TECHNOLOGY | HEALTH | CONSUMER | INDUSTRIAL | FINANCIAL | NATURAL | INVESTING
 

Latest Issues
Advanced Search
Subscribe
TWST Conferences
Subscribe Online
TWST Products
Technology
Healthcare
Consumer
Industry & Services
Financial Services
Natural Resources
Investing Strategies
Who is TWST?
Contact TWST
Contact TWST Europe
Sample Issue
Home

Click the button below to talk to a live representative from The Wall Street Transcript

 

The Wall Street Transcript publishes:

Internet Security & Identity Authentication Issue
Four analysts and top management from nine sector firms examine the Security/Internet Security & Identity Authentication sector in this 51 - page Issue from The Wall Street Transcript.
Investing Strategies Report
Weekly series of interviews with TWST Editors and top money managers

Let the best minds of Wall Street pick your stock

How has Special Stock Report been able to consistently outperform the major indices? Find out how!
 

 

CEO of Pre-Paid Legal Services comments on market potential and growth targets Full article published: 07/11/2002     HARLAND C. STONECIPHER is the Chairman and CEO of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.


For Subscribers

Get the complete article now!

TWST: Can we begin with a brief historical sketch of Pre-Paid Legal Services(NYSE:PPD)and then a quick picture of where you are and what you are doing today?

Mr. Stonecipher: Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. is the same thing to the attorney’s fees that medical insurance is to doctor bills. So what we do is provide middle- income North Americans with a way to afford access to the legal system. We know that the wealthiest top 10% in America today are really the only ones that can actually afford legal services; the bottom 10% - people who are flat broke and on public aid - many times would have access to the public defender system, which sometimes works, but in most cases it doesn’t work. Middle-income North Americans don’t know lawyers; they are intimidated by lawyers and they are concerned about what it costs. So our company is designed to bring together that group of people out there today, which is over a 100 million middle-income working American families, bring them together with top quality lawyers and give them unlimited access to the lawyers at a price that they can afford. Of course our company is a publicly held company. It is a company that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange; a company that was incorporated in 1972. A company right now that has 36 consecutive quarters of uninterrupted growth, and we expect to announce our 37th consecutive quarter sometime in July.

TWST: What are the legal services that you provide? Is there a selection of plans available?

Mr. Stonecipher: Yes, let me talk about our most common plan. We do have several different types of plans for particular niche markets, but let me talk about just the standard family plan: Let’s say that you are working somewhere and you enroll with us as a payroll deduction, then that would cover you and your spouse and it will also cover any dependant children up to the age of 21. So we are talking about giving your entire family affordable access to a top quality law firm. We are talking about a law firm that in most cases is AV rated and that’s the highest rating that any law firm can have. So you are dealing with top quality lawyers. And then you have the ability to simply pick up the telephone. You can certainly go by, if you like, and sit in our office, but in most cases people don’t want to do that and most people don’t do that any more. They like to use the telephone. So you have toll-free numbers, so it doesn’t cost you anything to make the telephone call, and you can call about anything of a legal nature. One of the things that is used a lot is consumer related problems. A lot of people today buy a washing machine, for example, that won’t wash. But as a middle-income American what are they going to do about that? They can’t afford to go and hire a lawyer because the cost of the lawyer in many cases is more than the cost of the washing machine. So there is not much they can do about that. But with Pre-Paid Legal Service membership, the law firm is there to assist them with that problem, to make telephone calls on their behalf, to write letters on their behalf or to do this on any type of a consumer related matter. It’s amazing the type of results you’ll see when they get the letter from this law firm that has all of these partners’ names down both sides of the letterhead. So consumer related type programs.


Tickers included in this excerpt: PPD

For US quote, 
enter ticker here:
For a European quote, 
enter ticker here:
Have TWST notes emailed to you free:
Version: Email address:


For Subscribers

Get the complete article now!

Email this page


This interview is a small excerpt from a comprehensive interview published in The Wall Street Transcript on 07/08/02. For more information call (212) 952 7400. The Wall Street Transcript does not endorse any of the comments made by interviewees, and does not make stock recommendations.

Copyright 2002, Wall Street Transcript Corp.

SECTOR LINKS

  • Manufacturing / Engineering
  • Services


     

  • HOME PRODUCTS SUBSCRIBE ABOUT ARCHIVE HOTLINE CONTACT EUROPE