As one of the first companies in the United States organized solely to design, underwrite and market legal expense plans to consumers, LegalShield (formerly Pre-Paid Legal) has been in business for nearly 40 years and now provides legal services to small businesses and over 1.4 million families across the U.S. and Canada. For one low monthly fee these legal expense plans, or memberships, offer a variety of legal services in a manner similar to medical reimbursement plans or HMOs.