When the White House released the 2018 budget outline, one element that caught my attention wasthe proposed elimination of Legal Services Corporation (LSC), whichis the primary source of funding for civil court legal aid forlow-income Americans. Funding for LSC is critical to the lives ofmany Americans as well as to the viability of access to our legalsystem.

Combine this possibility with the fact that law offices are doing less work for individuals and more work forbusinesses, and this spells trouble for the 75 percent ofAmericans who experience at least one legal event a year. And evenif people are able to connect with a quality attorney, how are theyable to afford attorney fees that average $343 an hour when themajority of Americans have a hard time paying a one-time emergency expense of $400?

Now more than ever, legal insurance is a benefit employeesneed.

To see the potential support legal insurance can provide yourclients’ employees, let’s look at an issue millions of Americansdeal with every year: domestic violence. One out of fourwomen (and one in seven men) will be a victim of severephysical violence in her lifetime. Currently the main source oflegal assistance for women attempting to escape domestic violencesituations is programs funded by the LSC.

But what if these programs are cut? Where will these women turnfor help?

Meet Kim. Kim was in an abusive marriage with two toddlers. Sheknew she needed to get out of her marriage for the safety ofherself and her kids, but she was scared. She didn’t know if shecould afford living on her own, let alone paying for an attorney tohelp her get a divorce. And she was scared at the thought offiguring it all out by herself.

Thankfully, Kim’s employer offered legal insurance as avoluntary benefit. Kim shared:

“This insurance was my lifeline toindependence. I needed to take matters into my ownhands…and my legal plan gave me that security to be able to dothat. With that, it created a ripple effect for me to be able tosell my home and purchase another one for my two children. Becauseof my new life, I was also able to put together a will to providefor my children if something should happen to me. So many womenstay in an abusive relationship because they cannot afford to getaway, so I consider myself...my life...happy and secure again. Icouldn't have done it otherwise!”

Kim’s legal insurance gave her the ability to work with anattorney who could help her — not just with her immediate legalissue, but in the future, to make sure she and her children alwaysfelt secure and protected. And she was able to do all of thiswithout having to worry about cost.

Currently, cost is a significant barrier for many people whoneed an attorney.

But with legal insurance, the average amount employees pay as apremium for one entire year ($200-$300) is less than the averageattorney rate for one hour of their time ($343) — and we all knowthat most legal issues are not going to be resolved in an hour.Even creating a simple will takes an average of four hours for anattorney to complete. So legal insurance could save employeesthousands of dollars for just one legal issue.

Plus, the premium is something that people can budget for, whichcan make even the most unexpected legal situation less stressfulbecause you aren’t worrying about paying for an attorney on top ofeverything else.

In addition to being less stressed because they are savingmoney, people who work with an attorney feel less stressed ingeneral, because they believe they are also receiving a betteroutcome and saving time.

Having access to attorneys makes a difference, plain andsimple.

A recent study concluded that attorney representation affectscase outcomes —perhaps because attorneys are more aware of“procedural options” and inclined to take advantage of them in waysthat resolve cases more quickly.

Analysis of the housing court system in New York City byThe Guardian and The New York Times, for example, has found that nothaving a lawyer can be a deciding factor in people losing theirhomes.

No one wants their employees to have to deal with a catastrophiclegal event like losing their home. If your clients’ employees aregiven access to attorneys and legal resources through a legalinsurance voluntary benefit, they will be better equipped to handlelegal matters big and small — and they will be more engagedemployees. As an HR executive, my first concern is always ourcompany’s people, but I also have to remember that stressed,overwhelmed employees can negatively impact a company’s bottomline.

We may not yet know what will become of the budget proposal orfederal funding for LSC and legal aid programs, but we can’t sitaround and wait until it’s too late. Legal insurance is a way tohelp employees today so that they won’t be caught without anattorney when they need one.