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23 July 2015 / Frank Maher
Issue: 7662 / Categories: Features , Insurance surgery , Profession , Insurance / reinsurance
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The PII countdown begins (Pt 3)

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Professional indemnity insurance: Frank Maher issues a call to action

This is the third of three articles on professional indemnity insurance (PII). We look at the SRA’s proposals for reform of the compulsory cover required by the SRA minimum terms and conditions (MTC) announced earlier this month. Their discussion paper, “Protecting client’s financial interests”, proposes sweeping reform and massive reductions in the protection provided to clients—and solicitors and their staff.

The agenda for change is driven by the SRA, but is there a risk of throwing away (not even selling) the family silver?

As noted in the last article, we have the most comprehensive cover of any profession in the world (see Pt 2, NLJ, 17 July, p 21). This can come at a price. We have seen some years when firms, particularly the smaller ones and those with a significant conveyancing practice, have had difficulty obtaining cover. This was largely a product of the exposure to lender claims which followed the global financial crisis.

The result was that many firms were driven to obtain cover from unrated

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth

NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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