LegalShield
LegalShield is a privately-held subscription legal services provider founded in 1972, serving approximately 4.5 million members across the U.S. and Canada through prepaid personal, small business, and commercial driver plans that connect subscribers to a vetted network of provider law firms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersAda, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What LegalShield does
LegalShield, legally Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (PPLSI), is a privately-held subscription-based legal services provider founded in 1972 and headquartered in Ada, Oklahoma. The company delivers prepaid access to a vetted network of provider law firms across the United States and Canada, covering approximately 4.5 million members through personal plans (Basic $35.95/mo, Advanced $44.95/mo, Premium $53.95/mo), small business plans (Essentials $49/mo to Pro $169/mo), and a specialized Commercial Drivers Legal Plan ($39.95/mo), plus modular add-ons for trial defense, gun owner protection, home business, rideshare, and business-plus coverage. Revenue is generated through recurring monthly and annual subscriptions, with annual billing offering discounts and MEMBERPerks merchant discounts bundled into every plan. The underlying technology is a mobile-first platform with native iOS and Android apps that enable document submission, provider-law-firm communication, and on-demand service access.
Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the LegalShield website and mobile apps, supplemented by an inside-sales phone channel and a B2B employer/HR benefits motion targeting workforce productivity and elder care benefit gaps. The company employs 501-1,000 people, has held SOC 3 certification for its 2025 service-organization controls, and operates without a public ticker or disclosed parent company. Recent strategic emphasis includes a partnership with Care.com's CareBenefits (announced June 2026) to launch a Senior Care Advisor program in the 2027 National Enhanced Plan, a new product vertical responding to a 108% increase in elder-care-related legal requests since 2022.
LegalShield firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LegalShield
- Legal name
- Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.
- Website
- https://legalshield.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- LegalShield is a privately-held subscription legal services provider founded in 1972, serving approximately 4.5 million members across the U.S. and Canada through prepaid personal, small business, and commercial driver plans that connect subscribers to a vetted network of provider law firms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LegalShield industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Services Subscription / Legal Benefits
- NAICS
- Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (54111)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK), Legal Collections & Litigation Support (Judgments, Garnishments) (FSAKAJAD)
Keywords
Where LegalShield is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ada
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
LegalShield business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Personal Legal Plan Subscriptions: Monthly and annual subscription fees for personal legal coverage. Plans range from Basic ($35.95/mo) to Premium ($59.95/mo) for individuals and families, covering unlimited legal consultations, document reviews, traffic ticket defense, estate planning, and more. Annual billing offers discounts. Add-on coverages (trial defense, gun owner, home business, rideshare) available at additional cost.
- Small Business Legal Plan Subscriptions: Monthly subscriptions for small businesses ranging from Basic ($59.95/mo) to Premium ($169.95/mo), providing unlimited legal consultations, document reviews, debt collection letters, contract review, IRS audit assistance, and trial defense hours.
- Commercial Drivers Legal Plan (CDLP): Dedicated subscription plan for commercial truck drivers at $39.95/month, covering moving violations defense, DOT violations, licensing issues, and tragic accident defense. Delivered by a legal department with over 30 years of commercial driver legal experience.
- MEMBERPerks: Discount program offering members savings on hundreds of popular brands, included with all plans. With over 4.5 million members, LegalShield negotiates volume discounts passed on to members.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Personal Basic Plan — $35.95/month or $431.46/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Personal Advanced Plan — $44.95/month or $539.46/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Personal Premium Plan — $53.95/month or $647.46/year |
| Subscription | Monthly | Small Business Basic (Essentials) — $49/month |
| Subscription | Annual | Small Business Basic — $53.95/month or $647.46/year |
| Subscription | Monthly | Small Business Plus — $99/month |
| Subscription | Annual | Small Business Preferred — $89.95/month or $1,079.46/year |
| Subscription | Monthly | Small Business Pro — $169/month |
| Subscription | Annual | Small Business Premium — $152.95/month or $1,835.46/year |
| Subscription | Monthly | Commercial Drivers Legal Plan (CDLP) — $39.95/month |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
LegalShield product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LegalShield provides subscription-based legal service plans that give individuals, families, and small businesses access to a network of provider law firms for advice, consultations, document review, letter writing, and court representation. Members pay monthly fees and receive predefined legal services on demand, with add-on plans for specialized needs such as trial defense, gun ownership, rideshare drivers, and commercial drivers.
