Town of Madison

Welcome

Benefits Proudly Offered to Town of Madison Employees

Be fully prepared and confident

with LegalGUARD

Learn about legal insurance, a smart option for your protection.

Product Presented By: Nationwide^® Product Administered By: LegalEASE

LegalGUARD can help ease the two biggest stresses -finding and paying for an attorney.

Nobody likes to be caught off guard, especially when it comes to legal matters. Life can be complicated. Finding a good attorney doesn’t have to be. With LegalGUARD, it’s easy to choose the best attorney, because you get assistance from highly trained and qualified personal specialists who review the details of local attorneys and help you find your best source for legal advice. Being a LegalGUARD member saves you time and costly legal fees. But most importantly, it gives you confidence and provides coverage for common legal matters.

With a LegalGUARD plan, you get:

An attorney with expertise specific to your legal matter
Access to a national network of attorneys with exceptional experience that are matched to meet your needs
Coverage for in and out-of-network
Concierge help finding a better attorney and navigating common individual or family legal issues
Hours of financial counseling and coaching

We all make some sort of plan in life. But have you ever considered the possibility of a legal problem?

You've graduated from college and are planning for your future - where to get hired, which company will put you on the path to success. Whether to be single or date or settle down, and with the right person. Legal problems can be unexpected and interrupt your plans. LegalGUARD provides coverage for your specific legal matter so you won't be caught off guard.

Protect your family’s future, with LegalGUARD.

You work hard to make the right choices for your loved ones, especially when it comes to legal and financial matters. Get the peace of mind you want and the protection you need with a LegalGUARD Plan. LegalGUARD offers valuable benefits to shield your family and savings from unexpected legal issues.

According to the American Bar Association, more than 70 percent of U.S. households will have the need for a lawyer in the next 12 months. And the same study found most consumers feel uncertain about how to tell a good lawyer from a bad one. With LegalGUARD you have access to a national network of credentialed attorneys and the help you need to find the best attorney for your legal matter with its concierge service.

Coverage

The value of a LegalGUARD Plan.

Being a LegalGUARD member saves you time and costly legal fees. But most importantly, it gives you confidence and provides coverage for:

Elder Law
Home and Residential
Financial and Money Matters
Consumer
Auto and Driving
Family and Personal
Civil Lawsuits
Estate planning and wills

LegalGUARD Plan Coverage

Benefits are designed to meet the typical needs of an employee and their family. There are no deductibles to worry about for covered services. Benefits cover the attorney’s time. Other costs such as filing fees or court costs are not covered. Listed below are the types of matters that are covered by the LegalGUARD Plan. This plan offers the convenience of in-network and out-of-network benefits. Many of the below areas are fully covered in-network.

Plan Cost

The LegalGUARD Plan is only $17.95 monthly, via payroll deduction.

Who's Covered?

The Member’s spouse and Member’s unmarried dependent children, including stepchildren, legally adopted children, children placed in the home for adoption and foster children, up to age 19, and from age 19 up to 26 years if they are enrolled in an accredited school or college as full-time student(s) and are primarily dependent upon the Member for support.

Schedule of Benefits
Advice and Consultation	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Participating Attorney	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Non-Participating Attorney
LegalEASE Helpline	Covered	N/A
Initial Law Office Consultation (One hour per calendar quarter)	Covered	N/A
Review of Simple Documents - up to 6 Pages	Covered	N/A
Miscellaneous Law Office Services	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Participating Attorney	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Non-Participating Attorney
Legal Services for any Non-Excluded Legal Matter¹	25% discount on Plan Attorney's Hourly Rates	N/A
Consumer Matters	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Participating Attorney	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Non-Participating Attorney
Document Preparation: Simple Deed Promissory Note Consumer Dispute Correspondence Installment Sales Agreement Simple Affidavit General Power of Attorney: Member & Covered Family Member Lease Agreement - Tenant only Time Share Agreement	Covered	$65 $55 $55 $55 $55 $55 $65 $55
Consumer Dispute	Covered	$595
Small Claims Court Representation	Covered up to 2 Hours with a remainder at 25% discount	$105
Estate Planning	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Participating Attorney	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Non-Participating Attorney
Simple Will or Codicil for: Member Spouse Covered Family Member	Covered	$80
Living Will or Health Care Power of Attorney	Covered	$55
Probate of Small Estate	Covered up to 2 Hours with a remainder at 25% discount	$105
Home and Residential Matters	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Participating Attorney	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Non-Participating Attorney
Refinancing of Primary Residence	Covered	$385
Tenant Dispute	Covered up to $1,000 with remainder at 25% discount	$850
Real Estate Closing¹	Flat Rate Fee of $175	N/A
Financial Matters	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Participating Attorney	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Non-Participating Attorney
Debt Collection Defense: Pre-Litigation Defense	Covered	$425
Debt Collection Defense: Trial Defense	Covered up to $700 with remainder at 25% discount	$595
Bankruptcy (Chapter 7 or 13)¹	Flat Rate of $750	N/A
Foreclosure	Covered up to $480 with remainder at 25% discount	$410
Tax Audit	Covered up to $1,500 with remainer at 25% discount	$1,275
Family	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Participating Attorney	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Non-Participating Attorney
Prenuptial Agreement¹	Flat Rate of $239	N/A
Name Change	Covered	$255
Uncontested Guardianship/Conservatorship	Covered	$425
Contested Guardianship/Conservatorship¹	25% discount	N/A
Uncontested Governmental Agency Adoptions	Covered	$405
Contested Governmental Agency Adoptions¹	25% discount	N/A
Uncontested Stepparent Adoptions	Covered	$340
Contested Stepparent Adoptions¹	25% discount	N/A
Juvenile Court Proceedings	Covered	$470
Civil	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Participating Attorney	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Non-Participating Attorney
Civil Litigation Defense	Covered up to $1,500 with remainder at 25% discount	$1,275
Criminal Defense	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Participating Attorney	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Non-Participating Attorney
Traffic Ticket¹	Flat Rate of $89	N/A
Serious Traffic Matters (Resulting in Suspension or Revocation of License)	Covered	$425
Administrative Proceeding (Resulting in Suspension or Revocation of License)	Covered	$255
Misdemeanor Defense	Covered up to $1,500 with remainder at 25% discount	$1,275
Additional Benefits	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Participating Attorney	LegalGUARD Plan Coverage Non-Participating Attorney
Elder Law	Included	N/A
Discounted Contingency Fees	Included	N/A
Simple Incorporation¹	Flat Rate of $239	N/A
Financial Advisor	Included	N/A
Mediation	Included	N/A
Identity Theft Assistance	Included	N/A

