Prepaid Legal Services for Pet Owners

By Ciciwriter @suemagic

Legal Shield protects us and the furry 4 legged ones!

As advocates and activists who fight the good fight, we often find our dogs targeted and sometimes we get into trouble because they are pit bulls or mixes. In the U.S.A. and Canada, you can have legal representation that covers trial time with the best attorneys, and unlimited phone calls and consultations for less than 70 cents a day. They have helped me and have saved me many thousands of dollars. It’s called Legal Shield. It’s Legal insurance.  let me know if you want to sign up, I can help you today… it is very affordable and easy…

Prepaid Legal insurance is a special insurance policy that one purchases for possible future legal expertise and expenses. It is also called Legal Protection Insurance. Separate from automobile, health, and home owners insurance, these policies are designed for individuals who would like future legal protection.

You can purchase legal Protection insurance before or after you need assistance. These policies often cover standard legal fees such as those for a lawyer, trial expenses, court fees, and damages paid to the injured party if charged with a crime or sued civilly.

Having your own on call Attorneys/Top Law Firm / Legal Insurance Makes a Difference Yet Most People Cannot Afford to Hire an Attorney… Legal Shield is the Solution

When I first signed up for prepaid legal insurance, I was in the middle of a case and had fired my lawyer. I had been hit by a car and the guy drove away, he hit and ran. Now I needed another lawyer asap. I called prepaid legal, as it was called then, and immediately a new attorney was assigned to the case. She knew the opposing counsel and worked out a settlement for me.

Prepaid legal insurance policies are great for those who have legal questions or require legal documents to be prepared. You receive free legal advice and free document preparation and much more.

Know your rights in any situation

LegalShield gives you the ability to talk to an attorney on any matter without worrying about high hourly costs. For one flat monthly fee, you can access legal advice, no matter how traumatic or trivial the issue. Under the protection of LegalShield you and your family can live your life worry-free.

Legal Services from experienced lawyers

With the commitment of approximately 1.4 million LegalShield members, we are able to negotiate comprehensive legal services with dedicated law firms nationwide at a fraction of what they traditionally cost. Because our attorneys aren’t waiting to get paid, and instead are prepaid, they’re motivated to treat all of our members and their needs equally. Covering 49 states and 4 provinces in Canada, our law firms are experienced, responsive and reliable.

How it works

A small monthly fee gives you access to a quality law firm in your area. Just contact your provider firm directly to speak with a lawyer experienced in the appropriate field of law.

As a pet owner, below are some reasons you may need prepaid legal insurance (times when you may need an attorney):

Do you know your rights as a pet owner in your state?

Perhaps you are moving and need to know your rights in the new state.

What if your neighbor’s pet gets into your yard and causes havoc or hurts your pets?

You are involved in a car accident and It wasn’t your fault and your pet got hurt. You call the [provider] attorney who advises you to send a copy of the ticket, photos of the accident, and scan a diagram of what happened.Then your lawyer appears in court on your behalf, and at the hearing the magistrate dismisses the case and the other driver pays for the medical expenses for your pet.

Then you get a letter from your car insurance company who wants to double or triple your rates. You call the [provider] attorney. She sends a letter to the insurance company requesting removal of the surcharge. The insurance company drops the surcharges.

disputes with your landlord about your pets (is it legal for your landlord to evict you because of your dogs?) Your landlord refuses to return the cleaning deposit because of alleged damages done by your pet, that your pet did not do.

what happens if your dog bites the mail person, a neighbor, a child, someone at the dog park or UPS driver?

Maybe you’ve been arrested or detained at a protest or while rescuing an animal and need a lawyer asap

You have a car and get a ticket, a Legal Shield lawyer may go to the DMV for you and stand on line for you … Why would anyone go to Traffic Court without an Attorney? The number one reason, it costs too much but not with Legal Shield.

You want to get your will done and updated every year and want to name your pet as beneficiary or make sure your pet is taken care of after your demise

An illness or medical condition happens and someone is trying to take your pets away from you. Advanced arrangements can be made to ensure care of the pet while you are hospitalized or incapacitated. You can designate caretakers for your pet ahead of time.  Find a friend or relative willing to take your animal and give it a good home when you get ill or die. The matter should be discussed in advance with the potential caretaker to make sure the animal will be cared for appropriately. The person who will receive an animal as the result of a bequest in a Will should understand that he or she becomes the animal’s owner and, as such, has all the rights and responsibilities of ownership. It is best to name alternate caretakers in the Will in case the first-named person is unable or unwilling to take the animal when the time comes.

Providing Funds for Pet Care

Under the laws of all 50 states, a pet owner cannot leave any part of his or her estate outright to an animal. However, the owner may leave a sum of money to the person designated to care for the pet, along with a request (not a direction) that the money be used for the pet’s care. It is important for the pet owner to select a caretaker he/she trusts and who will be devoted to the pet, because the caretaker has no legal obligation under the above provision to use the money for the purpose specified.

