(a)  A nonprofit prepaid legal service corporation may contract with its subscribers for legal services that may be provided under any nonprofit prepaid legal services plan adopted by the corporation.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 27-20.3-3

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Legal service: means the professional services rendered by persons duly licensed under the laws of this state to engage in the practice of law who have agreed to perform services as may be specified under any nonprofit prepaid legal service plan, and to accept payment for the services on the basis provided in the plan. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-20.3-1
  • Nonprofit prepaid legal service corporation: means any corporation organized pursuant to this chapter for the purpose of establishing, maintaining, and operating a nonprofit prepaid legal services plan;

    (3)  "Nonprofit prepaid legal services plan" means any plan by which reimbursement for specified legal services is provided to participating attorneys or subscribers to the plan by a nonprofit prepaid legal service corporation, and the plan shall be open for participation to all qualified, practicing members of the Rhode Island Bar Association; and

    (4)  "Subscribers" means those persons or groups of persons who shall contract with a nonprofit legal service corporation for reimbursement for specified legal services pursuant to a nonprofit legal services plan. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-20.3-1

  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  Every nonprofit prepaid legal service corporation shall, before accepting applications for participation in a nonprofit prepaid legal services plan, establish a reserve fund of not less than ten percent (10%) of the claims and expenses projected by the board of directors of the corporation for its first fiscal year of operation. At the time or times that the corporation shall adjust its rates, it shall include a factor for the protection of its subscribers projected to produce a reserve fund at the end of the rating period applied for of not less than ten percent (10%) of the most recent twelve (12) months of claims and operating expenses available at the time of filing its request for approval of the rates.

(c)  The rates charged by the nonprofit prepaid legal service corporation to its subscribers shall be consistent with the proper conduct of its business and the interests of the public, and shall at all times be subject to the approval of the director of business regulation.

(d)  Nothing contained in this chapter or in any nonprofit prepaid legal service plan shall affect the ordinary professional relationship between the person rendering legal services under the plan and the subscriber to whom the services are rendered; and no action based upon or arising out of the relationship or relating to legal services rendered pursuant to a nonprofit prepaid legal services plan shall be maintained against the nonprofit prepaid legal service corporation operating the plan.

History of Section.
P.L. 1976, ch. 179, § 1.