ADA, Okla., Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second
year, Real Estate Issues is the leading Pre-Paid Legal Services,
Inc. (NYSE: PPD) legal service request from among an estimated 2.1
million requests from PPD's members (customers) during 2010.
The 342,000 requests for the real estate-related legal service
inquires, represents approximately 16.2 percent of the total
estimated 2.1 million legal service requests for 2010.
Real Estate, Landlord/Tenant Issues and Foreclosure – The
approximate 358,000 requests for legal services include residential
and commercial real estate transactions, landlord and tenant issues
and legal counsel related to foreclosure and short sales.
By category, the other top five legal service requests
include:
Consumer Finance – Approximately 198,000 or 9.4 percent
of total requests for legal services related to retail transactions
for warranties, guarantees and other contracts;
Family Law – Approximately 188,000 or 8.9 percent of
total requests for legal services related to divorce, child
support, child custody and child visitation;
Traffic Issues – Approximately 187,000 or 8.9 percent of
total requests for legal assistance related to moving violations,
traffic tickets and auto accidents; and
Collections – Approximately 153,000 or 7.2 percent of
total requests for legal services to support members against other
parties and to defend members from third-party debt collectors.
Along with Real Estate Issues, Consumer Finance and Family Law
held the same respective positions in the 2009 legal service
ranking, while Traffic Issues rose to the fourth position in the
2010 ranking. Collections fell to the fifth position in the 2010
ranking compared its fourth position in the 2009 ranking.
The top five legal service requests, totaling an estimated
1,068,000 requests, account for approximately 50 percent of the
total legal services requests for the year. In addition to the top
five legal service requests for 2010, Pre-Paid Legal Services
provider law firms provided legal counsel on other major legal
service requests including: 6) Estate Planning (approximately
150,000 requests), 7) Employment (approximately 118,000 requests),
8) Criminal violations (approximately 100,000 requests), 9) Civil
Litigation (approximately 92,000 requests) and Bankruptcy
(approximately 72,000 requests). The remaining 2010 legal service
requests, an estimated 500,000 requests, were for a variety of
legal issues and legal consultation requests.
Charles Willinger, Jr., a
founding member of Willinger, Willinger & Bucci, P.C.
(http://www.wwblaw.com), the PPD provider law firm for Connecticut, says there is clear pattern
within the ranking of top legal service requests for 2010.
"People lose a job, then they lose their house and then,
sometimes, even their family," Willinger said. "It's like the
proverbial house of cards. One problem leads to another and they
all begin with the pocketbook," he said.
Willinger, Willinger & Bucci, P.C., based in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has been the PPD
provider law firm for Connecticut
since 1999.
Davis Miles, PLLC (http://www.davismiles.com) Partner and
Co-Founder Charles E. Davis says
PPD's national ranking of top legal service requests is consistent
with the annual ranking of legal service requests at Davis
Miles.
"This list reflects the legal service needs of average
Americans, and while there may be some variation in the ranking
from month to month or year to year, the legal issues remain
consistent," Davis said. "The real difference, as I see it, is that
the Pre-Paid Legal Service member has a means and an opportunity to
deal with these issues before they become insurmountable
problems."
Davis Miles, PLLC, based in Tempe,
Arizona, has been the PPD provider law firm for Arizona since 2004 and the provider law firm
for New Mexico since 2008.
Richard A. Campbell, a partner
with Deming, Parker, Hoffman,
Campbell & Daly, LLC (http://www.deminglaw.com), says it is no
surprise that Consumer Finance, including issues related to
warranties, guarantees and contracts, is among the top legal
services requests for 2010.
"During the past year, we've seen more incidents where companies
are denying claims to customers for questionable reasons," Campbell
said. "This is particularly true with respect to insurance claims,
and given the state of the economy, it's no surprise," he said.
Deming, Parker, Hoffman,
Campbell & Daly, LLC, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has been PPD provider law
firm for Georgia since 1990.
About PPD
We believe our products are one of a kind, life events legal
service plans. Our plans provide for legal service benefits
provided through a network of independent law firms across the U.S.
and Canada, and include unlimited
attorney consultation, will preparation, traffic violation defense,
automobile-related criminal charges defense, letter writing,
document preparation and review and a general trial defense
benefit. We have an identity theft restoration product we think is
also one of a kind due to the combination of our identity theft
restoration partner and our provider law firms. More information
about us and our products can be found at our homepage at
http://www.prepaidlegal.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release, other than purely historical
information, regarding our future plans and objectives and expected
operating results, dividends and share repurchases and statements
of the assumptions underlying such statements, constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements
contained herein are based on certain assumptions that may not be
correct. They are subject to risks and uncertainties incident to
our business that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks
and uncertainties are described in the reports and statements filed
by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including (among
others) those listed in our Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.
Please refer to pages 16 - 19 of our 2009 Form 10-K and pages 7 and
8 of our September 30, 2010 Form 10-Q
for a more complete description of these risks. Additionally, these
risk and uncertainties may include changes in membership
utilization for specific needs identified in this release or
changes in membership retention and satisfaction for related and
described services. We undertake no duty to update any of the
forward-looking statements in this release.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
In connection with the merger, Pre-Paid will prepare a proxy
statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "SEC"). When completed, a definitive proxy statement and a
form of proxy will be mailed to Pre-Paid's shareholders. BEFORE
MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, PRE-PAID'S SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO
READ THE PROXY STATEMENT REGARDING THE MERGER CAREFULLY AND IN ITS
ENTIRETY BECAUSE IT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE
PROPOSED MERGER. Pre-Paid's shareholders will be able to obtain
without charge, a copy of the proxy statement (when available) and
other relevant documents filed with the SEC from the SEC's website
at www.sec.gov. Pre-Paid's shareholders will also be able to
obtain, without charge, a copy of the proxy statement and other
relevant documents (when available) by directing a request by mail
or telephone to Pre-Paid Legal, Attn: Randy
Harp, One Pre-Paid Way, Ada,
Oklahoma 74820, telephone: (580) 436-1234, or the investor
relations section of the Company's website:
http://www.prepaidlegal.com/newCorp2/investor/investor_home.html
SOURCE Pre-Paid Legal Services