Legal Plan

2024 Plan Information

Benefits in Brief

Affordable access to experienced attorneys for personal legal matters.

Eligible services are generally covered at 100% when you use in-network attorneys.
Services include wills and trusts; real estate; finances; elder law; family, small claims and family court; immigration and more.
Did you know? Option A lets your parents and in-laws use select legal services.

New Service through the Legal Plan: Morgan Stanley employees enrolled in the MetLife Legal Plan and their families now have access to SupportPay, at no additional cost. Through this online platform, parents and caregivers can make and receive payments, manage shared expenses, centralize and record communications, and organize schedules.

The Legal Assistance Plan, administered by MetLife Legal Plans, provides eligible employees with affordable legal assistance and easy access to an experienced network of local attorneys.

The Plan covers attorneys’ fees for a wide range of personal legal matters, including consumer protection and court appearances, debt matters, defense of civil lawsuits, document preparation, immigration, family law, real estate matters, traffic matters, wills and estate planning. For a complete list of covered services, see below.*

Employees may cover themselves and their dependents – as well as their parents and parents-in-law.

How It Works

Generally, attorneys’ fees for eligible services are covered at 100% in-network. Out-of-network attorneys’ fees are reimbursed based on the Out-of-Network Fee Reimbursement Schedule.

There are two plan options, which are detailed below:

Option A: Extended Family

Option A covers you, your spouse or domestic partner, and eligible children, who may use all of the services listed below. Additionally, Option A covers your parents and your spouse’s or domestic partner’s parents, who may use only the services listed below in bold and italics. You may cover up to four sets of parents under this plan.

Option B: Family

Option B covers you, your spouse or domestic partner, and eligible children – and includes all of the services listed below.

What the Plan Covers

If you enroll in Option A or B, all of the services below are available to you, your spouse and eligible dependents. If you enroll in Option A, the services that are bold and italicized are available to your parents and parents-in-law. For additional details, see this document.

WILLS & ESTATE PLANNING	*Simple & Complex Wills* Revocable & Irrevocable Trusts *Identity Management* *Powers of Attorney (Healthcare, Financial, Childcare, Immigration)* *Healthcare Proxies* *Living Wills* *Codicils*
MONEY MATTERS	Negotiations with Creditors Financial Education Workshops Tax Audit Representation Identity Theft Defense *Promissory Notes* Debt Collection Defense Tax Collection Defense
HOME & REAL ESTATE	Foreclosures Tenant Negotiations Boundary & Title Disputes *Deeds* *Mortgages* Sales or Purchases of Primary and Vacation Home Eviction Defense Property Tax Assessments Refinancing & Home Equity Loan of Primary and Vacation Home Security Deposit Assistance Zoning Applications
FAMILY & PERSONAL	Adoptions Guardianships Conservatorships Prenuptial Agreements Only available to the employee Divorce Name Changes Review of Any Personal Legal Document* Juvenile Court Defense Including Criminal Matters Parental Responsibility Matters School Hearings Demand Letters Personal Property Issues *Affidavits* Personal Bankruptcy Garnishment Defense Protection from Domestic Violence Review of Immigration Documents Reproductive Law Assistance
ADOPTION AND LEGITIMIZATION	This service covers all legal services and court work in a state or federal court for a contested or uncontested adoption by the plan member and spouse. Legitimization of a child for the plan member and spouse, including reformation of a birth certificate, is also covered.
CIVIL LAWSUITS	Civil Litigation Defense Disputes Over Consumer Goods & Services Small Claims Assistance Administrative Hearings Incompetency Defense Pet Liabilities
ELDER-CARE ISSUES	Consultation & Document Review for issues related to your parents: *Medicare* *Medicaid* *Prescription Plans* *Nursing Home Agreements* *Leases* *Notes* *Deeds* *Wills* *Powers of Attorney*
VEHICLE & DRIVING	Repossession Defense of Traffic Tickets Driving Privilege Restoration License Suspension Due to DUI
OTHER	Maximum of 4 hours of in-network attorneys services that are not covered under the plans such as: Custody establishment DUI Habeas corpus Plaintiff property damage Support order modification

Legal Assistance Plan Semi-Monthly Employee Contributions

You pay the full cost of coverage under the Legal Assistance Plan, and your contributions are deducted from your pay on an after-tax basis.

Option A (Extended Family): $12.00 per pay period

Option B (Family): $6.00 per pay period

4 Legal Documents We Should All Have – and the Legal Plan Covers

Will: A will ensures your property is distributed and your family is cared for exactly as you wish. Without a will, the courts may decide how your property is distributed.

Living Trust: A living trust lets you distribute your assets and property while you are still alive – and reduces the amount of taxes you may have to pay.

Living Will: This document specifies the types of medical treatments you want if you are unable to express those wishes yourself. A living will ensures you get the care you want and protects your loved ones from making difficult decisions on your behalf.

Durable Power of Attorney: If you become incapacitated, this document lets you designate someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf.

*A Note about Legal Services.

No services, not even a consultation, are provided for the following matters: Employment-related matters (including company or statutory benefits) for you or your eligible dependents; matters involving Morgan Stanley or its affiliates; matters involving network attorneys; matters in which there is a conflict of interest between the employee and his/her spouse, domestic partner or dependents (in such case, services are only provided to the participating employee); appeals and class actions; farm and business matters (including rental issues where you are the landlord); patent, trademark and copyright matters; costs or fines; frivolous or unethical matters (as determined by MetLife Legal Plans); and matters for which an attorney-client relationship exists before the employee became eligible for Plan benefits.