What Is the MetLife Legal Plan?
Overview of the MetLife Legal Plan
If you are employed by Boeing, you are offered in your benefits package the option to increase your benefits through a MetLife Legal Plan. While such plans cost additional out-of-pocket expenses, some employees find them worthwhile because they provide access to lawyers for problems other than on the job. MetLife Legal Plan members can contact a MetLife plan attorney to get advice about any legal situation. MetLife attorneys help employees with many situations including estate planning and probate issues , real estate matters and family law issues.
Employees who are covered by a MetLife legal plan can simply contact MetLife for a referral to an attorney. MetLife reviews the legal situation and then connects the employee to a network MetLife attorney who is local to the employee’s geographic location. MetLife attorneys can give employees advice, write letters, review letters received from the other side or negotiate on behalf of the employee if such actions are appropriate for the situation at hand. Employees are also entitled to have the MetLife plan attorney prepare a simple will.
MetLife legal plans vary depending on which employer contracts with MetLife. Some plans limit certain issues, so it is always a good idea to look closely at your specific plan terms to see if a particular issue or service is even covered.
MetLife Legal Plan Benefits
The initial benefit of signing up for the MetLife legal plan is the incredible cost savings from getting legal advice or representation for a flat cost. For example, average fees for attorneys around the United States and in Connecticut tend to run anywhere from $200 to $600 per hour. You can pay a flat fee of around $300 a year for unlimited consultations with a participating attorney (actual amount depends on your employer but is generally in that range). The low cost of retaining an attorney with the MetLife plan is especially useful for anyone with estate planning needs like drafting a will or trust.
Another advantage of the MetLife plan is the eligibility of attorneys and law firms. Only participating attorneys who have been vetted by MetLife are eligible to participate in the panel. MetLife states that they have one of the largest networks of attorneys in the country, with over 5,000 attorneys who have met their qualification standards. Only a particular group of attorneys can participate so you can be assured that anyone you ultimately select has met their high standards. The original owner of "MetLife" was MetLife, Inc. which has been in business for 145 years as a property and casualty insurance company. Starting an employee legal benefits plan was a natural company extension for MetLife.
The MetLife employee legal plan covers a wide variety of legal issues, including: Family Law: The program doesn’t cover divorce and related support matters for those with a high income, but it does cover uncontested divorce, single-parent issues, adoption, divorce negotiation and mediation for low-income families, and drafting a will. Employment Issues: The Met Life legal plan covers employment-related matters, including advice on general job issues like corporate reorganization, compliance with employment laws, and estate planning. Identity Theft: The Met Life legal plan will cover dispute resolution and bankruptcy, if needed. For anyone looking for legal advice at a reduced rate, the MetLife legal plan is an option worth exploring.
Types of Legal Matters Covered
One of the most important questions to answer when evaluating the MetLife Group legal plan is whether it covers the types of legal issues most likely to confront you. This first meta-analysis of 4,000 legal plan users and claims by the legal plan industry found 15 areas of coverage. The most common needs that needed coverage are covered by the MetLife plan, according to the study. Examples of the type of coverage offered by the MetLife plan are as follows: Will Preparation: A 45 year old father has three minor children. He is making good money but, in this economy, he wants to make certain that his family is secure in the event of his untimely death. Through his MetLife plan, he can have his will prepared without having to write a check for $250-$500 out of his home budget. Home Purchase or Sale: A young couple with one child, but with plans for more, are training their kids to play the new sport of "house shopping." They find a great choice in Michigan County but are nervous about the price tag. Their MetLife plan gives them access to an attorney at a fixed price, allowing them to save on attorney’s fees and counsel their kids on price negotiations. Lease Review: A divorced mom of two is contemplating a move into a bigger, better apartment. She wants a second bedroom for the kids and a garage space for her second car. She likes a complex in a neighboring town and signs a lease for six months. The landlord balks at changing an unusually severe pet clause. She has an attorney she met through her MetLife plan help her negotiate the clause. Uncontested Divorce: A typical high school sweetheart couple has married for five years and has one child. Three years into the marriage, he is called up for deployment. She calls her MetLife attorney to finalize her uncontested divorce during his absence so they can remain on good terms.
The Cost of the Legal Plan: Is It Cost-Effective?
MetLife employs two different pricing schemes for its MetLaw Legal Plan-corporate sponsored and individual. With employer sponsorship, the plan is priced at $20 per employee, per year, with enrollment being an all-or-nothing proposition: either the company’s employees can have the plan or they can’t. For individual consumers, the cost is $14 monthly, or $168 annually, for a total annual cost to MetLife of as much as $960 million.
It is important to estimate how much legal services an employee would use on average if he/she paid a lawyer out of pocket and how MetLaw expense would affect that cost (given its limitations) to determine if the plans are truly worth it. With the help of the State Bar of California, we created two hypothetical cases to show how MetLaw can save employees anywhere from approximately $1,158-$2,592 per year for the corporate-sponsored plan and approximately $1,416-$2,592 per year for the individual plan.
