It’s more common that you think: the need for legal support when things go wrong and it wasn’t your fault. But not everyone can afford a lawyer. With low monthly premiums, everyone can lawyer up when they need to.

Don’t you just hate it? Some drongo, driving his ancient scrapheap like a total idiot, rear ends your beautiful new car. Hard. One of your back lights shatters, your bumper crumples, and your boot won’t close. This is going to cost a fortune to fix. Thank goodness for car insurance, right? Um… no. Sorry!

Of course he’s not insured. This is when you learn that motor insurance is not a legal requirement in South Africa. People can drive around in prehistoric rust buckets that are not even roadworthy and you’re the one who ends up paying the price. Ain’t life just grand sometimes?

“But it was your fault,” you sputter. “So sue me,” the cocky little – ahem – person says. Wouldn’t you just love to wipe that grin off his ugly face?

Here’s another scenario. You see a beautiful handbag in the window of your favourite boutique. You’ll just pop in and take a closer… ow! Face plant onto the hard marble floor. There was a grape lying just inside the entrance and you slipped on it, rather spectacularly it must be said.

Now there’s blood gushing from your mouth – some of it has got onto your expensive pastel blue suede jacket – and you can feel that one of your front teeth is chipped.

“Oh dear,” says the owner. And that’s it. That’s all she’s prepared to say because she doesn’t want to claim on her insurance and lose her no-claim bonus.

“But it was your fault,” you sputter. “So sue me,” she says.

Is there a more helpless feeling than realising that people can walk all over you and there’s nothing you can do about it? It wasn’t your fault and someone else is clearly to blame but they just don’t care. How frustrating!

You can’t even think about how much you’d love to sue them because you know that’s impossible with lawyer’s fees costing anything from R1,000 to R5,000 per hour. Who can afford that, right?

Well actually, you can. How? Simple: legal insurance.

What does legal cover include?

There is no annual limit to how many times you can call on your lawyer.  And the best part is that you will be covered for between R120,000 and R200,000 per matter, so if your car is ruined in the morning and your smile (and that gorgeous suede jacket!) in the afternoon, you can laugh in the face of the people who don’t take their own responsibilities seriously.

Legal insurance means that you have a lawyer available 24×7 and they will deal with everything that happens to you, whether it be criminal, civil or labour.

That irresponsible driver? That uncaring shop owner? It’s time for them to learn a lesson about responsibility. You go right ahead and sue them!