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PA Supreme Court Orders Written Disclosure from Attorneys Without Professional Liability Insurance
PHILADELPHIA—On Dec. 30, 2005, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania adopted a new Rule 1.4 (c) of the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct. The new rule requires a lawyer who does not have professional liability insurance coverage to disclose this fact to clients in writing.
The full text of the rule can be found on the following Web site:
http://www.padisciplinaryboard.org/News.html#14c
The decision to carry or not carry such insurance still resides with the individual lawyer or firm. If you would like to explore your insurance options, the Philadelphia Bar Association has endorsed the program administered by USI Colburn and GE Insurance Solutions (Westport). As the largest provider of lawyers professional liability brokerage in the State of Pennsylvania, USI Colburn can help you with products designed to meet the unique needs of your law firm.
Program highlights include:
- Flexible Claim Limits which allow you to purchase coverage from $100,000 to $5,000,000, including a choice of defense options:
- Choice of defense cost inside or outside the limit of liability available for qualified firms
- No reduction in coverage for refusal to settle (Hammer Clause)
- Provisions for reporting of incidents to any subsequent policy period as the result of continuous and uninterrupted coverage with Westport
- No cost, risk management information and an anonymous claims prevention hotline
- Reimbursement for court attendance, disciplinary defense and discounts for seminar attendance
- Options to extend reporting periods, prior acts and coverage for retired attorney's
It is also important to note that GE Insurance Solutions uses Pennsylvania law firms to defend Pennsylvania lawyers. If you would like to learn more, please contact USI Colburn Insurance Service at (610) 833-1800 and ask to speak with a professional liability representation, or go to www.colburn.com to request more information.