Simpson Millar and DAS launch Everyday Legal

National firm Simpson Millar and DAS have launched a new insurance scheme to help fill the void left by the lack of legal aid.

Everyday Legal offers cover on legal costs in return for a premium of as little as £9.99 per month or 33p per day.

This buys cover against legal costs of up to £10,000 for personal injury and medical negligence, £1,000 for divorce, contested probate and contract cases and £450 for conveyancing. Costs of up to £500 are covered for a pre-nup and £450 for NHS care assessment claims.

The minimum cover period is one year. Other benefits include access to a 24/7 legal advice helpline, free online documents, and a 25 per cent discount on other fees.

Peter Watson, managing partner at Simpson Millar, said: “Put simply, the public are increasingly at risk of finding themselves with no support in the event of a dispute.

“Government legal aid is no longer available in the vast majority of civil cases nowadays so the Everyday Legal Plan has been devised to fill this gap.

“We have partnered with DAS, the country’s leading legal expenses insurer to marry our own expertise in delivering face to face legal advice with their understanding of providing insurance services.”

Bob Screen, head of marketing at DAS, said: “Although pre-paid legal products are popular in other countries, most notably the USA, it is still a fledgling market here in the UK.

“The Everyday Legal Plan has been designed to provide people with access to high quality legal services at an affordable price.”

According to the Everyday Legal website, customers will be able to talk to a lawyer face-to-face every year. The plan can be bought online or over the phone.

Simpson Millar has offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Gateshead, Lancaster, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and London.