Report all Insurance Claims before June 30, 2017

The Law Society Member’s insurance policy is a “claims-made” policy. Accordingly, the focus is on when the claim is made and reported, not on the year in which services are provided and the alleged error is said to have occurred. For example, if a claim is made against a member in 2014 for services that were provided in 2010, your 2014 policy coverage will respond.

To ensure that you preserve your policy coverage, you must report a potential claim as soon as practicable after learning of or becoming aware of circumstances that might give rise to a claim, however unmeritorious. This is a condition of your policy. The current policy period ends June 30, 2017.

Furthermore, you should report to the Insurance Administrator even when:

• You discover a mistake which has or may have caused the client damage. This is true even if the client has no intention of advancing a claim against you at the time; the client may advance a claim in the future. Early claim reporting allows investigation and possible mitigation of the problem before it becomes worse or more costly.
• You receive any threat or communication of intention to sue from a client or his or her lawyer. You should not second-guess the client’s intentions and wait for a clearer indication that the client is serious.
• A client expresses dissatisfaction with your handling of a particular matter and there is some indication the client believes he or she has suffered a loss or incurred damages.

To report a potential insurance claim, please contact Janice Ringrose, Insurance Administrator, at (709) 722-6008 or email to insurance@lawsociety.nf.ca before the end of June, 2017.

Lawyers Insurance Programme
Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador