New Lawyers Professional Liability Product Announced By Munich Re Specialty Insurance Helps Cover The Insurance Gap

Munich Re Specialty Insurance today announced the introduction of Lawyers Professional Liability (LPL) insurance, an errors and omissions policy specially designed for mid-size law firms.

“Law firms have specialized risk management needs that are not comprehensively addressed by standard property and casualty insurance policies,” said Marcia Blanco, Head of Professional Liability Underwriting, Munich Re Specialty Insurance. “Our Lawyers Professional Liability coverage fills that insurance protection gap by offering law firms a tailored policy to meet their needs with the flexibility to reflect current trends in the market supported by expert claims service.”

The LPL policy provides up to $5 million in primary or excess liability coverage for errors or omissions that cause financial harm to another person or entity, including misrepresentation, violation of good faith and fair dealing, and inaccurate advice, subject to the actual terms of the policy. The policy includes payment for damages for covered claims as well as the cost to defend against such claims. Policy highlights include:

• Broad definition of insured including independent contractor and predecessor firm
• Broad definition of professional services
• Innocent insured coverage for intentional acts
• Personal injury coverage
• Non-practicing Extended Reporting Period

LPL claims are managed by a dedicated claims team that understands the complexities and nuances that accompany these types of lawsuits.

“Law firms may face significant liability when there is a conflict of interest, a deadline that was missed or a poorly drafted engagement letter,” said Blanco. “Many firms may self-insure against a professional malpractice lawsuit, but the rising costs of defending such claims and the increasingly litigious nature of clients, means that this practice could be financially devastating to a mid-size firm. Multimillion-dollar lawsuits are not uncommon and defense costs continue to rise making this a potentially costly lawsuit for any size law firm to defend against.”