Product overview
LegalShield is a subscription-based legal services provider operating since 1972, offering access to a network of vetted law firms across the U.S. and Canada. The portfolio is organized into Personal Plans (Basic, Advanced, Premium), Small Business Plans (Basic/Essentials, Preferred/Plus, Premium/Pro), a specialized Commercial Drivers Legal Plan (CDLP), and a suite of add-on coverages (Trial Defense, Gun Owner, Home Business, Ride Share, Business Plus). All plans are built around unlimited lawyer consultations with no hourly fees on covered matters, supplemented by MEMBERPerks discounts, a Consumer Stress Legal Index research tool, and a mobile app. The company covers 4.5 million members and positions itself as an affordable alternative to traditional hourly-rate legal representation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- LegalShield Personal Plan
- LegalShield Small Business Plan
- Commercial Drivers Plan
- Trial Defense Add-On
- Gun Owner Add-On
- Home Business Add-On
- Rideshare Add-On
- Business Plus Add-On
- MEMBERPerks
Quantifiable outcome
- 87% of HR leaders acknowledge caregiving impacts their workforce, yet fewer than 4 in 10 feel confident their benefits adequately address elder care needs
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use LegalShield
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
LegalShield technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
LegalShield partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Care.com (CareBenefits)coreLegalShield announced a partnership with Care.com's CareBenefits to introduce the Senior Care Advisor program within the 2027 National Enhanced Plan. The program provides LegalShield members with elder care guidance and access to social workers alongside LegalShield attorneys. The initiative responds to a 108% increase in elder care-related legal requests since 2022, addressing a critical gap where 87% of HR leaders acknowledge caregiving impacts their workforce but fewer than 4 in 10 feel confident their benefits adequately address elder care needs.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
LegalShield competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LawDepot: LawDepot offers subscription-based legal document preparation across wills, contracts, real estate, and business documents, targeting the same consumer and small business DIY legal segment that LegalShield addresses at its entry tiers.
- LegalZoom: LegalZoom is the most direct competitor, offering subscription legal plans, business formation, and document services to consumers and small businesses — directly overlapping LegalShield's core personal and small business plan offerings and customer segments.
- Rocket Lawyer: Rocket Lawyer provides online legal subscription services, document automation, and on-demand attorney access for individuals and small businesses, competing directly with LegalShield's prepaid legal plan model across nearly identical use cases.
- Nolo: Nolo provides legal self-help information, do-it-yourself legal forms, and attorney directories — covering many of the same everyday legal matters (estate planning, family law, small business) that LegalShield members access via their subscription.
- ARAG: ARAG is a global legal insurance provider offering group legal plans and legal expense insurance as employer benefits and individual subscriptions — overlapping directly with LegalShield's B2B HR channel and consumer subscription products.
Broad incumbents
- MetLife Legal Plans: MetLife Legal Plans is the largest U.S. group legal plans provider, sold as an employer-paid employee benefit. It competes with LegalShield in the B2B HR channel but is part of MetLife's broader benefits portfolio rather than a standalone consumer subscription business.
- Avvo: Avvo operates an online legal directory and Q&A platform that connects consumers with attorneys. It complements and competes with LegalShield's attorney access model by offering a different distribution mechanism for finding lawyers.
Emerging players
- UpCounsel: UpCounsel is an online marketplace connecting businesses with freelance attorneys for project-based legal work — overlapping with LegalShield's small business contract review, debt collection, and civil litigation support offerings.
- DoNotPay: DoNotPay is an AI-powered consumer legal assistant that automates tasks like disputing fees, canceling subscriptions, and contesting traffic tickets — directly overlapping the simplest, highest-volume use cases on LegalShield's Basic and entry-tier plans.
Others
- Liberty Mutual Insurance (LegalShield partnership channel): Liberty Mutual and other insurance carriers have historically bundled or resold prepaid legal services as part of insurance products, serving as both a distribution partner and adjacent competitor for LegalShield's bundled consumer offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LegalShield social profiles
Digital presenceLegalShield compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
LegalShield financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LegalShield leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
LegalShield funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LegalShield M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LegalShield
What does LegalShield do?
LegalShield provides subscription-based legal service plans that give individuals, families, and small businesses access to a network of provider law firms for advice, consultations, document review, letter writing, and court representation. Members pay monthly fees and receive predefined legal services on demand, with add-on plans for specialized needs such as trial defense, gun ownership, rideshare drivers, and commercial drivers.
Is LegalShield a public or private company?
LegalShield is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was LegalShield founded?
LegalShield was founded in 1972. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is LegalShield based?
LegalShield is headquartered in Ada, United States, in the North America region.
How does LegalShield make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Personal Legal Plan Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are small Business Legal Plan Subscriptions, commercial Drivers Legal Plan (CDLP) and MEMBERPerks.
Who are LegalShield's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LawDepot, LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, Nolo and ARAG. Broad incumbents are MetLife Legal Plans and Avvo. Emerging players are UpCounsel and DoNotPay. Liberty Mutual Insurance (LegalShield partnership channel) is listed as an others.
Does LegalShield have an API?
No public API is recorded for LegalShield.
What industry is LegalShield in?
LegalShield's product category is Legal Services Subscription / Legal Benefits. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAAAM, Personal Injury & Insurance Defense, with a secondary code of BPAHAAAK, Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law. Its NAICS code is 5411 and its SIC code is 8111.