Episode Details

Legal fees are often what actually break people in a high-conflict divorce. Carol Reed's argument is that a low-cost legal plan changes the math, giving you access to a law firm for a flat monthly fee instead of hundreds of dollars just to ask a question.

Carol Reed is a former educator and a representative for LegalShield, a legal-services membership. She came to the work because it fit a problem she cared about, ordinary people being treated unfairly by a system they cannot afford to fight. She is careful that a plan like this is not a replacement for your own attorney in a contested case.

In this episode, Carol and Lisa talk about the gap so many people fall into, running out of money for a lawyer and ending up self-represented by necessity. Carol explains how the membership model works: prepaid access to a dedicated law firm, review of contracts and documents, letters and calls made on your behalf, and a discount on hourly rates if you do hire that firm. Lisa shares her own experience trying the service across her long, two-state case, and a client's experience getting a custody order reviewed for a fraction of a normal consult.

They also cover what is and is not included, how coverage can extend to children, and the everyday legal questions, from a traffic stop to a tax matter, that a plan like this is built for. The larger point is one Lisa and Chris return to often: when full representation is out of reach, an affordable second opinion is rarely a bad idea.

To be clear: Been There Got Out does not accept compensation for referrals, this one included. We recommend LegalShield only because we think it is a real resource in the right situations, never because anyone pays us to.

As always, this is strategic education, not legal or mental-health advice for your specific situation.

🎓 What you'll learn

• Why legal fees, not the conflict itself, are what bankrupt so many people in divorce
• How a subscription legal plan works, and how it differs from hiring your own attorney
• What these plans typically cover: advice, document review, and letters or calls on your behalf
• Why an affordable second opinion on a document or order can be worth it
• How coverage can extend to your kids
• The member discount to weigh if you do decide to hire the firm

⏱️ Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:00 What a legal-services plan is, and the affordability pitch
3:00 Carol's background, and the gap she's trying to fill
7:00 How collective buying power keeps it cheap
9:00 What's covered: advice, document review, calls and letters
11:00 Lisa tries it herself, and a client's custody order reviewed
17:00 Who's covered, including kids
19:00 Extra features: traffic stops, a tax lawyer, emergencies
21:00 The member discount if you do hire the firm
25:00 Month-to-month terms, and how to reach Carol

Keep going 💜
Book a free 30-minute discovery call and we'll help you map your next steps: https://beentheregotout.com/call
📘 Been There Got Out: Toxic Relationships, High-Conflict Divorce, and How to Stay Sane Under Insane Circumstances — https://www.amazon.com/dp/194627495X
📘 Been There Got Out: When Your Ex Turns the Kids Against You (our parental-alienation book) — https://www.amazon.com/dp/1967674183
🔗 Carol Reed (LegalShield): https://creed26.legalshieldassociate.com/

About Been There Got Out
Chris Barry and Lisa Johnson are high-conflict divorce, custody, and co-parenting strategists, and the founders of Been There Got Out. They know these cases from the inside: both have successfully represented themselves in family court. Few attorneys have a playbook for a case like this — Chris and Lisa write yours with you, so you and your kids can get through it as unscathed as possible.