Léonie Rosenstiel’s LEGAL PROTECTION aims to accomplish a public service by offering advice for those coming into contact with the need to address legal issues. The dedication—which is in part to “on-going expert legal representation on demand that doesn’t break the bank”—speaks directly to the increasingly heavy burden of legal costs for middle-class families, a situation that the book was intended to obviate.

Rosenstiel understands the peculiar bind that the law presents, relying as it does on precise definitions and deployments of terms. Moreover, it teases out meaning from this particular form of the English language and yet needs to be understood by laypeople who may not be alert to such nuances. She also recognizes that, for many middle-class families, the usual routes for getting legal representation are simply unaffordable. Hence the book, which features breakdowns of the services offered by various “alternative” companies—from filling in legal forms to hiring lawyers for specific services. There are tradeoffs, and Rosenstiel points out incidences of up-selling, up-charging, and the inclusion of (by now depressingly ubiquitous) arbitration clauses to contracts and users’ agreements with these firms.

The main drawback with the book, aside from its slightness (eight services are covered in less than 100 pages), is that there is no very compelling reason for reviewing these services over any others. In the introduction, Rosenstiel notes that the firms covered in the first five chapters were listed by Forbes Advisor as the top five “alternative” law firms; but three “bonus” chapters cover the activities of other companies, with no explanation given as to why they were chosen. Rosenstiel is quick to point out that the book contains no affiliate links, and she mentions that she receives a (very small) commission for LegalShield if readers use their services. However, LegalShield’s status as a multilevel marketing company is, if not exactly unethical, certainly a little worrying, and makes it difficult to gauge exactly how much faith to put in her assessment of its usefulness—especially when so much of that chapter sounds like advertising copy (“Prices might rise at Starbucks, but the LegalShield payment won’t increase…”).

It is a wise thing to educate oneself on legal issues and the options available if one finds oneself in need of a lawyer. However, LEGAL PROTECTION seems to operate on a remarkably anecdotal basis, with Rosenstiel offering comment based on online reviews and personal experience. Such material doesn’t negate the book’s timeliness or usefulness, but it does mean that for anyone looking to compare companies in a structured fashion, much of the work remains ahead of them.

Though it’s short and sometimes relies on anecdotal evidence, Léonie Rosenstiel’s LEGAL PROTECTION shines a useful light on “alternative” legal companies.

~Craig Jones for IndieReader