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Well, I signed up with CCW Safe tonight. I spoke to one of their guys on the phone for about 45 minutes this afternoon. Small company, made up of all former LEO's and some now attorneys. Guy I talked to today was former high ranking BATF agent (from his bio). Company CEO is a former cop and former DOJ agent.

Just getting a good vibe from everything I'm seeing and hearing about this outfit. Their terms & conditions declaration on their web site is single page, straight forward clear English (no legal-ese), as opposed to some other outfits that have 10 or more pages of "party of the first part" and "wheretofore's" and the like.

The company has been in operation as a business for 4 years. No, they have not had any major cases (a few "minor" ones), but their network attorneys have had cases of their own, so they do have experience. This company emphasizes stopping any potential legal action against you before it starts. But if they can't do that, they also claim to have the resources to defend you in court if it comes to that. It's not insurance, but it's like the philosophy of insurance in that you hope you don't need it, but if you do, you're glad to have it.

I still also plan on finding a local attorney that I can deal with on a personal level, face to face. But I travel a fair amount, and if I live in Texas and have a local attorney in Texas, he's not going to be able to do much for me if I have an incident in Indiana. Plus, now that I have signed up with these guys, it gives me the luxury of time so that I don't have to be in a big rush to find a local guy.

So at $99 for a year's worth of CCW Safe, with the benefits they offer (attorneys, investigators, expert witnesses, no cost ceiling for services, covers use of any weapon (not just gun), provides up to quarter million dollar bail bond, nation-wide coverage, and an A+ rating from the OK City BBB), it just seemed like too good a deal to pass up.

Not trying to sell anybody else on them, just explaining why I went with them for now. YMMV.

Thanks for all the input from everyone. This whole experience is still a work in progress for me, so there may be some tweaks to come later on.

Lots of good information flowing here. That's what I like about this forum - lots of different ideas getting discussed without people tripping all over their egos and getting all upset. I've seen forums where some of the members seem to have big chips on their shoulders, and the mods sometimes let it get out of control. It ain't pretty!

As for my original question, I'm still thinking it over. Since I haven't received my license yet, I'm not carrying yet, so not a big deal, yet.

But I've kinda narrowed it down to either a pre-paid legal plan, or find a local attorney and put him on retainer. Obviously, my concern here is (if I ever were involved in a self-defense shooting and I'm still standing when the smoke clears) I would eventually be worried about the possibility of me ending up on the wrong end of a criminal or civil legal action. I think this is just the world we live in today.

Maybe a lot of guys wouldn't worry about potential legal issues after the fact. And maybe there's no real need to. But I guess it comes down to me seeing it sort of like insurance. I hate paying for it, but it sure is nice to have if your house burns down (like my neighbor's did a few weeks ago). So that being said, I'm pretty sure I'm going to make some kind of advance arrangement for legal advice from somebody, one way or the other.

I've been browsing some of the pre-paid legal outfits ([Pre-paid legal service], Armed Citizens Defense Network, CCW Safe). I see all of those working pretty much like an insurance policy - I just send them a little money either monthly or yearly, and everybody's happy. If I ever do need them, I call them, then they start to work. Yes, as has been mentioned, lots of unknowns there. Do they really have the finances to pay for quality attorneys, expert witnesses, etc.? WILL they pay? How do I know what attorney I will draw if that time comes? How much experience do they have? All those and more are valid questions that I would need to research. Assuming I get all the answers I want there, the biggest advantage I see with the pre-paid legal is that (theoretically at least) I get competent, specialized legal representation, at a fixed price that I've already paid in premiums.

On the other hand, I can go out and shop for a local lawyer or law firm, where I will be dealing with an attorney that I can develop an ongoing relationship with. I can learn much more about him individually, learn more about his law practice, and surely get much more personalized service. If I have developed a sort of personal relationship with him, I think just naturally he is going to be a little bit more interested in making sure he puts forth a good effort on my behalf. And from the business end, I could probably pay him a small retainer fee on some basis and keep that door open pretty much indefinitely. However, again, if that day ever came, the guy is probably not going to work for free. If I get into a case that is complex or difficult for some reason, my defense could potentially run into tens of thousands of dollars. Having to pay out that kind of money would certainly change the situation around my little homestead.

So, I'm still thinking about it, and still praying about it. I know the good Lord will get me where I need to be, I've just got to be patient and wait on all the information that He's working on getting to me so I can figure out which way to go.

So thanks for the input folks, I really do appreciate the thoughtful information, and you all taking the time to share your wisdom.

One of the new guys here again with a question. As before, not sure if this is the right place for this question, but I'll start here. And let me say that I'm sure this has been covered before, and, yes, I did try to search the forum. Do you have any idea how many times the words "lawyer" and "attorney" are used here in this forum? Bunches!!

Anyway, if I'm going to have a CHL and carry a gun for self defense, I also believe it's a good idea to have access to an attorney who is familiar with those types of issues, and especially establish a relationship with that attorney before you might have to one day make "that call."

Some people have on-going relationships with attorneys for their business or whatever. However, a lot of folks (like me) may go their whole lives and never need an attorney's services, so we just don't know anyone in that field.

I know we can't get into naming names here, so I'd like to get some ideas and recommendations on how you go about finding an attorney. Especially one with some specialized knowledge and experience in armed self defense issues. Just open the Yellow Pages and start there? Are there any on-line resources (other than the attorney's own web site) that might have information? I'm just not sure where to start in my search, especially since I would be looking for one with some specific knowledge and experience.

Thanks again for your help. I can already see from my one previous post that this forum has some very helpful and knowledgeable folks.