LittleLeap, the hypothetical case representing a family with a recent college graduate with a TransWorld 21 Plan (which includes MetLaw), represents usage for a person in great need of legal services. BigLeap, the hypothetical representative of the average family utilizing its benefits, assumes the family would never need to go to court. In the case of LittleLeap, without the benefit of legal services through TransWorld 21, the member would have to pay between $1,158 and $2,592 annually on legal services. With TransWorld21’s sponsored plan at $120 per month or $1,440 annually, the cost for this family would be reduced by up to $1,152 annually. In the case of BigLeap, without the benefit of legal services through TransWorld 21, the member would have to pay between $372 – $792 for legal services. With the sponsorship it receives in California as part of the TransWorld 21 Plan, the cost is $20 annually per member for MetLaw legal services – therefore, the cost for the average family using its benefit through the TransWorld 21 Plan would be reduced by up to $772 per year.
MetLife Customer Reviews and Complaints
The feedback from MetLife Legal Plan customers is a mix of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Positive reviews commend the service for its affordability, convenience, and quality. Not only do customers report that it is a good value against purchasing a service from an attorney at an hourly rate, some also find it convenient because MetLife has a network of attorneys that can be accessed locally. MetLife does not guarantee experience with a particular attorney but offers a lawyer-matching service. Nevertheless, many customers have been satisfied with the program. Customers across the country have reported satisfaction with the ease of network access and the quality of legal assistance provided. Some customers like the ability to obtain a second opinion or consult an experienced local provider in a different location. And some customers who have moved over the years have found it easy to transfer the coverage to their new location. "The plan is just wonderful!" says one customer. "I called looking to get a trust and will done. When I called, the agent signed me up right away, and he was very nice and professional. I received my welcome packet within a couple of days. Then I called the lawyer and made an appointment for the following week. The office was in a great location, and the lawyers in the office were very helpful . Although MetLife has raised the monthly premium, the service was so easy and no hidden fees. I highly recommend this plan to anyone needing a will or living trust. You can’t get anything this cheap and easy elsewhere." Another customer shared that they "joined [the] company plan last November, used this plan for attorney services, [and] was very satisfied." Of course, not all customer’s experiences are positive. A few customers noted that their used MetLife’s network to find an attorney but the attorneys were not responsive. One customer shared that "my attorney is a jerk." Another customer said, "I was assigned to an attorney who didn’t even respond to my initial request for a consultation. I contacted my employer’s HR office to find out what position to take. They didn’t help at all." Some clearly were disappointed in the various MetLife network attorneys. One customer said that "there was limited response from the referral lawyers, and then they did not follow through." Still other common complaints included confusion relating to the plan or its terms. For example, one customer stated that "I had no idea I needed a ‘legal problem’ to even call." Another customer said "I wish there was more clarity on which services are covered. I have a feeling many people think certain services are covered but they aren’t."
MetLife Legal Plan Comparison to Other Legal Plans
In comparing the MetLife legal plan to other covered plans, there are companies that offer somewhat comparable coverage. LegalShield is one competitor that offers some of the same services that MetLife Legal and MetLaw offer. Assuming that pricing is similar, the two companies each offer a different balance of pros and cons.
Legal Shield offers all of its services through a network of legal professionals. However, these professionals do not have a doctor-patient privilege as is in some cases with other plans. Therefore, users of the plan might have little to no privacy in discussing their legal needs with the associated lawyers.
LegalShield has been around since 1972 and some of its lawyers have been with the company for over ten years. MetLife legal plans employ full-time staff attorneys, which some people prefer. Therefore, customers might find that there are some qualitative differences between the legal representation offered through the two plans.
And like most plan comparisons, the final results are very subjective. One of the biggest pros to the MetLife plan is that there will be a three-way relationship with the law firm and the insurance company. At any time, the attorneys or insurance company can provide the customer with necessary education to avoid future liability.
Prospective customers would do well to compare the services offered by both plans to determine their personal needs.
Is the MetLife Plan Worth the Money?
In considering whether the MetLife legal plan is worth the investment, it is important to evaluate how often you would likely need those services. If you feel that you will utilize the services for standard contracts and legal questions at least once a year, then it may be worthwhile. However, if you have little to no legal questions throughout the year, then the plan is not very useful.
The online document preparation service is basically the same as all the other forms i.e. Legal Zoom, Quicken online, etc. However, with this Plan, you can actually have an attorney review your forms before you submit them. While there are many other online options , most people don’t feel comfortable completing these forms without the advice of an attorney. This plan allows you to have the best of both worlds, internet access to forms and a real live attorney to review them before filing.
As discussed, the real value in this plan is having an actual attorney to speak with regarding general legal questions. This can be done over the phone, at an office or via the e-law chat. Unless you are comfortable using the online forms and websites, I do not recommend MetLife legal plan. Overall, this is a decent program with a low monthly fee that allows an employee to access some basic legal advice.