American Prepaid Legal Service Institute

Recruiting Success!
By Jim Buck

One of 2010 business goals for Texas Legal Protection Plan (TLPP) was to increase the size of its Provider Network. Specifically, the staff set out to increase the number of participating attorneys by 20% by year end. As of September 30th, TLPP has increased the number of participating attorneys by over 25% and it is very likely that TLPP will see an increase in excess of 30% before year end!

Jim Buck (Executive Director of TLPP) believes, that this increase is the result of staff’s diligent efforts on a number of different fronts. These efforts include creating a provider relations department, simplifying the attorney application process, streamlining the claims verification and payment processes and increasing the attorney fee schedule. “We basically retooled our entire approach to take advantage of technology and the attorneys are responding to that”. “Our motto is work smarter not harder” Buck said. Since taking the helm at TLPP in November of 2007, Jim has spent considerable time restructuring the organization and improving processes at TLPP. All but one employee has been replaced and TLPP is a completely different organization. “We have invested heavily in technology and people and we have fortified every position in the organization” Says Buck, pointing to the complete overhaul of their website and the nearly completed project of upgrading their Benefit Administration software.

These investments are paying off as TLPP is on target to add three dozen new groups by year end. “We are finally at a point where the appropriate modifications to the infrastructure are complete and service can once again be our chief priority.” Says Buck, who indicated that it took the better part of two years to get the organization to the point it is at now.

“We were created by the State Bar of Texas to provide the average Texas citizen access to affordable legal representation.” We take this mission very seriously and are now poised to do good work throughout the state.”

The Texas Legal Protection Plan (TLPP) is a non-profit corporation that was created by the State Bar of Texas in 1972 in order to ensure that the average Texas citizen had access to affordable legal representation. The State Bar of Texas appoints the members of the TLPP Board of Directors.