At one time or another you may face a situation in life that can lead to legal headaches. It could be a dispute with a home contractor over subpar remodeling work or fighting a traffic violation you felt was unfair. Legal issues like these add a lot of stress to already busy lives, not to mention the financial burden of paying the costly attorney fees it often takes to resolve them.
Did you know that 85% of US consumers have experienced a legal event in the past three years?1 And 89% of consumers using an attorney without a legal plan report being stressed when it comes to knowing where to turn to get started in addressing their situation.1 That can lead to a lot of financial and emotional stress.
How much does a lawyer cost?
One of the first worries many people have when they encounter a legal situation is the cost of an attorney. Not surprisingly, the rates can vary a lot depending on where you live, what kind of legal expertise you need and the complexity of the issue.
Overall, resolving a legal issue can make costs add up, especially when you consider things like taking time off work to attend legal proceedings, not to mention the obvious expense of paying attorney fees, which currently average $368 an hour.2 And when the average number of attorney hours for a matter like buying or selling a house is 6.3 hours,3 those fees add up fast.
Because the cost can vary, it’s important to ask any attorneys you’re considering specific questions about their fees. Find out what they charge per hour, as well as what kinds of things they charge for — such as phone calls, emails, etc.
What are the common legal issues people deal with?
Wherever you are in life, whether it’s landing that first new job, starting a family, moving into a new home, or nearing retirement, there could be legal fees you run into – and matters coming up you didn’t plan for, including:
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Creating a will
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Divorce
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Dealing with debt collectors
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Property line and other neighbor disputes
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Bankruptcy
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Buying or selling a home
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Issues with bad contractor work or incomplete auto repairs
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Traffic tickets or moving violations that could lead to license suspension
A legal plan can offer an affordable option.
A legal insurance plan from ARAG offers an affordable, trusted way to address legal problems and issues. First, we contract with more than 15,000 attorneys, so you won’t waste time trying to find a local attorney on your own. You can go online, use the ARAG Legal app or call ARAG Customer Care to get started on your legal matter.
Second, the plan can help you avoid the financial strain of paying costly attorney fees, as network attorney fees are 100% paid in full for most covered legal matters. And for non-covered and non-excluded matters, you can still receive at least 25% off the network attorney’s normal hourly rate. The plan provides you with a place to turn and an attorney to talk to when you want to address a legal issue, need legal representation or just have a question about the legal implications of an issue.
When you need to act on legal matters in life, start by calling one of our ARAG Customer Care specialists at 800-247-4184, Monday through Friday, 7 am – 7 pm Central time. They’re here to help you identify your needs, figure out the next steps and help you connect with local network attorneys.
1 ARAG Stress Research Study, October 2022.
2 Average hourly attorney rates for attorneys with 11 to 15 years’ experience according to The Survey of Law Firm Economics: 2018 Edition, The National Law Journal and ALM Legal Intelligence, October 2018.
3 Based upon ARAG claims incurred in 2021 and 2022 and paid by December 31, 2023, taking the average number of attorney hours billed.
