Legal plan membership rather than a law firm. Its Commercial Drivers Legal Plan gives CDL holders access to provider law firms for moving violations, DOT and non-moving violations. Plan availability and coverage vary by state.
Services
Who it serves
Overview
LegalShield is not a law firm. It sells legal plan memberships: members pay a monthly fee and get access to lawyers at independent provider law firms in its network, who handle covered matters under the terms of the plan contract. The company is based in Ada, Oklahoma, and traces its history to 1972.
For the freight industry, the most relevant product is the Commercial Drivers Legal Plan, usually shortened to CDLP. It is built around the legal problems that can put a commercial driver's license at risk, such as moving violations, roadside DOT inspection violations and license suspensions. LegalShield's CDLP page says the plan's legal department has focused on commercial driver legal issues for more than 30 years.
LegalShield also sells small business legal plans. Those can be relevant to owner-operators who run their own authority, small fleets and small brokerages that want routine access to a lawyer for collection letters, contract checks and general questions, without hiring outside counsel by the hour for each small matter.
Compare with other Transportation Attorneys providers: Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, Benesch and Taylor Nelson Slattery Bernard PL, or see all Transportation Attorneys.
Services
Commercial Drivers Legal Plan. According to LegalShield's CDLP page, the plan covers the member and spouse. Listed benefits include representation in court by local lawyers for non-criminal moving violations in any licensed commercial or personal motor vehicle, and defense for 15 types of DOT and non-moving violations, including logbook, overweight, overheight, hazardous material, no medical card, no motor carrier authority, no insurance and permit violations. The plan includes up to 2.5 hours of lawyer time for license reinstatement or maintenance in listed situations, with pre-existing conditions excluded. It also lists defense against certain serious criminal charges arising from a traffic accident, help with property damage and personal injury claims up to $2,000 per claim with up to 2.5 hours of lawyer time (lawsuit filing excluded), and a 25% discount off the assigned lawyer's standard hourly rate for other transportation-related matters.
Small business plans. LegalShield's small business plan summary lists three tiers. Depending on tier, they include a set number of debt collection letters per year, contract and document checks with page limits, lawyer letters and calls on the business's behalf, unlimited phone consultations, IRS audit help hours and a discount on other legal services. Higher tiers raise the limits and the number of authorized users.
Who it is for
The CDLP is aimed at individual commercial drivers, including company drivers and owner-operators, who want a lawyer available when they get a ticket or a roadside violation. LegalShield's page makes the point that an employer's insurance is mostly focused on protecting the business rather than the driver as an individual, which is the gap the plan is meant to fill.
The small business plans fit small trucking companies and small freight brokerages that have recurring, lower-dollar legal needs: sending demand letters on unpaid invoices, having a lawyer look over a broker-carrier agreement or a lease, or getting a quick answer on a business question. They are not a substitute for a dedicated transportation law firm on large cargo claims, complex litigation, M&A or FMCSA enforcement matters. Larger fleets and brokers with those needs usually work with a firm like the others in this category.
How working with them works
LegalShield's CDLP page describes a three-step process. You pick a plan, then use the app or a computer to fill out a short form describing what you need, and LegalShield connects you with a law firm, usually within a business day. For traffic and DOT matters, the page says members can click to call a local lawyer from the app for hearings and court proceedings. The app is listed on the App Store and Google Play.
Pricing as listed on their website in November 2026: the Commercial Drivers Legal Plan is listed at $39.95 per month. The small business plans are listed at $59.95 per month (Basic), $99.95 per month (Preferred) and $169.95 per month (Premium), with lower monthly rates shown for annual billing. LegalShield's pages note that additional fees, limitations and waiting periods may apply and that the plan contract has the full details.
Because the work is done by independent provider law firms, the lawyer you get depends on your state and the firm assigned. LegalShield says its provider lawyers average 22 years of experience and publishes a lawyer directory.
Questions to ask before you sign
Which provider law firm covers my state, and does that firm regularly handle CDL and DOT matters in the courts where I usually drive? Drivers who run in many states should ask how out-of-state tickets are handled.
What exactly is excluded? Ask for the plan contract and read the limits on pre-existing matters, waiting periods, the hour caps on licensing and claims help, and what counts as a covered violation versus a matter billed at the discounted hourly rate.
Does the plan cover me if I change carriers or become an owner-operator? Ask whether coverage stays with you as an individual and how your spouse is covered.
For a business plan: how many collection letters and document reviews do I get per year, what page limits apply, and who at my company is allowed to call the lawyer? Ask what happens when a collection matter needs a lawsuit and what the discounted rate would be.
How fast is the response on a roadside or court-date issue? Ask how the app connects you to a lawyer and what happens outside business hours.
Company background
LegalShield's own history page says Harland Stonecipher founded the business in Ada, Oklahoma, in 1972, after a car accident left him facing legal costs. It was incorporated as Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. in 1976 and introduced its provider law firm network in 1987. The company went public in 1984 and later traded on the American Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
In 2011, MidOcean Partners acquired the company and it was renamed LegalShield, returning it to private ownership. Wikipedia reports that Stone Point Capital bought a majority stake in 2018. LegalShield's site says it serves 4.5 million individuals and 140,000 businesses across North America. It sells its plans through employers, independent associates and directly to consumers.
Sources
Information compiled from public sources. Last verified November 2026. Confirm details directly with the company.