Limitations apply.

¹ Flat Rate Fees or Discounted Rates

Network

About the Network of Attorneys

When going in for surgery, you don’t want a surgeon that has a poor track record or only a couple years experience. We feel that a legal need is just as important.

Help Focus Infrastructure

When it comes to finding an attorney, an employee can waste days looking for the right one, even with a legal plan. Our process has a Help Focus Infrastructure. We focus on our relationships with our Providers to help us help your employees, faster. Our Attorney Match Technology and dialogue with attorneys and members ensures the right help the first time. Matching an employee to the right help expedites solutions while saving time and stress.

Standards and Qualifications

The credentialing standards that we utilize to vet our providers is the most stringent in the country. We focus on years of experience, as well as insurance and discipline, as well as penalty of perjury submissions with extensive back ground checks.

Under the Provider Network, your employees will receive legal help from professionals with many of these service characteristics:

Experience in the Legal Matter Needed
Quality Time Spent in Consultations
Years of Legal Training and Experience
Up-to-date Legal Training Each Year
Lawyers Who are Service-Oriented
Lawyers Who Have a Solid Local Reputation in their Communities
Exceptional Backgrounds
Years of Courtroom and Trial Experience

Provider Standards of Care

The Network Provider shall strive to provide the highest quality of legal representation and service to Plan Members.

Plan Providers agree to the following:

To comply at all times with the Rules of Civil Procedure and Criminal Procedure and the Rules of Professional Conduct applicable to the jurisdiction.
To return member's calls promptly, within one business day, and communicate with members such that a member and the member's family do not voice substantiated concerns over promptness or frequency of your or your firm's communication.
To not enter continuances, adjournments, or the like without the member's comfort and consent.
To not arrange for substitutions or stand-ins unless the member has been previously advised and that the member understands that you remain responsible for the case and to contact you if there is any concern or if proceedings do not go as planned.
To always respect a member, their needs and family.
To maintain a professional office, in staffing and appearance.
To fully explain yourself such that a member has an understanding for the reasons behind your recommendations and suggestions, even if a member may not hire your firm.
To not complete any additional work that will result in a fee to the member, where not covered by the member's plan, until a fee arrangement is fully understood by the member and there is a written agreement.
To help each member individually and ensure that everything you do is in the interest of the member.
To notify LegalEASE if there is or may be the possibility of a conflict of interest or violation of ethical codes.
To notify LegalEASE if there may be a misunderstanding or potential service issue where there may be a complaint without breaking any client confidences.
To direct any grievances or concerns, such as process procedure or billing, to Legal Access and not a member.
To not refer any member to another attorney without the knowledge and consent of Legal Access if you cannot assist.
To take responsibility and uphold the highest standards of customer service delivered by any and all firm staff or employees that have interaction with members.
To communicate and cooperate with LegalEASE on any concern, inquiry or issue and return any communication from Legal Access within one business day.

About

A legal plan backed by a strong partnership.

We believe you deserve to feel prepared and confident when facing a legal matter. Through a strong partnership, Nationwide and LegalEASE offer LegalGUARD, a robust product offering that protects members when it matters most. How we do it is by providing an in-depth pool of resources to accommodate your legal needs. What we do is provide value by creating unparalleled access to a network of skilled attorneys to cover your legal needs with options in convenient plans.

For more than 40 years, LegalEASE has established one of the oldest and most comprehensive networks of attorneys in the legal industry. With more than 17,000 participating plan attorneys, LegalEASE specializes in matching attorneys specific to client needs, when it matters most. For more information, visit LegalEASE.

Nationwide partnered with LegalEASE to provide members with solutions that offer support and protection from unexpected legal issues. At Nationwide, we put our members first, because we don't have shareholders.

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, commercial, homeowners and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; banking and mortgages; specialty health; pet, motorcycle, boat and farm insurance. For more information, visit Nationwide.com.