Minnesota partner Suzanne Jones recently moderated a lively panel discussion on insurance coverage trends for legal professional liability claims at the annual Legal Malpractice and Risk Management Conference in Chicago, which was featured in Law360.
The presenters discussed how increasingly complex legal malpractice claims and rising defense costs make it essential for all attorneys to not just have professional liability insurance, but to be proactive in understanding their coverage and its limits.
The panel elaborated on a variety of potential risks and exposures including the upward trend of cyber claims stemming from data breaches and leaks, ransomware, phishing and spoofing. The panel offered practical tips to protect attorneys, including diligent documentation of all advice given to clients and recommended prioritizing communication with clients, as well as other safety and security measures.
Jones was quoted as saying, “But legal professional liability insurance coverage is still the best defense, and attorneys should thoroughly scrutinize their policies…Know if you need excess insurance, know the exclusions, know if the policy provides coverage for disciplinary proceedings, and know if you get to choose your defense counsel.”
Jones is a Partner in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Insurance practice group. She represents insurance companies across the country in complex first and third-party declaratory judgment actions, breach of contract actions, rescission actions, direct actions and extra-contractual and bad faith actions.
The full article can be seen here.