Whenever potential damages substantially exceed the insured's limit of liability, defense counsel needs to be cautious about how settlement negotiations are handled. Click here to get practice pointers and tips for navigating policy limit demands. Read more →
Professional Liability Insurance
CNA has compiled professional liability claims data from recent years to analyze trends and provide tips for mitigating the risks associated with legal malpractice claims in plaintiff's personal injury/property damage. CNA Fact Sheet to read more. Read more →
Last Fall, the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a “High Impact” warning regarding increased ransomware attacks on U.S. businesses and organizations.[1] This is notable because, the last time the FBI addressed ransomware was in 2016. Ransomware is software used by cybercriminals to encrypt a victim’s electronic files, preventing access to... Read more →
As a leader in the lawyers professional liability insurance marketplace, we stress the importance of engagement letters in our articles, guides and risk control courses. The benefits of engagement letter usage flow to both the law firm and client. From the client’s perspective, memorializing the terms and conditions of the... Read more →
“Occasions arise, especially in litigation, where a lawyer for an entity may find it useful to represent an employee, or other constituent of the entity, for some limited purpose. This dual representation of an entity and its constituent raises a number of practice issues. As demonstrated in the examples within... Read more →
Client intake should never be dismissed as an unimportant but necessary task when taking on a new client. Creating a thorough client intake process is essential in order to establish a strong foundation for an attorney-client relationship – whether the relationship lasts for weeks or years. By investing the necessary... Read more →
Reminders and Resources for Law Firms During the COVID-19 Pandemic This article was written by and used with permission from CNA. Read the original publication here. As a follow-up to CNA's "Best Practices for Law Firms During A Pandemic," this article further addresses issues that law firms should consider in... Read more →
Originally written and published by USI Affinity Professional Liability Practice Leader Mike Mooney on August 17, 2020. The current COVID-19 pandemic has shaken how, when and even where lawyers do business. With that said, we need to look forward and prepare for the reality of a post-COVID world. Solo practitioners... Read more →
Coworking spaces, cloud computing and virtual receptionists have allowed some law firms to ditch their offices entirely. Most lawyers, however, seek a middle ground: a practice capable of functioning remotely when convenient or necessary, but still anchored to a physical office. The benefits of facilitating remote work are well worth... Read more →
The New York Court of Appeals recently issued a favorable decision affirming the dismissal of a Judiciary Law §487 claim in the case Bill Birds, Inc. v. Stein Law Firm, P.C., _ N.Y.3d __, 2020 N.Y. Slip. Op. 02125 (March 31, 2020). Under Judiciary Law § 487 (1), an attorney... Read more →