Any business that offers professional services or gives advice should consider taking professional indemnity insurance (PII). Any faulty advice or service provided can make the business legally liable to the claims made by the client/sufferer. In such cases, professional indemnity insurance helps the business handle all the legal costs that arise from the claims made by the clients.
Some of the professions which need to take professional indemnity insurance are - medical professionals, building/maintenance contractors, financial consultants, advertising and PR agencies, designers, etc. For some of the professionals, professional indemnity insurance is made mandatory by UK government so as to get their professional authorization. They include accountants, architects, solicitors, mortgage intermediaries, insurance brokers and financial advisers.
The insurance protects the professional business against liability coming up apparently due to negligence, error or omission, loss of data or information, violation of confidentiality, employees dishonesty, etc., which may affect the business's reputation and financial stability badly.
Benefits of taking this policy
As an individual professional/a professional business owner, it is important to protect yourself from legal liabilities while executing your profession because, loss due to any kind of errors or negligence on part of yourself/your employees, may prove to be costly.
• Ensures smooth run of the business
Professional indemnity insurance protects you by covering the expenses involved in the whole process and by providing legal aid so that you run your business smoothly. The rightly timed assistance provided by this insurance policy will not let you stop your business at the time of crisis, thus, ensuring smooth running of your business.
• Covers the risks associated with employee negligence
Your employee may delete or lose some crucial information related to your client accidentally while at work. This may lead to the client to bring lawsuit against you. Having PII, you can be rest assured, as this policy also offers cover to the damage caused by your employees' negligence.
• Saves from financial losses during lawsuits
Lawsuits sometimes can lead into thousands of dollars, which can be a huge burden for you. Sometimes, you will have to bear the expenses of litigation as well the indemnity to be paid to the client. Having the PII insurance would rule out these financial problems and thus, saves you from the financial losses.
• Offers support from expert attorneys
The advantage of this insurance is that it offers support from expert attorneys. As a professional business, you cannot tackle the enormous loss of time and the intricacies involved in the litigation. This needs an expert legal adviser to do the job. PII insurance in this matter would be a great help to you.
Approach a reputable brokerage firm while choosing this insurance
There are many things you need to consider while choosing professional indemnity insurance. Some of them include: premium calculation method, the risks involved in your business, the nature of business activity or the potential indemnity, etc. You should also check for the statutory authority and reputation of the insurance company.
It is always advised to take help of a reputable insurance brokerage firm while choosing this insurance. This should be so because these firms deal with several firms' insurance products. They are well aware of the market. They would advise you the most appropriate amount of cover for your business.
