ARAG Offers Legal Insurance to State of Iowa Employees; Gov. Vilsack's Visit to ARAG Parent Company Sparks Interest in Benefit.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Last November, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and state representatives embarked on a goodwill tour through Germany, visiting organizations that currently have successful operations in Iowa.

One company visited by the Governor was ARAG, a global-leading legal insurance administrator. The company's U.S. headquarters is in Des Moines, where it has been administering legal plans for more than 30 years. After learning about the legal plans the company provides domestically as an employee benefit, Gov. Vilsack thought state of Iowa employees might benefit from such an offering.

As a result, ARAG has been granted permission to market its legal insurance plan - LegalRx - to state of Iowa employees.

According to a survey by the American Bar Association(a), nearly 70 percent of U.S. households had an issue during the year that might have led them to hire a lawyer. But with attorneys charging on average $240 per hour (b), many cannot afford to see a lawyer.

With LegalRx, individuals have access to local, private-practicing attorneys for approximately $20 a month. Attorneys comprising the ARAG network average 20 years in experience, and can be easily accessed for in-person or over-the-phone consultations.

The product also provides individuals with a central resource for managing their legal needs. From an informative legal library, to do-it-yourself legal documents, to one-on-one attorney consultations, LegalRx offers flexibility in choosing the best solution for current and future legal situations.

Specific legal assistance covered with a LegalRx plan include:

--Telephone legal services 

--In-office legal services

--Identity theft services

--Online legal resources

Some areas of law that are covered with a LegalRx plan include:

--Consumer protection matters

--Standard wills and powers of attorney documentation

--IRS issues

--Adoption proceedings

--Juvenile court situations

--Name change procedures

--Tenant protection problems

--Driving privileges issues

As an additional benefit, if a customer has a legal need that is not specifically covered under the plan, special group rates are available from attorneys within the network.

"We have been able to develop and maintain a diverse, well-balanced legal network that represents a broad range of family law and other areas of practice that will provide members reasonable choice of attorneys," said Jim Brennan, president of ARAG. "We also tend to recruit attorneys from smaller firms because we believe they are more accustomed to delivering the quality one-on-one customer service we pride ourselves upon."

How to Enroll

State of Iowa employees can learn more about ARAG and LegalRx through scheduled meetings throughout the state starting in April. Enrollment forms will be made available during these visits.

The first meetings will take place in Des Moines - at the Hoover Building on Wednesday, April 20; and the Grimes Building on Tuesday, April 26.

In addition, state employees can immediately receive information or download an enrollment form at http://members.ARAGgroup.com/IA. Employees can also call 800-247-4184, and an ARAG customer care counselor can answer questions or enroll employees over the phone.

About ARAG North America Inc.

ARAG (www.ARAGgroup.com) is a leading provider of legal insurance and supporting services, and maintains its domestic headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. The company maintains 1.7 million participants throughout the United States and Canada and offers its legal plan as an employee benefit to more than 500 organizations. ARAG's industry strength has led to praise from the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Delivery of Legal Services when it received meritorious recognition in the Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access competition. Also, the A.M. Best Company assigned ARAG Insurance Company a Best's Rating of A (Excellent).

(a) "Public Perceptions of Lawyers Consumer Research Findings," the American Bar Association, April 2002.

(b) 2004 Survey of Law Firm Economics; Altman Weil Publications, Inc.