Lawyers professional liability insurance for solo practitioners to large firms
A malpractice claim can come from a missed deadline, an overlooked conflict or a client unhappy with an outcome, and even an unfounded claim needs a costly defense. We place legal malpractice coverage with carriers that specialize in law firms and coordinate it with the rest of your firm's program.
Protection for your career, your firm and your assets
Whether you're a solo practitioner, a boutique firm or a multi-office partnership, professional liability insurance protects your practice, your firm and your personal assets. A judgment or settlement, or simply the cost of defending a claim, can undo a practice built over decades.
One missed statute of limitations, one conflict of interest or one dissatisfied client is all it takes to generate a malpractice claim. The right coverage is the foundation of a sustainable practice.
Core professional liability coverages
The essential protections every law practice needs.
Professional liability (E&O)
Also called errors and omissions or legal malpractice insurance. It responds when clients claim you failed to meet the standard of care, made errors in legal work, missed deadlines or otherwise caused them financial harm.
- Negligent acts, errors or omissions
- Missed deadlines and statutes of limitations
- Failure to know or apply the law
- Conflict of interest claims
- Breach of fiduciary duty
- Defense costs (often outside limits)
Defense cost coverage
Defending a malpractice claim is expensive even when you've done nothing wrong; defense of a claim that goes to trial can exceed $50,000 to $100,000. Many policies pay defense costs outside limits, so defense expenses don't reduce your liability limits.
- Attorney fees for defense counsel
- Expert witness fees
- Court costs and filing fees
- Deposition and discovery costs
- Mediation and arbitration expenses
- Appeal costs
Prior acts coverage
Malpractice claims often arise years after the alleged error. Prior acts (retroactive) coverage protects work performed before your current policy began. Your retroactive date sets how far back coverage reaches, so keep it continuous.
- Claims arising from past legal work
- Matters completed years ago
- Continuous retroactive date protection
- Prior firm work
- Predecessor firm acts
- Of counsel and contract work
Disciplinary proceeding coverage
Bar complaints and disciplinary proceedings can accompany malpractice claims or arise on their own. Many policies include defense costs for these proceedings, protecting your ability to practice.
- Bar complaint defense
- Disciplinary hearing costs
- Ethics investigation defense
- License protection
- Reinstatement proceedings
- Regulatory defense
Understanding claims-made policies
Lawyers professional liability policies are written on a claims-made basis: the policy in effect when a claim is made responds, not the policy in effect when the alleged error occurred.
Your retroactive date is the earliest date from which claims are covered. If you change carriers, the new policy's retroactive date must match your original date, or you lose protection for years of prior work.
When you retire or leave practice, claims-made coverage ends with your policy. An extended reporting period (ERP), commonly called tail coverage, lets you report claims for work performed during your covered years after the policy ends.
Tail coverage
When retiring or leaving practice, tail coverage typically costs 150 to 200 percent of your final annual premium and can provide unlimited time to report claims for covered prior acts. Without it, you're personally exposed to claims from your entire career.
Key concepts
- Retroactive date: how far back coverage extends
- Policy period: when claims must be made
- Notice: report claims and potential claims promptly
- Continuous coverage: don't let coverage lapse
- Tail coverage (ERP): post-retirement protection
- Nose coverage: prior acts picked up by a new carrier
- Timely reporting: critical for coverage
- Carrier changes: match retroactive dates
Legal practices we insure
Solo practitioners
Individual attorneys in private practice, with coverage for solo practice exposures and economics.
Small law firms
Partnerships and small firms, with shared and individual limits for multiple attorneys.
Mid-size firms
Regional and specialty firms needing higher limits and broader coverage.
Large law firms
Multi-office firms with diverse practice areas and excess layers.
Real estate attorneys
Title, closing and transaction practices, including high-volume closings.
Personal injury firms
Plaintiff and contingency practices with statute of limitations exposure.
Corporate and business law
Transactional, M&A and business formation practices with deal-related exposure.
Family law
Divorce, custody and domestic relations practices.
Criminal defense
Criminal defense attorneys, including ineffective assistance claims.
Estate planning
Trusts, estates and elder law practices with long-tail claims.
Construction law
Construction litigation and transactional practices.
Bankruptcy
Creditor and debtor representation, including preference and fiduciary claims.
