The months following Valentine’s Day remind us to look to our loved ones and how we can better care for and protect them. When it comes to protection, there is something tangible you can do, with Legal Expense Insurance (LEI) cover. Having a LEI family policy will cover you and your loved ones for various disputes such as employment disputes, wrongful dismissal, family matters including wills and custody orders, personal tax audits or investigations, a dispute with a neighbour over a dividing fence, or over the purchase of good and services, injury to you caused by a third party such as a dog attack, tenancy disputes, and will protect your home against online predators to do with transactions and identity theft. With ARAG’s LEI, you can feel confident you have your family’s risks covered for a fraction of the price it costs to engage lawyers. ARAG’s LEI offers affordable access to justice. Legal aid is only available to 0.4% of the population, so only the poorest, along with the richest Australians can usually afford and access the legal system. ARAG’s LEI wants to enable all families to have legal protection, for defence and pursuit of their legal rights, at an affordable price. ARAG Australia offers Personal Legal Expense Insurance cover for as little as $260 per annum, to have access to legal advice and legal representation. The policy extends to include LegalAssist which includes a legal helpline for immediate legal advice and support, without having to fork out thousands for a specialist lawyer. This is backed by ARAG and their team of specialist lawyers as well as a legal document centre. LegalAssist offers access to a legal document centre with over 100 legal documents that you can use for no extra cost. Documents such as wills, power of attorney agreements, letters of demand, hire agreements, credit applications, product contracts, terms of trade, loan agreements, confidentiality agreements and more. You also get the support of a document review service by a qualified lawyer at no extra cost. Having these legal resources at your fingertips as a family gives you the confidence to take action when you need to. To find out more about ARAG’s LEI, visit arag.com.au or contact@arag.com.au or 02 8066 0162. CASE STUDY A policyholder tripped on uneven pavement in a shopping centre, falling and spraining their wrist. She contacted the centre and they advised that they would not be responsible for her injury. Her broker advised her she has Private Legal Expense Insurance in addition to her Home and Contents insurance. Her broker submitted a claim to gain compensation for medical expenses and damages. ARAG appointed lawyers pursued the shopping centre owners and at a mediation the centre agreed to pay damages and contribute to pay legal costs. ARAG paid all legal costs not paid by the centre and covered the cost of expert reports.