Chapter 2

Increased Stress as Employees Attempt to Go it Alone

Considering that the average cost to see an attorney is $290 per hour1, paying for an attorney to get help with an unexpected legal issue is out of reach for many Americans. Because of this, many Americans attempt to handle legal issues on their own.

Without an attorney to handle the complicated paperwork and legalese, many people end up spending much more time dealing with the issue than if they had competent legal representation from the start.

And this stress can carry over from their personal life into the workplace affecting their ability to concentrate at work and adversely impacting their productivity. According to the MetLife EBTS, 46% of employees who are financially stressed agree that they are less productive at work because of financial worries.2

31%

of respondents ages 21-34 years old had taken unexpected time off work during the past 12 months to deal with a legal issue.

14%

of adults ages 35-49 had taken time off of work for legal issues.

I had to do a lot of legwork that I don’t feel I should have been responsible for because someone decided to break into my car. No one really did anything. I was trying to do things. I was the only one. Why does the victim have to suffer because this is so, ‘common?’

—Donna3, 37, Identity Theft victim

I spent way too much time. I could easily tell you, probably at least 160 - 200 hours I spent myself through that period, on the phone.

—Rebecca, 52, Identity Theft victim

Of those respondents who handled a legal issue on their own, a large percentage, 46% thought that the issue would be easy to handle on their own and 29% said it was because they couldn’t afford an attorney.

As the study found, it’s not uncommon for people to think they can handle an issue without an attorney only to find out later that it wasn’t as easy as they thought.

According to the survey, 31% of respondents who handled a legal issue on their own said that they wished they had hired an attorney. Here are some of the reasons they gave:

  • I think the outcome would’ve been more successful - 51%
  • It took too much time for me to handle – 35%
  • I didn’t have the level of expertise needed to handle on my own – 34%
  • I think I ended up spending more money by handling it on my own – 28%

QUIZ

Do you have a legal professional to turn to for reviewing contracts or answering questions about legal issues?

Yes

No

No?

Legal issues can arise unexpectedly and if you don’t have someone to turn to, can be very expensive and stressful. Legal plan members can contact attorneys for legal assistance with any issue that arises in their life.

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Great!

Legal plan members can use any attorney they like, so if you prefer an attorney that’s not in our network, you can still use him or her and be reimbursed for the cost.

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[1] Average hourly rate of $290.00/hour based on years of legal experience, National Law Journal and ALM Legal Intelligence, Survey of Law Firm Economics (2013).
[2] MetLife’s 13th Annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study, 2015
[3] Several participants in the qualitative research interviews conducted in conjunction with the Harris Poll research shared stories about their experience handling legal issues on their own, or about using an employer-provided legal plan. For purposes of this report, pseudonyms are used.

White Paper

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Improving Employee Wellness through Legal Benefits

In this white paper we will look at a significant cause of stress and financial hardship for your employees – legal issues. Research conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Hyatt Legal Plans, found that many Americans are not prepared to handle legal issues and would be interested in legal plans as a way to help them save money and reduce their stress about financial issues.