline, which provides real-time direction and support in urgent situations, like arrests.

While trust preparation costs more, LegalShield is a solid choice for seniors needing essential estate and medical documents, with added legal support, for everyday and emergency situations.