Legal assistance should be a part of your insurance plan.
Legal insurance in South Africa never enters our mind from one day to the next. Life goes on. We never in our wildest dreams imagine that we may end up in a court of law one day. But what if you do? Can you afford an expensive attorney?
Why you Need Legal Insurance in South Africa
- Crime is all around us and we need to be prepared
- Affordable legal insurance prevents you having to pay big legal expenses
- You’ll have a skilled lawyer working for your cause with any kind of legal dispute
- Even a modest business is involved in legal issues every day – employing or firing staff, contracts, leave, strikes, you name it
People require Ongoing legal Advice daily
One doesn’t realise how many people require legal services on a daily basis. Stanford University in the UK has developed a programme called DoNotPay. It’s a robot-lawyer created to provide refugees with free legal advice.
The computer talks to client vocally or with text. It makes use of Facebook Messenger to collect information on particular cases. It then gives advice as well as issuing legal documents if required. Thousands of people have already used the app. This is a testimony to the fact that people want legal advice and legal insurances desperately.
A small Monthly premium Eliminates expensive Legal Costs
Legal insurance in South Africa is in demand. By paying a small monthly premium you can avoid excessive legal bills when you hire a lawyer. If you find yourself on the wrong side of the law and need a good lawyer, don’t be surprised when you receive the bill.
Legal Insurance in South Africa can Save you Money on many Issues –
Buying a home involves legal documents and legal cover can help you without incurring extra expense because of ignorance. Or, at some time you’ll need a lawyer to help you draw up a will. Having kids is a good reason to have legal insurance. What if a car knocks your child off their bicycle and leaves them with injuries. It’s at times like this when you’ll be glad to have legal cover.
Legal fees can vary, depending on the firm you are dealing with and research shows that fees range from R600 to R3 000 an hour. Having an advocate for your day in court can set you back more than R50 000 a day!
An example Of how Legal costs Can skyrocket –
When you consider that Oscar Pistorius racked up lawyers’ bills amounting to more than R20 million, you get an idea of what legal services cost. Even a celebrity who earns a fortune as it is can barely manage the cost.
His financial situation became so strained, that his Advocate, Barry Roux, represented him free of charge for some time. If you need an advocate to go to court, have you got money like this to pay your legal fees? And remember, the more senior the attorney, the more you pay.
Legal Insurance in South Africa for the Man in the Street
Mercifully, there are other options, and legal insurance is available for us ordinary South Africans as well as free legal help for those who earn very little. Legal Aid is a free project funded by the state for those who can’t afford lawyers for civil matters, divorce or domestic violence among others.
Also, each province in South Africa has a Law Society and this keeps track of registered attorneys who need to do their share of free legal work each year. If you can’t afford legal insurance, you can approach the Society as they offer free assistance. However, you need to pass a Means Test.
If you earn a decent salary, you can afford legal insurance. All you pay is a small monthly premium. You need to be clear on what the terms and conditions are, and find out exactly what you get before you buy these insurance products.
Always do research and make sure you understand the limits of what legal insurance can do for you. One thing it can do is if you have a legal case brought against you, then without a legal expert on your side, you won’t stand a chance.
South African lawyers are expensive, and this is why so many South Africans end up frustrated. They can’t afford a lawyer and the very thought of legal costs- and battles simply causes them to give up on pursuing their rights.
Legal Insurance in South Africa and Protecting your Rights
Legal insurance in South Africa is all about protecting your rights. Do research and you will find that legal insurance isn’t expensive at all, even when it comes from the top leading insurers. Because of the low cost of the insurance, everyone is able to benefit from purchasing a plan.
The concept of a legal cover is much the same as other insurance plans – the idea is to buy your insurance in advance before an incident happens. You’ll know that there’ll be a skilled lawyer to fight for you because you’ve been paying monthly premiums. You won’t have to try and quickly find a lawyer, and then when you do, you discover you don’t come close to having the right amount of money to pay upfront.
Legal Insurance – Something we All can Afford
Whatever you like to call legal insurance – whether it’s a legal plan, legal protection, legal cover, legal assistance, legal advice, pre-paid legal plans or something else – the bottom line is that we all need legal insurance. Fortunately, legal insurance is protection that we can all have because it is genuinely affordable. Simply research the different plans and take the one that you believe will be useful to you.
All info was correct at time of publishing
