Frequently Asked Questions

The majority of our applicants qualify for our Standard Program. If you have been in practice for 36 months or less, then you qualify for our Strong Start Program. We also offer an Entertainment Law Program, Lawyers Insurance Defense Program and a Low Income Lawyer Program. Click here to see all program options. You can also Explore Policy Options by clicking here to walk you through questions to determine which policy is right for you and your firm.

We recommend that in deciding what limits to purchase you look at the average value of the legal matters you handle. You can also consider if you have a contract requiring specific limits, if you are an LLP or a corporation and if your limits meet the state requirements for your business type, and personal assets you wish to protect.

You should list your areas of practice based on your average hours spent on each area of practice over the last three years. If your firm is newer than three years, then use the years it has been in existence. If your firm is brand new and you have not yet started practicing, use your anticipated areas of practice.

For Standard and Insurance Defense policies, every firm receives an individualized policy premium that is based on the firm’s areas of practice, county and claims history.

Qualifying Strong Start policies have a first-year premium of $500.

Qualifying Low Income Lawyer polices have a flat premium of $750.

Our policies cover you for professional liability claims arising out of your Professional Services as a lawyer on behalf of the Named Insured on the policy. All of our policies also include a $100,000 cyber endorsement, a $50,000 claims expense allowance, a $50,000 state bar matter reimbursement, and pre-claim assistance.

No, you do not. You can purchase the policy in your firm name as is and then update your firm name at any time for no charge by sending us your new letterhead and your new firm name.

An application should be submitted along with a copy of the firm’s letterhead and proof of current coverage is seeking a prior acts date. The application will be acknowledged and sent to an underwriter for review.

Upon submission of an application, you will receive a confirmation email of receipt of your application. Our underwriters will review and get back to you as soon as possible, usually in 24-48 business hours.

You can pay in full or pay a 10% down payment and finance the remaining balance.
The initial payment can be made online or via check. If the insured selects financing, the remaining balance will be collected by First Insurance Funding, our outside financing company. They charge a 5.24% APR.

Once payment is made the process can take up to 1-3 business day to issue the actual declarations and policy, which will be sent via the communication method selected by the insured.

All Lawyers’ Mutual policies are 1 year in length, unless otherwise cancelled or non-renewed.

Send a written request for a Certificate of Insurance

You can cancel your policy at any time for a date with in 30 days that the request is made. You will receive pro rata return premium.

All requests for cancellation must be made in writing and must specify the date of cancellation. The policy premium will be prorated to the date of cancellation and if owed return premium will be issued.

To add an attorney, fill out and return the supplemental application.

To delete an attorney, please send a written request that includes the requested date of deletion. If the attorney to be removed is a named partner, the written request must come directly from the attorney being deleted.

No, however we can provide an indication or “quick quote.”

We provide each firm with an individualized premium that takes into account their areas of practice, limits, number of attorneys, claims history, etc. The attorney’s individual premium would be calculated and used.

If the firm has never added or deleted an attorney, you would also have the option to choose to add and delete attorneys from this point forward on a no additional premium/no return premium basis, which means that you do not pay when you add an attorney midterm and you also do not receive money back when you delete an attorney midterm. Instead you pay for whoever is on your policy every year at renewal.  Please note that this only applies for attorneys added without prior acts, and if prior acts are added premium would still be due.

If you have selected to receive return premium when an attorney is deleted and to pay additional premium when an attorney is added you will receive a pro rata return premium for the deleted attorney.

Yes, they are treated as adding any other employee to the policy and their individual rate will need to be calculated.

Your policy only covers the attorneys named on the list of lawyers. If you wish to have your independent contractors covered, you must add them by submitting a
supplemental application.

We do not require that you notify us of changes in practice areas midterm under our new rate. We just ask that you update your practice areas every year at renewal.

All requests for policy declarations must be made in writing by the insured.

If you’re a recently admitted lawyer, transitioning from in-house or government roles, or leaving a big law position, you should consider purchasing professional liability insurance. This coverage protects you from potential claims, providing peace of mind as you build your practice.