Common malpractice claim categories
Administrative errors such as missed deadlines, calendar mistakes and clerical failures account for a large share of claims. Communication problems, like failing to inform a client or follow instructions, generate claims even when the legal work was competent.
Deadline errors
Missed statutes of limitations and filing deadlines.
Documentation
Drafting errors in contracts and documents.
Conflicts of interest
Representing adverse or conflicting parties.
Client communication
Failure to inform or follow instructions.
Legal research
Failure to know or apply the law correctly.
Trust accounting
Allegations of client fund mishandling.
Due diligence
Inadequate investigation or discovery.
Supervision
Failure to supervise associates and staff.
Specialized law practice coverages
Additional protections that round out a firm's program.
Cyber liability
Law firms hold privileged communications, financial records and personal information, which makes them targets. Standard professional liability doesn't cover breaches.
- Data breach response costs
- Client notification expenses
- Ransomware and extortion
- Business interruption
- Regulatory defense
Employment practices liability
Claims from associates, paralegals and staff alleging discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination or wage violations.
- Discrimination claims
- Sexual harassment allegations
- Wrongful termination
- Partnership disputes
- Wage and hour claims
Business owners package
Property for the office, general liability for premises injuries and business income if you must close temporarily.
- Office property and contents
- General liability
- Business income
- Valuable papers
- Employee dishonesty
Of counsel and contract coverage
Endorsements so every attorney working on firm matters is covered.
- Of counsel attorneys
- Contract lawyers
- Part-time attorneys
- Special counsel
- Temporary attorneys
Title agent coverage
Attorneys serving as title agents face title errors, fraud losses and escrow exposures beyond standard malpractice.
- Title search errors
- Closing protection
- Escrow agent liability
- Fraud protection
- Wire transfer fraud
Excess professional liability
Additional limits above the primary policy for firms handling large transactions or high-stakes litigation.
- Limits above the primary policy
- $1M to $25M+ additional limits
- Large-matter coverage
- Multi-layer programs
How legal malpractice claims arise
Illustrative examples of how coverage applies when something goes wrong.
A lawsuit is filed after the statute runs
An attorney fails to file a personal injury lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires, and the client's potential recovery is lost entirely.
Illustrative example. Real outcomes depend on the facts and your policy terms.
Common coverage gaps and how to close them
Inadequate policy limits
A $100,000 limit offers little when one claim can exceed $500,000. Carry limits that reflect your largest matters; $500,000 to $1 million is a minimum for most practices, higher for complex work.
No tail coverage plan
Tail typically costs 150 to 200 percent of the final annual premium. Build it into retirement planning, and look at carriers with reduced-cost, free or discounted tail for long-term policyholders.
Gaps when changing carriers
If the new policy's retroactive date doesn't match your original date, years of prior work may be uncovered. Never accept a new retroactive date, and keep coverage continuous.
No cyber coverage
Professional liability doesn't cover data breaches, notification costs or cyber extortion. Add cyber liability, put security protocols in place and train staff on phishing and social engineering.
Late claim reporting
Claims-made policies require timely notice; late reporting can lead to a denial even for covered claims. Report claims and potential claims right away, and when in doubt, report.
Of counsel and contract gaps
Of counsel, contract and part-time attorneys may not be covered unless added. Review the policy's definition of insured and require independent contractors to carry their own coverage.
What we bring to law practices
Legal industry experience
We understand law practice exposures, claims-made details and the coverage attorneys actually need.
Specialized LPL markets
We work with carriers that specialize in lawyers professional liability and compare options across them.
Coordinated programs
Professional liability, cyber, EPLI and business coverage packaged together so they fit without gaps.
Claims-made guidance
Help with retroactive dates, tail coverage, carrier changes and reporting requirements.
Since 1992
We've worked with Pacific Northwest professionals for more than three decades.
Get a lawyers professional liability quote
Tell us about your practice areas, attorneys and current coverage, and we'll compare options from carriers that specialize in law firms.
Coverage descriptions are general summaries for education. They are not legal, tax or coverage advice, a statement of coverage, an offer or a binder. Scenarios and dollar figures are illustrative examples, not representations about any business. Coverage, limits and eligibility are governed by the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies issued and are subject to underwriting.