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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

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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