There are a variety of financial and business reasons to purchase professional liability insurance such as:

• It helps you compete-disclosing to your potential client that you do not have
  coverage may not positively impress them and they may choose another lawyer
  who does.
• You are being a responsible lawyer and protect your clients.
• You are protecting your family and assets.
• Defending a claim, regardless of fault, is expensive. The cost of defending a legal
  malpractice claim may exceed a year of the firm’s revenue. Currently, an
  unmeritorious claim without indemnity payment is about $49,000 to defend.
• Neither a PC or LLC protects or insulates you personally from legal malpractice
  suits or judgements.

Professional liability insurance is also known as legal malpractice insurance, “E&O,” or errors and omissions insurance. It is designed and intended to defend and indemnify a lawyer from an error or omission made in the performance of professional legal services for others. In other words, if you make a mistake in your legal practice and your client makes a claim against you or files a lawsuit against you, such matters would be contemplated under this type of policy. Every policy has variations in conditions, exclusions and coverage. It is imperative you carefully consider the terms of your policy before purchase to ensure that you completely understand what you are buying.

Premiums vary based on factors such as your practice area, location, years in practice, number of lawyers in your firm, and coverage limits. For solo lawyers licensed for less than 36 months, Our Strong Start Program premiums can start as low as $500 annually.

In addition to malpractice coverage, Lawyers’ Mutual offers resources like a lawyer-to-lawyer hotline, access to a CLE library, and tools to help prevent claims. These benefits support your growth and safeguard your practice at no additional cost.

Lawyers’ Mutual offers a variety of valuable benefits including:

• Unlimited complimentary MCLE which is conveniently available on our
  online platform, LMIC+
• Lawyer-to-lawyer hotline to call with any concerns or issues
• Free $100,000 in cyber coverage offered through a leading cyber provider
• Historically paying over 25 consecutive years of dividends that are not
  guaranteed but issued at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Since 1978!

Yes – Lawyers’ Mutual has an A rating, which is the highest rating that a monoline carrier can hold.

Lawyers’ Mutual has lower rates for specialty practice areas, including appellate, criminal, immigration, civil defense, and ADR.

Yes – the part-time rate is for attorneys who work an average of 20 hours a week or less. No more that 50% of a firm may have a part-time rate.

Yes, which is standard for legal professional responsibility policies. This means that the insurance that applies is the policy that is in place at the time a claim is reported.

A “claims-made and reported” policy has a 3 -prong requirement to potentially trigger
coverage:

1. The “claim” must be “first made” by the claimant during the current policy
   period
2. The “claim” must be “reported” in writing to the insurer during the current
   policy period
3. The acts, errors or omissions must fall on or after the prior
   acts/retroactive date on the policy.

Prior acts and retroactive dates are the same. A prior acts date is the date from which an alleged occurrence of malpractice may have coverage for an insurable event.

An applicant must have a declaration or prior acts endorsement showing the prior
acts for retroactive date that they wish to obtain.

An “extended reporting period endorsement (ERE)” commonly referred to as “tail coverage” and is an endorsement that is added to the last policy to allow reporting of claims for a specified time after the actual policy is terminated. Our provisions for tail with costs is found in the Universal Policy at Section 2.6.

• 1 year tail: 100% of your premium recalculated at the time of cancellation
• 3 year tail: 180% of your premium recalculated at the time of cancellation
• 5 year tail: 220% of your premium recalculated at the time of cancellation
• Unlimited tail: 285% of your premium recalculated at the time of cancellation

The policy has a $50,000 aggregate Annual Claims Expense Allowance/per policy
year (both Standard and SSP) that sits outside the limits and is used to pay expenses. We do not offer any other amounts for the Claims Expense Allowance for purchase or otherwise.

Yes

Yes

Yes, we have lower rates for lawyers practicing in the areas of criminal law, appellate law, immigration law, civil defense, special practice and ADR.

Yes, we have the Strong Start program for lawyers admitted less than 36 months