Saga Legal Solutions - surprisingly simple Changing times
Thirty odd years ago when Rumpole was the top TV lawyer there were fewer than 38,000 solicitors in England and Wales. Today, Rumpole’s been replaced by Rupert Penry Jones and the number of solicitors has almost quadrupled.
Which begs the question - have we become more litigious or is life simply more complicated? Certainly there are lifetime events that have always required the services of, and advice of legal experts – from buying or selling a house to making a Will or a Lasting Power of Attorney.
Neighbours, bosses and families
But there are other areas where disputes or claims have become more commonplace and sometimes more complex too; employment disputes for instance, nuisance neighbours and conflicts over rights of way and property boundaries. Family life has evolved too as we live and work longer, divorce and remarry, become civil partners, step-parents and carers, with many over 50s owning more property and assets than previous generations and thus making their Estates more complicated.
And then there’s the mythology that often leads people down a long and costly route to justice only to discover that the bloke in the pub or that woman at work really didn’t know what they were talking about. By the time it gets to court, legal fees will be mounting and it is not uncommon for people to face losing their homes and businesses to pay for a DIY legal case that may well have been resolved more simply and cheaply by taking legal advice at the outset.
Fixed fees
Understandably, people worry about escalating costs and that’s why Saga’s Legal Solutions has been designed with transparency about fees right at the start. For instance, if you’re an existing Saga customer, you can have access to legal advice 24/7 and useful online documents for everyday legal problems for just £30 a year with Saga Legal Essentials.
If it’s advice and help with Wills & Estate Planning, including Lasting Power of Attorney you’re after, we can help there too with fixed fees, expert advice and practical support. So, for instance when it comes to dealing with probate, we base our fees on the complexity of the Estate not its value. We’ve also got a totally secure online vault for safe storage of Wills and other important legal documents and for moving home, Saga’s fixed fee conveyancing service means you won’t get any nasty surprises with legal fees, and if the deal falls through our Mover Protection cover could help soften the blow.
Because life sometimes becomes a little complicated, we’ve made access to legal advice and support surprisingly simple.