Top Six Reasons You Should Get Professional Indemnity Insurance

Professional indemnity (PI) insurance is handcrafted coverage for claims of professional negligence or related accusations brought against the policyholder. While it might help preserve the policy holder’s reputation, the most significant area it guards is the business’ bank account. 

Often a client may bring a claim against a professional or company due to issues like lousy advice or actions that led to financial losses. It is prudent to acknowledge that mistakes are part of life and how we conduct business. They can happen in marketing, sales, finance, or other services. Such blunders can prove costly for the company if no precautions are in place or taken, meaning claims can and do become a serious problem that potentially sets back businesses or their owners. And in some instances, large lawsuits can bring down a company or professional.

If you take the time to consider the possible financial loss and a dented reputation, which are hard to recover, acquiring professional indemnity insurance becomes something hard to overlook. You might think the other business insurance policies will suffice, but each will effectively address a specific problem. That means you will have to search for viable solutions for safeguarding your business and yourself when it comes to lawsuits related to professional indemnity. Conversely, you might be fortunate enough to win the case, but you still must contend with spending money catering to the legal fees involved in fighting the claim.

A significant aspect that any potential policyholder needs to consider when deciding whether they should buy professional indemnity insurance is the possible financial loss that can occur as a result of legal fees, whether you win your case or not. But it would be best if you did your homework before approaching an insurance provider. Take the time to determine four crucial things: What, Why, How, and When before approaching insurance providers.

(I). What exactly is professional indemnity insurance?

(II). Why do I require PI Insurance?

(III). How does PI Insurance benefit me?

(IV). When does the cover come into action?

That means you should research and learn more about PI insurance and why you should consider it for your business a good place to start is here fundamentalinsurancebrokers.com.au/professional-indemnity-insurance. Then you will review its benefits to get enough reasons for getting the insurance policy. Finally, inquire from the insurance provider about when the cover comes into action.

Do I Need Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Companies take insurance covers based on various factors, and the same applies to PI insurance. Businesses that offer professional advice, service, or handle intellectual property or client data benefit more from this type of insurance policy. The professionals that fall under this category include chartered surveyors, accountants, healthcare professionals, teachers, social workers, lawyers, architects, and financial advisers.

What Does Professional Indemnity Insurance Cover?

PI (Professional Indemnity) Insurance is a policy that covers the expenses incurred in your defense, including costs or damages awarded to the plaintiff (your customer or client). Your or your business will be financially liable if you are found answerable for providing inadequate or wrong services, advice, or designs that result in the plaintiff making financial losses. The insurance policy protects you from such lawsuits, which can also relate to the following:

• Professional Negligence

You are protected against lawsuits against you because of reckless or negligent conduct in your profession, which led to your client incurring losses or damages. It shields you from financial problems arising from unintended mistakes that are not within your control. For instance, a staff member inadvertently erases information from the database while working, leading to loss of crucial details for a client’s project. In such a situation, PI insurance provides the necessary financial indemnity that follows legal liability.

• Malevolent Lawsuits 

While people or businesses must have enough grounds for suing you, some might do so with ill intent after coming up with fictitious claims. When faced with such a predicament, you cannot ignore the severity of the case, but you also might not have the competencies required to maneuver the matter at a court of law expertly. Professional indemnity insurance could be your lifeline when facing your foe irrespective of the outcome.

• Infringement Of Intellectual Property Rights

 It is a matter associated with intellectual activity or materials in the literary, artistic, and scientific fields, in which you have industrial and copyright property. Professionals tasked with managing or protecting these intellectual properties risk being sued by their clients if there is an infringement of said property rights.  For instance, it can be a case involving the unauthorized use of a copyrighted image, trademark, patents, or industrial designs. The insurance policy can protect you from burdens arising from a lawsuit filed against you because of infringing intellectual property rights.

• Unforeseen Circumstances 

Many of the blunders professionals make are never intentional; most are unexpected yet could lead to significant financial loss or ruin a client’s business. As a result, the professional or the company in question will shoulder the financial burden. However, having professional indemnity insurance coverage can protect against these unforeseen circumstances.

• Breach Of Confidence

Professionals are at times sued for confidentiality breaches, but most of these mistakes are unintentional. However, clients still suffer substantial damage and financial losses. The breaches occur when sharing confidential or commercially sensitive information is disclosed to a third party without the client’s consent. Such issues happened across different professions. But you can safeguard yourself and your business for the ensuing financial burdens attributed to the breach of confidence lawsuit filed against you by taking a professional indemnity insurance cover.

Reasons For Getting Professional Indemnity Insurance Cover

If your profession involves providing a service or advice, and it is a business that can have the quality of your work called into question, you should consider protecting your professional reputation and your company’s image. 

A claim of negligence, as stated above, can cripple your business financially, aside from harming its reputation, and they are two attributes in any profession that take time to build. Why risk losing what takes you years to develop? Below are six top reasons for getting a professional indemnity insurance policy and protect yourself and your business.

1. Compulsory

For some professionals, such as doctors, stockbrokers, lawyers, and real estate agents, PI insurance cover is mandatory because of the high-risk nature of their jobs. They are professionals who are on the receiving end of any adverse impacts of their decisions and actions. If your career is in any of such professions, professional indemnity insurance applies to you. And since it will be a compulsory coverage, you must keep the policy up to date.

2. Peace Of Mind

Nobody is perfect; thus, mistakes are a part of life. They can happen without notice even when you are diligent with your work. As such, you will encounter situations where something goes wrong, and you find yourself in a pickle. Your client fuming, accusing you of breach of confidence or acting negligently, and your actions, though unintentional, lead to the client incurring significant financial losses, among other damages. By having the PI insurance cover, you will be confident of the fact that you are protected from any ensuing lawsuits filed against you because of inadvertent mistakes.

3. Financially Covered

It could take one disgruntled customer or client to sue you, and you find yourself faces with significant financial liability. You might have an experienced lawyer handling your case and successfully discredits the claim, but have the costs of hiring the attorney and other legal fees to contend with. Are you confident that your business can cope with the impact of the financial burden that could come with an indemnity claim? You and your company have better chances of going through the fire and coming out unscathed if you have a professional indemnity insurance policy.

4. Safeguard Your Reputation

At one time, you might face a lawsuit filed against you for breach of confidentiality or professional negligence, which can harm your professional reputation. As you prepare and search for an efficient way of fighting any erroneous accusations, having a PI insurance cover will be crucial in your efforts to pursue the best legal avenues that will clear your name and safeguard your name and business brand.

5. Shows Professionalism

People that approach service-oriented professions expect to receive quality services. Given the nature of such kinds of businesses, having a PI policy in place signifies to your customers or clients that you are willing to protect both your interests and theirs in the event of a claim. Today, people will approach professionals offering certain services and request they show proof of professional indemnity insurance coverage before conducting any business.

6. The Smooth Running Of Your Business

Lastly, you need to take professional indemnity cover to ensure your company stays on its feet after battling claims arising from unintended errors and omissions with a substantial financial burden that can disrupt operations. The policy will help your business maintain or regain its former commercial position after the losses attributed to legal battles.

Additional Benefits: Professionals and businesses can enhance the protection PI insurance cover provides by picking a few other policy extensions such as loss of documents, dishonest, and defamation to ensure they cover every viable legal claim. With these extras, you can be confident that you have safeguarded yourself and the company from potential reputation damage and financial losses arising from unexpected lawsuits.