THORNDALE, Pa. – The $510 million Citadel FCU is the latest credit union to offer legal plans to its members. Citadel, which serves approximately 80,000 members, has partnered with Pre-Paid Legal Services, an Oklahoma-based legal plan company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Pre-Paid Legal currently serves over 1.5 million Americans with legal services. The legal plan is similar to an HMO in that users pay a flat monthly fee and in turn receive legal services at a reduced rate, with some services even being free of charge. For example, users are offered a free will (with annual updates), which financial advisors recommend all Americans have. Other free services include toll-free consultations with attorneys; letters written and phone calls made by an attorney on a member's behalf; and contract and document review. For more in-depth legal matters, Pre-Paid legal customers receive a 25% discount on the attorney's standard hourly rate. Citadel was tipped off to Pre-Paid Legal by its SEGs. "We have received feedback from HR managers at our SEGs that voluntary benefits such as Pre-Paid Legal plans are becoming more valuable to their employees. Those employees who participate in a Pre-Paid Legal plan through payroll deduction can have peace of mind knowing that they have a law firm that is a phone call away, without first having to worry about the financial ramifications," said Tom Cioffi, Account Manager at Citadel. San Diego Metropolitan CU and Delaware State Police FCU also offer legal plans through Pre-Paid Legal. According to Pre-Paid Legal, legal plans can benefit employees and employers in the following ways: * Better Employee Productivity. Employee concerns about things such as home buying, estate planning, and financial problems cut into productivity. Legal plans can help ease the financial burdens of these situations and in turn reduce emotional stress. * Saves the Employer Money. According to studies, almost half the employees who take time off from work do so to deal with legal or legal-related problems. These employees have an absenteeism rate five times the average; use their medical benefits four times more than average; and take sick leave twice as often. Legal plans can help improve these numbers. * Employer Looks Good; Employees Happier. Legal plans can improve employee relations and enhance the company's image as the employer is offering something that can help employees take care of stressful situations in their personal lives. Legal plans can help keep employees focused on their job, rather than personal problems. The company looks to be taking care of the "whole" employee, which can reduce turnover. For more details on Pre-Paid Legal and the ins and outs of legal plans visit www.HRitworks.com or e-mail [email protected].