You should leave only a reasonable amount of money for the care of any pet. A large sum of money may prompt relatives to challenge the Will and the court may invalidate the bequest for pet care. The attorney may want to include an “in terrorem” clause in the pet owner’s Will to reduce the chance of a challenge to the Will. This clause provides that if a person unsuccessfully challenges a provision in the Will, he or she cannot then receive property under any provision of the Will.

Designating a Shelter or Charitable Organization to Care for Pets

If no friend or relative can be found to take the pet, you should look for a charitable NO KILL shelter or organization whose function is to care for or place companion animals. A humane society or shelter might agree to accept the animal along with a cash bequest to cover expenses.

The charity should agree to take care of the animal for its life or find an adoptive home for the animal. Before selecting a shelter, find out what kind of care your pet will receive at the shelter (for example, an animal should not have to stay for more than a short period in a cage). If the organization is directed to find an adoptive home for the companion animal in its care, the pet owner should obtain detailed information about the adoption procedure.

Establishing a Pet Trust

Under the law of most states, an animal can be the beneficiary of a trust created to care for the animal.  The statute enables persons to create trusts for their animals, and such trusts can be enforced in the courts. The trust can be (i) a testamentary trust, created under a Will, to take effect upon the death of the pet owner.

Providing Funds for Pet Care During Transitional Period

A provision which should be included in all Wills where a pet is involved, is one allowing the Executor to use estate funds to care for the animal for the period before the animal goes to the new home designated by the pet owner. The Will should state that the costs of food, veterinary care, transportation and other expenses incurred by the Executor in caring for the decedent’s pet is to be paid from the estate as an estate administration expense, whether or not the expenses are deductible for estate tax purposes

Arranging For Friends/Relatives To Provide Short-Term Care

You should try to find a friend or relative who is willing to take care for his/her pet during these periods. You should leave word, preferably in writing, at home and with a neighbor, or with the building management and/or superintendent for the friend or relative to be notified. You should arrange for access to his/her home to permit the care and feeding of the pet during such short -term periods. If an apartment is involved, the owner should consider leaving a key with the superintendent or a neighbor. If there is a relative or friend in the area, the owner should consider providing that individual with a key and with written permission to the building management to enter the apartment in the event of the death or hospitalization of the pet owner.

Arranging for a Shelter or Charitable Organization to Provide Short-Term Care

There may be an animal shelter or charitable organization with which arrangements can be made to care for a pet in the event of the death or hospitalization of the pet owner. Should the owner make such arrangements, shelter personnel would need written instructions addressed to the superintendent or building management and the key to permit them access. Similarly, the pet owner should leave written instructions in his/her home and with a relative or friend to notify the shelter (if a shelter is chosen) or the individual who has agreed to take care of the pet during this period.

Emergency Instructions

Once the pet owner has decided upon such arrangements for the short-term care and feeding of the pet in the event of the pet owner’s hospitalization or death, the owner should carry a copy of the instructions as part of his/her identification papers in the event of sudden hospitalization or death due to an accident or illness.

You have a small business. You have legal documents such as a contract for your pet business that you want to have written by or looked at by a lawyer to make sure it covers your liability and anything else you might need

Perhaps you need a lawyer to write a halt, cease and desist or other letter for you

You are sued for slander?

What happens if you are traveling in another state/country and something happens with your pet?

What if your dog walker/pet sitter hurts, neglects or abandons your pet?

You are wrongly accused of a crime

You are buying or selling a car or real estate

You are going through a divorce and want sole custody of your pet

Your pet gets ill from pet treats or pet food

Your neighbor’s dog barks for hours every night. what are your rights?

Another dog bites you, a family member. or your dog, what are your rights? Can you get the dog owner to pay for medical and vet expenses?  Negotiations Between You and the Dog Owner are Required. You need an attorney.

A dog owner’s liability for injuries from a dog bite is spelled out in a Florida law, which states: “The owner of any dog that causes a dog bite to any person … in a public place, or lawfully on or in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, is liable for damages suffered by persons bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owners’ knowledge of such viciousness.” However, if the person who was bitten did something that caused the dog bite, the liability of the owner may be reduced.

What would happen if your Pit Bull (or other breed dog deemed dangerous) was taken into custody and quarantined until the authorities decided the fate of the dog?  If you are dealing with BSL, YOU NEED A LAWYER…

Your Legal Shield Membership covers:

  • You
  • Your Spouse
  • Never-Married Dependent Children under 21 living at home
  • Dependent Children under age 18 for whom the Member is legal guardian
  • Full-Time College Students up to age 23; never married, dependent children
  • Physically or mentally challenged children living at home

Call me at 702-225-8206 or email me if you have any questions or want to sign up.

If you know you want to sign up, go here AND YOU MUST let Chris know you are signing up because of ME, CeliaSue Hecht.  thanks

https://www.prepaidlegal.com/MS/Multisite?site=hub&assoc=cmward