Plain-English terms you should know

1. Guardian is not a law firm

Guardian Legal Plan LLC is a legal plan membership program. It is not a law firm, and enrolling in the membership does not create an attorney-client relationship with Guardian Legal Plan LLC itself. Guardian Legal Plan LLC does not itself provide legal advice and is not a law firm — services are rendered by independently retained, participating attorneys.

2. This is a membership program

What you are purchasing is access to a membership program: a defined set of benefits that may include access to a network of business-debt attorneys, document and notice review coordination, and support if a legal matter arises during your business debt-settlement process. Membership is not insurance, is not a loan, and does not itself resolve your debt. The specific benefits, service levels, and any limits included with your membership are set out in your membership agreement.

3. No legal, tax, or bankruptcy advice from Guardian directly

Nothing on this website, and nothing communicated by Guardian Legal Plan LLC staff in the course of administering the membership, should be understood as legal, tax, or bankruptcy advice. Only an attorney you have independently retained can provide legal advice specific to your situation. If you need immediate legal guidance, you should seek it directly from qualified counsel.

4. Attorneys are independently retained by you

Any attorney you are connected with through the Guardian Legal Plan network — whether for settlement-related negotiation support or for defense against litigation, confessions of judgment, arbitration, garnishment, or UCC lien enforcement — is retained directly by you, the client. That attorney's professional obligations run to you, not to Guardian Legal Plan LLC or to your debt-settlement provider. Fee arrangements, scope of representation, and engagement terms with any attorney are addressed in a separate engagement agreement between you and that attorney.

5. Relationship to your debt-settlement provider

Guardian Legal Plan LLC is a membership add-on frequently offered to clients of business debt-settlement providers, including Corporate Client Services LLC ("CCS"). Guardian Legal Plan LLC is a separate legal entity from CCS and from any other debt-settlement provider. CCS's role, where applicable, is limited to administering your debt-settlement program and — as a billing convenience — remitting your Legal Plan membership fee to Guardian Legal Plan LLC from your dedicated settlement account. CCS is not Guardian Legal Plan LLC, does not provide legal advice, and does not control the legal services made available through the Guardian network.

Separately, if a specific enrolled debt in your CCS settlement program is forwarded to Guardian Legal Plan LLC for legal handling, that debt is excluded from CCS's own Minimum Performance Standard for that program — CCS's debt-reduction guarantee no longer applies once a matter has moved from settlement negotiation to legal representation. Refer to your CCS settlement agreement for the exact terms of its Minimum Performance Standard and its exclusions.

6. Billing & payment authorization

If you enroll in the Legal Plan membership, you authorize your debt-settlement provider (where applicable) to draft your membership fee from your dedicated settlement account on the schedule set out in your membership agreement, and to remit that fee directly to Guardian Legal Plan LLC. In CCS settlement agreements, this has been structured as a single, one-time draft rather than a fee spread across every recurring settlement payment. You may cancel this authorization or your membership according to the terms in your membership agreement; contact Guardian Legal Plan LLC directly with billing questions.

7. Results are not guaranteed

Legal matters — including lawsuits, confessions of judgment, arbitration proceedings, garnishment actions, and UCC lien enforcement — depend heavily on the specific facts, jurisdiction, contract terms, and conduct of all parties involved. Guardian Legal Plan LLC does not guarantee any particular outcome, timeline, settlement amount, dismissal, or defense result in connection with membership benefits or any attorney engagement arranged through the network. Prior outcomes in other matters, if ever referenced, do not predict results in your matter.

8. Arbitration & binding terms note

Your membership agreement with Guardian Legal Plan LLC may include its own dispute-resolution terms, which can differ from the terms in your debt-settlement agreement with your provider. Read your membership agreement carefully, including any clause requiring disputes between you and Guardian Legal Plan LLC to be resolved through binding arbitration rather than in court, and any provision affecting your ability to participate in a class action. Separately, be aware that many MCA and business-financing contracts contain their own arbitration or confession-of-judgment clauses that can affect how a creditor pursues collection — these are a primary reason litigation-support membership benefits exist in the first place.

9. Eligibility & availability

Membership eligibility, specific benefits, attorney availability, and coverage for particular legal matters can vary by jurisdiction, membership tier, and the nature of your situation. Enrollment in a debt-settlement program does not automatically include the Legal Plan membership — it is a separate add-on that must be purchased. Details of what is included with your specific membership are confirmed at enrollment and in your membership agreement.

10. Changes to these disclosures

Guardian Legal Plan LLC may update these disclosures from time to time to reflect changes in the membership program, applicable law, or our relationships with debt-settlement providers. The version posted on this page reflects our current general disclosures; your specific membership agreement controls in the event of any conflict.