ADA, Okla., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (NYSE: PPD) is pleased to announce the 2009 Provider Law Firm Awards and the contributions of the 38 independent law firms that provide legal services to the members (customers) of Pre-Paid Legal Services in 49 states and four provinces of Canada. During the 2009 Annual Black and Gold Banquet, PPD presented a variety of awards to provider law firms, their attorneys and other professional and administrative staff. These awards are based on PPD's unique "WOW Service from the Heart Program," which promotes "best practices" in customer-service and performance by the provider law firms.

"The 2009 Provider Law Firm Awards represent excellence in service by our provider law firms, but they also reflect the distinct value proposition that Pre-Paid Legal Services offers to members who use our legal service plans," said PPD Founder and CEO Harland C. Stonecipher. "Our model of service delivery allows Pre-Paid Legal Services to maintain long-term relationships with our provider network. This, in turn, helps to ensure that our members always have access quality legal service delivered in a tested, customer-oriented manner. You won't find that listed in a telephone book," Stonecipher said.

In addition to Chairman Stonecipher, the 2009 Black and Gold Banquet included presentations by Mark Shurtleff, Attorney General of Utah; Tom W. Smith, Member of PPD Board of Directors; and Michael Humes, PPD Independent Associate and Regional Vice President.

The 2009 Award of Excellence -- the top award within the highest ranked category of "Top 10 Firm Awards" -- was won by Evans, Loewenstein, Shimanovsky, Moscardini, Ltd. of Chicago, Illinois (larger market) and by The Lisle Law Firm, P.A. of Springdale, Arkansas (smaller market). The "Award of Excellence" is awarded to those firms with the highest provider survey rankings, most positive feedback from PPD members and ongoing adherence to PPD corporate service standards.

Other Top 10 Firm Award winners include:

• Quality Award - Rose & Matthews, P.C. of Fort Worth, Texas (larger market) and Willinger, Willinger & Bucci, P.C. of Bridgeport, Connecticut (smaller market)
• Outstanding Service Award - Lombino Martino, P.S. of Tacoma, Washington (larger market) and The Anderson Law Firm, LLC of Montgomery, Alabama (smaller market)
• Distinguished Service Award - deBeaubien, Knight, Simmons, Mantzaris & Neal of Orlando, Florida (larger market) and Wagner, Falconer & Judd, Ltd. of Minneapolis (smaller market)
• Achievement Award - Powers, Chapman, deAgostino, Meyers & Milia of Troy, Michigan (larger market) and Dempsey, Roberts & Smith (smaller market)
• Diamond Award - Deming, Parker, Hoffman Campbell & Daly of Norcross, Georgia (larger market) and Mattleman, Weinroth & Miller of Cherry Hill, New Jersey (smaller market)
• Determination Award - The Framme Law Firm of Richmond, Virginia (larger market) and Riling, Burkhead & Nitcher of Lawrence, Kansas (smaller market)
• Commitment Award - Glantz & Glantz of Plantation, Florida (larger market) and Provosty, Sadler, deLaunay, Fiorenza & Sobel of Alexandria, Louisiana (smaller market)
• Star Performance Award - Feldman, Kramer & Monaco of Hauppauge, New York (larger market) and The Huntley Law Firm, PLLC of Boise, Idaho (smaller market)
• Growth Award - Weinstock, Friedman & Friedman of Baltimore, Maryland (larger market) and Bervar & Jones of Honolulu, Hawaii (smaller market)
  

In addition to the Top 10 Firm Awards, the PPD Attorney Resources Department recognizes other superior achievements with awards that include:

• Champion Award (Parker Stanbury of Los Angeles, California) -- For saving PPD members more than $2,544,057 over a 12 month period through the use legal correspondence and telephone calls.
• Customer Service Award (Ross & Matthews of Fort Worth, Texas) - For successfully responding to 262,521 PPD member calls in 2008 with only one "abandoned call" by a PPD member.
• Legal Shield Awards (Chris Daily of Deming, Parker, Hoffman, Campbell & Daly; David Bloom of Evans, Lowenstein, Shimanovsk & Moscardini, Ltd.; Anita Aginian of Feldman Kramer & Monaco; Moji Zamani of Parker Stanbury; and Harold Hunter of Merritt Flebotte) - For dedicated service in providing 24-hour member access (legal shield) to legal counsel. Legal Shield attorneys responded to more than 7,700 calls during 2008.
  

About PPD

We believe our products are one of a kind, life events legal service plans. Our plans provide for legal service benefits provided through a network of independent law firms across the U.S. and Canada, and include unlimited attorney consultation, will preparation, traffic violation defense, automobile-related criminal charges defense, letter writing, document preparation and review and a general trial defense benefit. We have an identity theft restoration product we think is also one of a kind due to the combination of our identity theft restoration partner and our provider law firms. More information about our products and us can be found at our homepage at www.prepaidlegal.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release, other than purely historical information, regarding our future plans and objectives and expected operating results, dividends and share repurchases and statements of the assumptions underlying such statements, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on certain assumptions that may not be correct. They are subject to risks and uncertainties incident to our business that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described in the reports and statements filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including (among others) those listed in our Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K, and include the risks that our membership persistency or renewal rates may decline, that we may not be able to continue to grow our memberships and earnings, that we are dependent on the continued active participation of our principal executive officer, that pending or future litigation may have a material adverse effect on us if resolved unfavorably to us, that we may have compromises of our information security, that during an economic downturn in the economy consumer purchases of discretionary items may be affected which could materially harm our sales, retention rates, profitability and financial condition, that we could be adversely affected by regulatory developments, that competition could adversely affect us, that we are substantially dependent on our marketing force, that our stock price may be affected by short sellers, that we have been unable to increase our employee group membership sales and that our active premium in force is not indicative of future revenue as a result of changes in active memberships from cancellations and additional membership sales. Please refer to pages 15 - 17 of our 2008 Form 10-K and pages 7 and 8 of our September 30, 2009 Form 10-Q for a more complete description of these risks. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements in this release.

SOURCE Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.