10 Things You Didn’t Know About LegalShield CEO Jeff Bell

Jeff Bell was born in Oklahoma, raised in Ohio and currently serves as the CEO of LegalShield, North America’s leading provider of affordable legal plans the IDShield identity theft solution for individuals, families and small businesses. LegalShield was founded in 1972 with the mission of providing affordable and accessible legal services to everyone in North America. The company is regarded as a pioneer in the democratization of affordable access to legal protection and has more than 1,751,000 members covered by its legal and identity theft plans. As CEO of LegalShield, Jeff Bell has brought his unique experience and history to the role.

If you are curious about this LegalShield CEO and how he got started, read on to learn 10 Things You Didn’t Know about Jeff Bell.

He was a paper boy

As soon as he became eligible at age of 11, Bell got a paper route near his home with the Dayton Daily News, delivering 7 days a week. From an early age, he recognized that knowledge is power. Now, as CEO, Bell works to educate citizens of their rights to equal and accessible access to the law. He is also frequently quoted in the news, having appeared most recently in The New York Times, Washington Post and Forbes.

He was an Eagle Scout

Attaining an Eagle Scout rank normally takes years of mastering skills of personal care and safety, indoor sustainability, outdoor survival, and the ability to work with others to advance through the ranks of Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle. Bell achieved it in three. Every Eagle Scout has acquired at least 21 required merit badges that are earned through various means, from hiking 20 miles to creating a timeline of the history of environmental science. Since 1912, only two percent of scout enrollment has attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Bell’s daily actions are influenced by the hard work and perseverance he had to prove before age 18 to earn this prestigious rank.

He played football

Jeff Bell played middle guard in football. Though he was under-sized, he was according to his coach, “mobile, agile and hostile.” He was named an Academic All-American by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. He is still a fan, and you can find him rooting for the Oklahoma Soonersand Seattle Seahawkson Saturdays and Sundays.

He’s traveled to all 50 states

Each state has its own set of laws. LegalShield provider law firms are located in all 50 states, giving members access to attorneys with an average of 22 years of experience in federal and state-specific areas, such as estate planning, financial and business issues, tax, real estate, consumer protection, etc. In addition to travelling across the United States, Bell has also travelled extensively abroad. He’s visited more than 26 additional countries, living in the UK and Spain, and spending a summer in Bogotá, Colombia during college.

He graduated college as a Magna Cum Laude

Magna Cum Laude honors is the second highest of three Latin honors that are received upon graduation. While each college has its own qualifications to earn these honors, generally every distinguished Magna Cum Laude recipient has a high GPA and participates in volunteer activities. As a history major at Kenyon College, Bell completed a 200-page thesis on Jose Ortega y Gasset, a Spanish philosopher and essayist. Gasset wrote on the “philosophy of life” as he observed Spain oscillating between monarchy, republicanism and dictatorship. Completing this thesis earned him highest honors in history. Bell was also Phi Beta Kappa.

He’s highly proficient in Spanish

After spending a summer in Bogotá, Colombia while in college and living in Spain for three years while working with Ford Motor Company, Bell is proficient in Spanish but shies away from labeling himself as fluent. Now, he utilizes his Spanish to reach LegalShield customers who are more comfortable speaking in that language. As LegalShield strives to provide equal and affordable access to the law, Bell understands that that access should also come in a variety of languages.

He has won two Cannes Lions

As a marketing executive at Microsoft, Bell won the 2008 Cannes Titanium Lion for the integrated marketing campaign for “Halo 3” that he spearheaded. He also won the Silver Lion the prior year for the :Gears of campaign “Mad World.”

He has two Masters’ degrees

After graduating from Kenyon College, Bell attended the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University, where he earned his first master’s degree in international relations and economics. His second master’s degree of business administration in finance and marketing was earned at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

He records weekly podcasts

Bell records weekly podcasts, titled #5MinutesStrong, that provide practical advice and inspiration for the company’s independent sales associates. They’re available to download on iTunes. He is also a big fan of sharing his thoughts and advice on Facebook Live. He has also started a new series #WhatWeLearnAsKids.

He’s a technophile

Bell proudly shows off his Google Pixel 2 smartphone and is frequently experimenting with, downloading and learning about advanced technologies. Recently, LegalShield debuted voice-activated intelligent virtual assistants for Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home.

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