The BUZZ

"Almost half the employees who take time off from work do so to deal with problems that are either legal or legal related." - LSK Associates

"The average person is more likely to find him or herself in court than in the hospital. Yet most people have health insurance, but no plan for legal problems." - Hospital Statistics: Emerging Trends & Examining the Work of State Courts

"One out of every two Americans will need the advice of an attorney during the next twelve months. Of these, nearly half will attempt to deal with the matter on their own." - Legal Needs and Civil Justice: A Survey of Americans

“For many Americans, their financial problems are becoming legal problems,” noted ABA President H. Thomas Wells, Jr. “In many circumstances, legal assistance can prevent families and individuals from going into a financial free-fall that could lead to homelessness, bankruptcy or dropping out of school.”

U.S. adults overwhelmingly back provision of legal services for those facing serious legal and financial problems who could not hire a lawyer: Over two-thirds (68 percent) say it's extremely or very important that Americans have access to legal resources and advice when they are in crisis.

“Good advice leads to the best, fastest resolution for all parties before things reach a crisis point,” said Wells. “The laws involved are complicated for anyone to navigate." - Harris Interactive Survey provided for the American Bar Association (April 2009)

"Of the more than 1,000 full-time employees polled ... 70% faced one or more legal issues within the past year, and the same percentage considered a legal plan a useful resource in preventing or resolving such disputes. Among the most commonly reported events requiring legal assistance: home purchase or repair, credit problems, caring for an aging family member and vehicle purchase or repair. The impact of legal life events on absenteeism and productivity was significant, with 40% of the survey respondents reporting a negative effect on their work lives and roughly 30% needing to skip work. The average time devoted to addressing legal woes was 57 work hours and 13 days of missed work." - Benefit News Oct. 2008

Offering legal services benefits employers: Pre-paid basic legal advice boosts productivity, keeps costs down. - Sacramento Business Journal Nov. 2009

Employers offering ID Theft protection as voluntary benefit -

Business Insurance Magazine Feb. 2009