Lawyer’s Errors and Omissions insurance, also known as Attorney Malpractice insurance or LPL Insurance protects law firms from claims of negligence, errors in judgment, omissions and inadequate performance.
Legal malpractice claims continue to increase over the years. Even though these claims against your firm may be false, they ultimately end up costing you valuable time and money. For this reason, attorneys in Massachusetts, including affordable divorce attorneys, should have Attorney E&O coverage.
Divorce proceedings can often get murky and lead to a lawsuit, especially if the aggrieved parties don’t agree on a settlement. Lawsuit claims are often expensive and sometimes can drag on for long periods. They can easily cause financial distress and set you back financially.
What E&O Insurance Policies Would Be Perfect for You?
Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance, also known as Professional Liability Insurance, offers a safety net for law firms. This policy helps protect the assets of your law firm against claims of negligence, inaccurate advice, and misrepresentation.
In short, the E&O insurance policy provides a form of financial relief just in case you make a costly error or mistake. Even though you can solve disputes quickly, they can run into huge expenses that can easily jeopardize your law firm. For this reason, if you are a divorce attorney in Massachusetts, it’s of utmost importance to secure your E&O insurance with Banas Insurance.
What Expenses Does E&O Policy Cover?
- Settlements: It’s always a good idea to settle a dispute out of court to save money, but even then, you might have to pay the plaintiff depending on the case.
- Court costs: Filing documents at deposition or using the services of a court reporter adds up to the expenses that you might part with if you don’t have an effective E&O policy.
- Judgments: To prevent a court from placing liens on your firm’s assets, this policy will provide a cover whenever your firm loses a trial although, you have to pay the court judgment.
- Administrative costs: Exchange of documents between the parties happens before court proceedings, and sometimes, can be a costly affair. An E&O policy can help you cover such costs as photocopy charges, process, shipping, or relevant software.
- Attorney fees: If you were to incur hourly rates so that another firm can take your case, the high attorney fees drain you of a big chunk of your resources. Having this policy in effect at such a time can help you save a lot of expenses.
Claims-made and occurrence are the two types of professional liability policy. Most policies are claims-made, meaning that they have to be in effect; when the event takes place as well as when the claimant files a lawsuit for a claim.
However, if you happen to retire or change careers, purchasing an occurrence policy covers you for any claims for the period of coverage. It applies even when a claimant files a lawsuit after the policy period lapses.
Who qualifies for E&O Insurance?
Lawyers Professional Liability insurance protects you from claims of breach of contract, privacy violations, or even slander. It protects solo attorneys, law firms, and their staff against claims of errors and omissions in judgments, inadequate performance, and negligence.
Unlike other types of insurance policies, we especially tailor this policy for law firms, to cover them before any costly errors can occur. Since the stakes are high when it comes to seeking justice, all law firms should invest in a reliable E&O policy to insure against any unforeseen circumstances.
Additionally, you also need to secure an E&O policy with a reliable insurer if you fall under any of these categories.
- If you’re a retiring lawyer, you will need to cover claims against any previous cases. It’s also known as a Tail Policy.
- If your firm provides counsel for a law firm with insufficient coverage, or you are an independent contractor, a paralegal, or even a clerical staff.
- If you offer professional consultancy services relating to legal action, such as titling agency, trustees, notaries, conservators, arbitrators, or mediation.
- If your practice handles these legal cases: bankruptcy, real estate, personal injury, trusts and probate, family law, finance, or any other high-liability areas.
Common Mistakes / Claims made for Attorney E&O Insurance
E&O for Divorce Attorneys, Family & Estate Law
Attorney Liftman, an affordable divorce attorney in newton ma states: Divorce Attorneys If a divorce results in an agreement then there can’t be any malpractice as the court asks them under oath if they understood it and are satisfied with it. I suppose if you flubbed a trial – but everything in family law is up to the very broad discretion of the trial judge so it would be hard to say it was the attorney’s malfeasance that caused the bad result. I don’t mean to make light of it but we have malpractice insurance because we are required to.
E&O for Real Estate Attorneys
Propertyshark, a Real Estate Professional website states there are 7 major areas of exposure for Attorney mistakes in a Real Estate Transaction. These include, Breach of Duty, Breach of Contract, Failure to Maintain Confidential Info, Damage to Property or Client, Issues with Referrals, Notifying purchasers of their rights, and Failure to Maintain a list of showings.
E&O for Business Attorneys
Michael Banas of Banas Insurance located in Easthapmton, Ma, and agent for attorney e&o insurance says “Sometimes the Lawyer Is the One Being Sued. Protect Your Professional Reputation and Your Assets!”
Finding the Right Insurance Agent for E&O Insurance
Find an insurance agency will will take the time to learn about your business. You need a consultant and an expert, not an online form that spits out some dollars and cents. Hopefully, you will never need this insurance, but if you do, you need the right team on your side.
Final Thoughts on Attorney E&O Insurance
Investing in a comprehensive E&O insurance policy assures you and your staff of some peace of mind, so you can focus on what matters: your clients. Banas insurance specializes in all kinds of business insurance, including attorneys that need E&O insurance. Contact us today to learn more.