Online Legal Guidance for Civil Litigation

Settling disputes before going to trial is typically far less expensive and always less stressful. Here are the main benefits of settling before trial.

• You’ll have certainty about the financial outcome as the parties, rather than a jury, are in control.
• Your dispute will be over much sooner than if you go through an entire trial.
• If you’re owed money, you’ll get it much faster.
• Your lawyer fees will be significantly lower.
• Settlements can be kept private while details about trials are made part of the public record.

Determining whether to settle or go to trial is not a decision that should not be taken lightly and not without the advice of competent legal counsel. If you join LegalShield today, you can be on the phone with a small business litigator and start to develop the right strategy for your specific situation.

While settling is often preferable, sometimes suing the other party is the only way to get what you deserve. If you’re considering filing a lawsuit, ponder these points.

• Jury’s tend to award larger damages than you might get in a settlement negotiation.
• You’ll have your day in court and, if you win, trials are public record and the defendant will be held accountable.
• Winning a trial may provide more meaningful closure for you.
• Despite the potential benefits, you risk losing your case and getting nothing.
• Also, trials are stressful, can take a long time and cost a pretty penny that may outweigh the potential benefits.

Let’s face it, filing a lawsuit is not fun. Before you make a decision one way or the other, you owe it to yourself and your business to at least speak with an experienced lawyer.

Join LegalShield today and you can get legal advice about your case and the pros and cons of taking it to trial.

If your business is sued by an employee, customer or any other party, you need to defend yourself. When deciding on a defense strategy, you’ll want to discuss the following items with a lawyer familiar with the area of law your case deals with.

• What are the facts?
• Should we try to settle or is defending our business at trial the best way to go?
• Besides, the odds of winning or losing at trial, what other factors should we use to make strategic decisions?
• Even if I have a good chance of winning, would it be better for my business and my stress to settle and move on?
• What documents or other evidence do I need to gather for a successful defense?
• How much will defending my business at trial cost and how long would the trial take to come to a final resolution?
• What are the worst-case scenarios if I lose?

Don’t stress and guess. Contact a lawyer as soon as possible and, at the very least, they can help you understand your options and start taking action to put this problem in your past as soon as possible.

Several of our Small Business Legal Plans include an optional Trial Defense time supplement for only $14.95/month.

View all plan options and pricing here

Instead of paying a lawyer by the hour, you pay a small fee (starting at $24.95/month for personal and $49/month for small business) and have access to an independent lawyer that will provide a huge variety of legal services without a huge legal bill. Services like consultation with a lawyer, document review, drafting of debt collection letters and defense at civil trials are included as standard benefits. Using the plan just once can save you literally thousands of dollars.

Using the plan is as simple as signing up and contacting our team. Once you’re a member, customer support will connect you with an independent lawyer in your area who specializes in the specific legal issue with which you need help. Also, you can download our super-simple app to quickly access your legal benefits and member perks anytime.

You can use your plan as soon as your membership application is reviewed and your account is set up. The review process takes 12-24 hours (or less) from the moment you purchase your plan (on regular business days). Once accepted, you can be in contact with a lawyer and begin to use the plan benefits and member perks outlined in the membership agreement right away.

The average attorney in the U.S. charges between $150-$400 per hour. If you use your membership for even just a few hours a year you could easily save over $1,000. If you have a bunch of small legal issues or one rather complicated issue, you can easily save multiple thousands of dollars over hiring a lawyer directly. Not to mention the stress you’ll save by having a lawyer on call instead of trying to handle legal issues yourself. Also, the lawyers in our network often help our members recover thousands of dollars of damages or avoid thousands of dollars in fees over what they would have experienced had they tried to resolve the legal issue themselves. Obviously every member and usage situation is different, but when used correctly, your membership can easily save significant amounts of money. Not to mention savings from our member perks.