COMMON
OCCURRENCES AND RESOLUTIONS This
section is provided in order to introduce our members to some of the commonalties
that exist with the legal system. Many of our members have never used the legal
system and as such occurrences that are common to some are foreign to most. Below
is a list of common occurrences and resolutions.
Remember that many problems
experienced by our members are simply miscommunications between them and the attorney's
office. If you are unable to work a problem out on your own, we invite you to
contact Affordable Legal Eagle for an immediate solution. Why
has my attorney not called me back? This
is a very common occurrence. Attorneys are often in deposition or court and as
such they may not call back for two or three days. In order to remedy this, the
HR Director should ask the employee when they called the attorney and whether
or not they have a court date in the next 2-3 days. If so, the employee should
call ALE for immediate intervention and/or reassignment. Why
does the attorney or individual answering the phone say they have never heard
of Affordable Legal Eagle or that they do not know if they are a part of the program?
This problem is generally a misunderstanding
as a result of a new secretary answering the phone. In addition, many attorneys,
like doctors, are part of several plans and as such they sometimes forget the
names of all of them, or the fee structure involved. Simply call Affordable Legal
Eagle for immediate intervention and/or reassignment. I
believe the attorney assigned to me is too far away. This
is generally not a problem at all. Members need to understand that most legal
care can be handled over the phone, by fax or email. If you need to visit the
attorney, a one-hour drive to save thousands of dollars, once or twice a year
is well worth it. This is truly a case of not being familiar with the legal system.
Unlike doctors, who must look at you for treatment, the same is not the case with
attorneys. If a local attorney is not available and is needed for a court matter,
the Affordable Legal Eagle legal staff will scout the area to recruit one. In
the mean time, the member can call the attorney assigned for counseling and services.
The attorney is not following the
fee schedule. Attorneys are often
part of several plans and as such they confuse fee schedules. First, make sure
that you identify yourself as a Legal Eagle member. If the fee schedule is still
not followed, call us immediately so that we can intervene, reeducate the attorney
and get things moving in the right direction. If the attorney is not cooperative
we will immediately reassign you to another attorney. Our Legal Department professionally
manages our nationwide network of attorneys and every quarter "Professionalism
Checks" are performed on all of our attorneys. This communication helps to
maintain the attorney's awareness of your exclusive fee schedule as a Legal Eagle
member. The attorney was not nice.
Unfortunately, attorneys can be
abrasive. This is not always true but it does happen. Realize that this aggressive
and perhaps intimidating attitude may also play to your advantage if it comes
time for that attorney to represent you in whatever capacity you require. My
Plan attorney won't take my case. Accepting
a case is left to the personal judgement of the attorney. The attorney may determine
that the case lacks merit in which case, they are truly trying to save the member
the time and money of pursuing a potential losing case. In addition, the attorney
may be too busy to give the member the time and care they require. In either situation,
members should call Affordable Legal Eagle and request another attorney. They
may use as many plan member attorneys as they like. Results with the next attorney
could differ. Communications Remember
that the majority of perceived problems are usually miscommunications between
the member and the attorney's office. An email to Affordable Legal Eagle can always
solve this. Follow the guidelines above and first try to solve any problems on
your own. | 
