A new study, “The Impact of Legal Matters on Today’s Work Force,” released from Hyatt Legal Plans, a MetLife company, found that people with legal issues – such as will preparation, traffic tickets, real estate matters, debt problems or family situations like adoption and divorce – are spending, on average, close to three hours a week at work dealing with their situation for an average duration of five to six weeks. Furthermore, 37% of men and 47% of women said dealing with their issue negatively impacted their physical or emotional health.   

According to a press release, seven in ten individuals surveyed who engaged an attorney said having legal counsel made them feel more confident and the issue was easier to resolve. About two-thirds of individuals using a lawyer said having an attorney gave them peace of mind.   

Those who were enrolled in a group plan and used a network attorney felt more positively about their overall experience than those hiring an independent attorney or those going it alone.  

The study found that only 30% of employees accessing their attorney through a group legal plan used vacation or other paid time off addressing their situation, compared with nearly 50% of employees hiring an attorney on their own. Nine out of ten people who used a group legal plan said they would use it again in the future. The press release said even 42% of people who were satisfied serving as their own attorney said they would be interested in enrolling in a group legal plan if given the option.  

The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Hyatt Legal Plans from January 6 to February 7, 2011, among 846 employed U.S. residents ages 18 and older who have had at least one targeted legal issue in the past five years.