Legal Angel gives you the legal protection you need.
Legal Angel swoops in to give you the legal protection you need, compliments of Bidvest Insurance. Having legal protection is fast becoming as important as having a health care plan. Lawyers, however, don’t come cheap. The high cost of keeping a lawyer on retainer is something very few people can afford.
Finding yourself entangled in a legal matter can happen when you least expect it. Big or small, all legal matters will need legal assistance.
High costs aren’t the only concern when it comes to obtaining legal assistance. Another serious concern is getting a lawyer that you can trust.
What is legal insurance?
Just like any other insurance, legal insurance provides you with peace of mind. Legal insurance covers a broad range of personal legal issues, ranging from the planned to the unforeseen. In today’s society, everything people do can have legal implications. You could be on the right, or the wrong side of the law. Either way, you need to have some kind of legal representation and assistance.
Legal Angel from Bidvest Insurance gives you affordable access to lawyers who specialise in the field your legal matter falls under, whenever you need them.
What is Legal Angel?
Legal Angel is a Bidvest Insurance product that gives you comprehensive, professional and affordable legal cover for you, your spouse, and up to 5 dependants. Legal Angel covers you across 4 key areas of South African law. Legal Angel makes it easy to protect yourself from costly legal fees by giving you legal protection, whenever you need it.
What does Legal Angel cover?
Legal Angel is proud to offer legal assistance to our clients across a wide range of areas. These areas include:
- Civil matters.
- Family matters.
- Criminal matters.
- Labour matters.
Understanding civil law.
Civil law tells you how you should behave in your relationships with other people. For example, if your neighbour spray paints graffiti on your walls, you could have a legal case against them.
Understanding family law.
In the legal world, family law is a legal practice that focuses on the issues involving families. Family lawyers represent clients in court and negotiate on behalf of their clients.
Understanding criminal law.
Criminal law involves all matters that surround crimes or illegal offences that have been committed against a person or people. Criminal law can range from serious crimes, like murder, to petty crimes, such as speeding. The punishment for a crime is also set by statutory law and is directly proportional to the severity of the crime committed. Minor offences may only result in a fine, while more major violations could result in jail time.
Understanding labour law.
Labour laws refer to the set of standards for working conditions and wages. Labour law is primarily concerned with the rights and responsibilities of workers. These rights include negotiating for better pay, improved working conditions and times, and workplace safety.
Most common legal disputes in South Africa
- Motor vehicle collision
Reversing out of your driveway or parking your car in a busy area may seem simple and harmless, but it can take a turn for the worst. A motor vehicle collision happens in a split second. This could be a minor accident that leads to other legal implications if tempers aren’t properly managed. Worse than flaring tempers, it could lead to serious legal matters if the accident results in someone’s death.
- Tenant /eviction disputes
All over South Africa, many people live in rental accommodation. Landlords and tenants must respect and uphold each other’s rights. When you rent a house or an apartment, an agreement (lease) is drawn up between the landlord and tenant. This means that both parties agree on the rental housing conditions, such as the amount of rent to be paid per month and what type of care to take of the property in return for using it as a residence. Unfortunately, disagreements over lease agreements and their conditions are a regular occurrence.
- Personal injury
Personal injury law refers to a specific set of procedures based on actions that led to a person being injured.
Personal injury law covers the areas of law for people who have been injured because of the negligence or wrongful conduct by a person, company, government entity, or another organisation. Whether it’s physical or psychological in nature, personal injury law is there to ensure that you receive compensation for your injuries.
- Labour disputes
A labour dispute usually consists of a disagreement between an employer and employee regarding the terms or conditions of their employment. These usually arise when negotiating over wage rates. Labour disputes can include things such as salary, benefits, vacation time or other issues that relate to contract negotiations.
What does the Legal Angel policy offer?
Under the scope of the abovementioned fields of law, Bidvest Insurance’s Legal Angel provides services that include:
- Unlimited legal advice line:
Let’s face it, life is unpredictable. This is why you never know when you’ll need legal advice. Whether the matter you’re facing is simple or complicated, the Legal Angel Advice Line is there for you 24 hours a day, every day.
- 24 hour bail assistance cover:
When you find yourself in the unfavourable situation of needing bail, Legal Angel is available to you at any time. Our bail assistance benefit is available to assist you at any time.
- Divorce cover:
Divorce is a difficult transition period and the legal aspects can be terribly stressful. Bidvest Insurance understands that divorce proceedings may end up costing you a lot of money. As part of your Legal Angel policy, we work hard to ensure that your interests are always taken care of. Protecting you and your pocket is one of our main concerns.
- Property transfers:
In South Africa, once your bond has been granted and accepted, you’ll need to pay several costs. Costs that are needed to register the bond and transfer ownership of a property. Legal Angel helps clients receive a discount on their property transfer fees.
- Drafting of wills:
The importance of having a will is often misunderstood. People feel the little they have to leave behind is not worth a will. This is not true. Besides personal belongings, there are important benefits to having a will. Legal Angel helps you draft your will. It can be anything from your personal possession to your final wishes and desires.
- Unlimited mediation:
Your legal issue could be personal or professional. Legal Angel provides unlimited valuable advice and mediation with professional lawyers to help you through anything, quickly and conveniently.
Is Legal Angel worth it?
People all like to think that we are protected from harm. They believe that we live our lives in a way that will keep us safe from any legal proceedings. People have convinced themselves that because they haven’t ever had any issues before, there’s no cause for concern when it comes to legal protection.
Realistically speaking, legal protection is important. Legal insurance is better than no protection at all. Legal Angel is worth it.
How do I claim from my Legal Angel policy?
Claiming from your Legal Angel legal cover policy is a stress-free process. Call 086 1668 888, or email us on legalangel@bidvestinsurance.co.za.
Protecting your legal rights under South African law can be difficult. Finding yourself in this position may prove to be very costly and time consuming. Getting the best legal advice or services for your situation is an exhausting procedure.
Fortunately, Legal Angel is here to help you. Our legal experts have years of experience with the law and know what works when it comes to solving your legal problems. As a member of Legal Angel, you will get exceptional and affordable cover that comes with peace of mind.
Sources:
Armstrong H, (2021). What is Family Law? Available online at: https://www.findlaw.com/hirealawyer/choosing-the-right-lawyer/family-law.html [Accessed 07 January 2022].
Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. Types Of Cases. Available online at: https://www.civillawselfhelpcenter.org/self-help/getting-started/court-basics/56-types-of-cases [Accessed 07 January 2022].
Jescheck, H and Norton, J.(2020) “criminal law” , Available online at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/criminal-law. [Accessed 07 January 2022.]
