Legal Services Plan

MetLife Legal Services Plan provides faculty and staff access to legal representation or advice to help with personal, confidential assistance for a wide range of legal services. Participation in this plan is voluntary.

Features

14,000 network attorneys
No copayments, claim forms, or usage limits in-network
Coverage for out-of-network attorneys available

Covered Legal Services

Wills and estate planning
Trusts
Debt matters
Defense of civil lawsuits
Real estate matters
Document review and preparation
Traffic matters
Adoption, guardianship, and juvenile matters
Identity protection and credit monitoring
Property tax assessments
Assistance with adoption, guardianship, juvenile matters, custody disputes, and reproductive assistance
Four hours of legal advice for certain non-covered services

Additional Covered Legal Services

Do-it-yourself tax preparation through Turbo Tax

Through MetLife Legal Services Plan, you can save using TurboTax by filing your own taxes and/or getting expert support.

File Your Own Taxes

Prepare and file your federal and state taxes using TurboTax at no additional cost. Includes individual or joint filings. Includes one federal and one state tax filing annually.
- TurboTax Live and extra add-on services are available for an additional fee. Turbo Tax is not a corporate affiliate of MetLife Legal Services Plan.
Ideal for a wide range of tax filers — from those with simple tax returns to those with more complex returns, such as self-employed filers, independent contractors, freelancers, investors, landlords, and small business owners.

Discounted Expert Support

File confidently, with expert help if you need it. Work with a dedicated TurboTax expert to prepare and file your taxes at a substantial discount.

If the Covered Person prefers to prepare and file their taxes with a TurboTax professional, the legal plan will provide a discount in the amount of the appropriate online product value. This does not provide coverage for filing extensions, audit services, live help, or post-filing support. This benefit provides the Covered Person with access to one free Deluxe or Premium edition of TurboTax’s self-guided online federal and state tax preparation and filing services.

Get Started

Log in or create your legal plans account at MetLife Legal Services Plan
Go to “Debt Matters”
Select “Tax Preparation & Filing” and begin

This benefit only covers do-it-yourself tax preparation; tax filings using a Turbo Tax expert or support will be an additional cost. This benefit cannot be applied to previously completed TurboTax filings.

Immigration issues (advice and consultation)

Your life can feel like it’s on hold as you sort through immigration matters. There is a huge demand for permanent entry into the U.S. and the government has strict requirements for proving eligibility. Navigating this maze on your own can be difficult and time-consuming, while an experienced immigration attorney can help avoid costly and timely mistakes and mitigate unexpected situations throughout the waiting period.

MetLife Legal Services Plan includes advice and consultation, preparation of affidavits and powers of attorney, review of any immigration documents, and helping you prepare for hearings.

In addition to immigration, the MetLife Legal Services Plan provides access to attorneys for a diverse range of legal matters.

Caregiving Support

As parents age, it’s not uncommon for their adult children to help them handle financial and legal matters. Making decisions about long-term care or estate planning can be complicated, and it may be difficult to know where to turn.

In times like these, it is important to seek professional advice. With MetLife Legal Services Plan, you receive unlimited access to a network of experienced attorneys who are knowledgeable in matters your parents may face as they age. In addition, you can consult with an attorney or have them review documents related to Medicare/Medicaid, nursing home agreements, or parents’ estate planning documents.

Coverage is for the participant and the effect of the issue on the participant, not the parent.

Cost Savings Example

Example of Covered Services	Without a Legal Plan¹	With a Legal Plan²
Attorney Consultations	$782	$0 out of pocket
Document Review	$782	$0 out of pocket
Total Cost	$1,564	$165 per year (Potential Savings of $1,399)

Example of Covered Services

Without a Legal Plan¹

With a Legal Plan²

Attorney Consultations

$782

$0 out of pocket

Document Review

$782

$0 out of pocket

Total Cost

$1,564

$165 per year

(Potential Savings of $1,399)

¹Prices based on the average amount of hours it would take, using the average hourly rate of $391.00 based on years of legal experience, National Law Journal and ALM Legal Intelligence, Survey of Law Firm Economics (2021).

²Cost may vary. This cost is based on an average monthly rate for MetLife Legal Services Plan of $13.75.

Reproductive Assistance

The complexity around fertility cases require experience and empathy. Through MetLife Legal Services Plan, participants will feel supported with the plan's experienced network attorneys who will help establish the rules around lifestyle and future relationships within this highly unsettled and contested legal terrain.

The plan can cover the costs of up to 20 hours of legal services related to reproductive assistance matters such as surrogacy, egg, sperm, or embryo adoption. Phone consultations, court appearances, and document reviews with zero out-of-pocket costs are also covered.

Legal Issues to Consider in Surrogacy & Reproductive Cases

Each state has different laws surrounding surrogacy and the adoption or donation of gametes
Consideration of the rights and obligations of the intended parents and surrogate mother
Surrogacy attorney fees range from $5,000 to $15,000 and vary by state, surrogacy agency, and by the law firm (Klein Fertility Law website, San Diego, CA, 2023)

Rules

Once enrolled, coverage may not be terminated mid-year.
There are some excluded services, including, but not limited to, employment-related matters, divorce, and class action suits.
Elder law matters are limited to consultation and document review.
Coverage is portable and can be continued after employment ends; contact MetLife at (800) 821-6400 to enroll.

Cost

The monthly cost for the plan is $13.75 and includes coverage for a spouse and/or eligible children, if applicable. Premiums are paid through after-tax payroll deductions.

Eligibility

All benefits-eligible employees.

Enrollment

Election of this benefit is available when hired or newly eligible or once-a-year during open enrollment each fall.

The legal services plan is administered by Winston Benefits, and the enrollment cannot be processed through HR Self Service. To enroll or learn more about this benefit, call (855) 393-3601, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Individuals can also enroll at myprincetonbenefits.com.

After enrollment, visit MetLife Legal Services Plan to sign in to the account or call (800) 821-6400 to find an in-network lawyer.

If there are any discrepancies between the information in this publication, verbal representations, and the plan documents, the plan documents always govern. Although Princeton intends to continue these benefits, the University reserves the right to amend or terminate these plans at any time.