FAQs

The Member Fulfilment Pack also called the Welcome Pack or Membership Pack, is given to or emailed to new Members when they join LegalWise. This pack contains important information and resources to help You understand Your Membership benefits and get started.

The Member Fulfilment Pack includes Your:

• Schedule of Insurance
• Membership Agreement
• Statutory Disclosure Notice

It’s important to understand all the documents in Your Member Fulfilment / Welcome Pack. It outlines essential details of Your contract and clearly defines the terms, conditions and limitations of Your cover.

If 6 weeks have passed and You have not received Your Member Fulfilment Pack, You can:

• Contact Our Branch Administration Department (see details below) if You have questions regarding Your Membership or to update Your email address.
• Visit Your nearest branch, ask the receptionist for a copy of Your Member Fulfilment Pack and if they have a card printing machine, Your card can be printed while You wait.
• Your Membership is still valid even if You haven’t received Your Member Fulfilment Pack. You can still access all Your Member benefits and pay Your premiums – Your Membership does not start when You receive Your pack, but when We receive Your first premium.
• Your Membership is still valid even if you haven’t received your fulfilment pack. You can still access Member benefits and pay your premiums – your Membership does not start when you receive your pack, but when we receive your first premium.
• If You have any questions or don’t understand something, please feel free to give Us a call:
  Keetmanshoop  (+264) 83 330 7740
  Oshakati            (+264) 83 330 7707
  Walvis Bay          (+264) 83 330 0288
  Windhoek          (+264) 61 236 585

The Membership Agreement outlines the essential details of Your policy. It specifies the terms, conditions and limitations of Your cover, serving as a reference for both You and Your insurer regarding cover, exclusions, rules and claims procedures.

If you need to update Your personal information or make changes to Your policy, You can

• Visit your nearest LegalWise branch
• Download and complete the Personal Details Change Request Form and/or Membership Change Request Form from Our website and email to [email protected]
• Call Us on:
  Keetmanshoop  (+264) 83 330 7740
  Oshakati            (+264) 83 330 7707
  Walvis Bay          (+264) 83 330 0288
  Windhoek          (+264) 61 236 585

The Schedule of Insurance contains all the essential details of Your contract, as outlined in Your Membership Agreement. It is important to ensure that the information in the schedule is accurate. A clear understanding of the contract and its conditions guarantees that You are properly covered and that Your attorney or Your beneficiaries will receive prompt payment in the event of a claim.

Your legal policy provides Paralegal Services and Legal Expenses Insurance Cover for the Main Member, spouse or partner and children under 21, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations outlined in the Membership Agreement.

Yes, You can add parents or parents-in-law, siblings, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law to Your legal policy under the Extended Family Protection option for a small additional premium (subject to terms and conditions). However, other family members like aunts and uncles would need to apply for their own separate legal policy, as they can’t be added to Your policy.

The Extended Family Protection cover does not entitle the family member to all the benefits of the policy. Terms and conditions apply, please refer to Your Membership Agreement.

Why You need it

Legal Expenses Insurance helps You navigate legal challenges, covering potentially high and unexpected legal costs that may arise from actions taken by or against You. Having legal support gives You peace of mind for big and small challenges.

How it works

Similar to how medical aid helps cover medical costs, Legal Expenses Insurance covers the legal costs for You and Your family in case You need legal representation.

What does “predates cover” mean?

This refers to legal matters that happened before You obtained the policy. Just like You can’t claim for a car accident that happened before You obtained car insurance, Legal Expenses Insurance won’t cover matters that occurred before Your policy started.

What happens if I join LegalWise after a matter has already occurred?

If Your legal issue occurred before You joined, LegalWise won’t cover Your legal costs, but We can still provide advice and Paralegal Services, provided Your policy is paid up and meets the conditions outlined in Your Membership Agreement.

The LegalWise Paralegal Services benefit offers dispute prevention services through in-house, legally trained Counsellors. These professionals offer guidance and support to assist Members to prevent legal issues from escalating into disputes. It’s a proactive way to get legal support before things potentially become more complicated.

To access Paralegal Services at LegalWise, You have several options:

1. In-person consultation: You can make an appointment to consult with a Legal Counsellor at any of Our branches.
2. 24/7 Legal Call Centre: You can call the 24/7 legal call centre at (+264) 61 236 585 for assistance.
3. Digital channels: You can also reach out to Us on Facebook or through Our website, a customer care consultant will direct your query to the legal department and a Legal Counsellor will call you back.

No, You are not automatically entitled to Paralegal Services. These services are provided at Our discretion. We may also set limits on these services. For specific details regarding Your cover, please refer to Your Membership Agreement.

If We cannot resolve Your matter through Paralegal Services, We will refer Your matter to one of Our in-house senior Legal Specialists or to a Network Lawyer in terms of the Legal Expenses Insurance Cover benefit. This referral is dependent on Your cover and the terms, conditions and limitations as set out in the Membership Agreement.

If Your matter is excluded from cover, a Legal Counsellor will still try to assist You through Paralegal Services as long as you’re a paid-up Member (meaning You are not behind on Your premiums). They can provide advice, write legal letters or even negotiate with third parties on Your behalf.

However, there are some important things to keep in mind:

• LegalWise has discretion over whether or not We provide Paralegal Services, especially in excluded cases.
• For certain excluded matters, no Paralegal Services may be offered.
• If Your matter is excluded, You cannot claim from the Legal Expenses Insurance Cover benefit, which means You will not get legal representation in court.
• Please refer to Your Membership Agreement for specific exclusions and conditions.

The waiting period is stated in Your Schedule of Insurance and starts from the day We receive Your first premium.

Paralegal services: You can claim for Paralegal Services during the waiting period, as long as you’re up to date on Your premiums. However, keep in mind that LegalWise has discretion in deciding whether or not to offer these services.

Legal Expenses Insurance Cover: You cannot claim for Legal Expenses Insurance Cover during the waiting period. This benefit only becomes available once the waiting period has passed and cannot be used for matters that predate cover.

Please refer to Your Membership Agreement to fully understand Your cover and any exclusions that might apply.

Yes, the cooling-off period is 31 days from the date We receive Your first premium. During this period, You can review and familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of Your Membership. If you’re not completely satisfied with the cover provided and You haven’t requested assistance yet for Paralegal assistance or a referral for a claim, LegalWise will refund You. However, Your request must be in writing. It is always good to ensure you’re comfortable with the policy before fully committing.

No, if you’ve already received Paralegal Services or Legal Expenses Insurance Cover during the cooling-off period, Your premiums will not be refunded. The cooling-off period is meant to give You time to review the terms and decide if the Membership is right for You. Once you’ve used any of the services the refund option no longer applies.

No, You will not be refunded if You cancel Your Membership after the cooling-off / waiting period. Once that period has passed, Your Membership is considered active and cancellations won’t result in a refund.

The Retrenchment / Disability benefit is only applicable to the Main Member and becomes available only once the Main Member is retrenched or becomes totally / temporarily disabled after a period of continuous paid Membership (as specified in Your Schedule of Insurance).

In this case, LegalWise will cover Your premiums for 6 months from the date of retrenchment or disability. This is also known as a 6-month premium waiver. It means You can still receive legal cover for only 6 months without worrying about making premium payments.  It is important to review Your Membership Agreement to fully understand the terms and conditions that apply.

No. It cannot be purchased as a standalone policy. It is only available as part of Your main LegalWise legal policy.