Please DON'T wait until you're in a crisis to contact an attorney!  By then it may be too late to avoid an avoidable situation.  And you don't need to have done anything wrong to have the power of the justice system on your side.

28 Sample Situations in which you, a Real Estate Agent, could utilize an attorney and legal services:

1. You receive a collection letter for a bill 3 years ago, which you don't believe you owe.  They refuse to stop billing you, so you would like your attorney to contact the company.

2. Before you sign a contract to move to another office, you want to fax the contract to your attorney to review it, and make sure you're protected.

3. A Seller (who moved out of state) has neglected to reimburse you for $1,000 home inspection report & repairs and won't even answer their phone.  You need to send them a collection letter -- from your attorney!

4. At night you toss and turn, wondering what will happen to your business, your house, and your children if you were to die or become incapacitated.  You need a Will prepared, but don't know where to turn -- and besides, they are expensive, perhaps over $500!

5. A buyer is unhappy with his new mortgage loan after moving in, and half-jokingly says he is going to "sue everyone involved".  You would like to have an attorney on retainer to defend yourself against frivolous lawsuits like this, giving you more peace of mind "just in case".

6. You recently stayed at a hotel for an out-of-town business trip and received poor service and an incorrect billing of $50 extra.  The hotel refuses to credit your account, even after talking to the supervisor.  You would like your attorney to write them a letter asking for your money back.

7. You just signed a new business liability insurance policy, you would like your attorney to read it and explain to you what is actually covered.

8. On your way to an appointment, you receive a traffic ticket for speeding, although you know you weren't speeding.  This ticket would add points to your DMV driving record, and your car insurance will go up substantially.  You would like an attorney to go to court to defend your case, but can you afford to hire one, knowing the initial retainer may be $1,500?

9. Your cell phone breaks, you take it to the company, and they refuse to replace it with a new phone for free, although it was clearly a defective phone.  You argue with the company, but they don't treat you like the valued customer you are.

10. Your heart stops when you receive a notice from the IRS that you are being audited, some of your business expenses for the last 3 years have been disqualified, and you now owe $20,000 in taxes, penalties, and interest.  The IRS is demanding immediate payment, so you would like a tax attorney to represent you, since they know the IRS laws better than you do.

11. You had to take a company to small claims court due to non-payment of your services, and you would like an attorney to review your case and give you advice on properly completing the court documents and review the evidence you will present to the judge.

12. A competing real estate agent calls you and accuses you of "stealing" a graphic from her web site, she wants you to pay her "damages".  Before you respond, you need an attorney to help you research the laws.

13. You decide to incorporate as an LLC for tax and liability purposes, but can't afford the $2,000 attorney fees to do so.  You need an affordable solution, such as an attorney to show you which forms to use and how to complete them yourself for less than $200.

14. You have been receiving phone calls from a creditor, who is trying to contact the previous person that had your phone number.  They won't stop calling and harassing you.  You need to report the creditor to the authorities.

15. You keep receiving unsolicited faxes, which you know are illegal.  You need some legal advice to help stop the faxes from coming from you.

16. While traveling to North Dakota, you receive a traffic ticket for $350.  You want to fight it, but don't have an attorney available in that state.  Is it easier to just send in the fine, and get points on your DMV record, than to pay an out-of-state attorney?

17. When you pick up your best shirt from the dry cleaners, they've ruined it by shrinking it, but they claim you dropped it off that way and refuse to reimburse you.  Is it worth hiring an attorney for $375 per hour to fight a $90 charge, or should you just forget about it and go buy a new shirt?  Or maybe you could have your attorney write them a letter, because it's the principle involved.

18. When purchasing your new car from an automobile dealership and signing the contract, you notice there are a lot of fees the salesman didn't mention, such as a $750 "dealer prep fee".  It's a complicated contract, prepared by THEIR attorney, and you would like YOUR attorney to review it on your behalf, and negotiate down some of their charges.

19. You get into a car accident on the way to meet a client.  Although nobody is hurt, it's nerve-wracking and stressful.  The police officer wants you to make a statement, but you would like to call your attorney for advice before doing that.

20. Although you are careful to keep your laptop computer locked up, someone manages to steal it.  You want to protect yourself from liability.  How should you proceed in notifying law enforcement and clients whose non-public information is contained on the laptop?

21. The City sends you a letter stating that you've been claiming the "Home Business" tax deduction on your tax returns, but you haven't applied for a City business license.  They want you to pay license fees, penalties, and interest retro-actively for 5 years.  You need some legal advice and help!

22. You apply for a business account to run Open House ads in the newspaper, and they deny your account because of bad credit.  You know you have perfect credit, so it appears that someone may be using your name and identity, and you need to hire an attorney to investigate and correct your record.

23. As you are making your daily marketing calls to businesses, one of the prospects says he is on the "do not call" list and he is going to press charges against you for calling him.  You would like to consult with your attorney to find out if business phone numbers are allowed to be on the "do not call" list.

24. You receive a letter from your automobile insurance company that your rates are going to be doubled.  Apparently you have used the service too much, but you can't afford to pay any more.  This doesn't seem fair, and you would like your attorney to review the letter and find out if there's anything you can do.

25. You are refinancing your house!  When you receive your loan documents, the payment is higher than you expected, and there are a lot of "junk fees" you don't want to pay.  Can you fax the most important pages to your attorney for him to advise you how to proceed?

26.  You are writing an article for real estate agents, and you want to use quotes from another book.  What is the legal way to do that, are there any restrictions?

27. Your bank sends you a letter than their computer data files have been compromised.  They apologize and say that your personal and confidential data, including your name, address, date of birth, phone number, mother's maiden name, and bank account info have either been "lost or stolen".  You are worried about becoming a victim of identity theft, and you want to know how to proceed and what your rights are.

28. While doing your real estate business, you design a product that helps you do your job better.  You would like to trademark your product (to make a profit on it later, and meanwhile to prevent someone from copying your product).  How do you find a good trademark attorney who can guide you through the steps?

NOTE:  This does not include the many personal and family uses, and everyday life situations!

Wouldn't you like to do what wealthy people do, consult your attorney about anything and everything?  Every American should have "equal access to the justice system" and be empowered by having an affordable legal plan.

I have an affordable plan that protects me, my family, and my business.  It is only $49 per month, which is simply incredible!  I have used this policy for over 3 years now and saved thousands of dollars.  But the main benefit is the freedom from worry.

And did I mention that I get letters on my behalf written by attorneys (included free with the plan), contracts and documents reviewed (included free with the plan), and I can call and ask questions about any subject matter (included free with the plan).  And don't forget the Will and Living Will and related estate documents (included free with the plan).  Oh yeah, and access to GoSmallBiz, the top business resource for small business owners, with answers to tax questions and much more.  AND on top of all that, a 25% discount on services not covered free with the plan, such as court appearances not already covered.  And much more, too much to explain in this post...

Why am I sharing all my secrets?  Because as a small business person (real estate agent), you should be protected too! 

I would love to hear other success stories from members who have the Business Plan from Pre-Paid Legal.

Join my new AR group and post your blog at http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice

Regina P. Brown
Broker, Realtor®, e-Pro
Author of eBook "Stop Foreclosure Fast: Solutions to Save your House"

Text copyright © 2009 R.P. Brown, All Rights Reserved