A Full Suite of Coverage for Lawyers

Whether it’s covering your professional reputation or employees, Berkley Select offers comprehensive management and professional liability insurance coverage tailored to the unique needs of law firms.

Why Berkley Select

The challenges and expectations lawyers face are evolving every day. From a conflict of interest, to failure to file on a timely basis, to employment disputes, we understand the inherent risks lawyers, like you, may face. Berkley Select is your trusted partner in protecting small to middle market law firms against malpractice, employment and directors and officers claims. Our comprehensive insurance products and risk management services are tailored to you, helping ease the financial and administrative burden that can accompany a claim.

Coverages for Lawyers

Lawyers Professional Liability

Customizing insurance products that address a wide variety of exposures for solo practitioners and mid-sized firms.

Executive Liability Coverages

Offering directors and officers liability insurance, employment practices liability, and fiduciary coverage for law firms.

Innovative Risk Management Solutions

As a lawyer, you have your own unique risk management needs. That’s why we provide complimentary loss prevention services that offer valuable solutions, including:

Confidential toll-free hotline and dedicated risk management website
Up to 4 hours of consultation with risk management attorneys strictly protected by attorney-client privilege
Up to 5 hours of continuing legal education courses
Risk management materials and publications available

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Proven Lawyers Professional Liability Claims Expertise

Berkley Select's core cultural value stresses personal accountability, allowing us to identify and address localized market conditions and more efficient claims handling than most other insurance providers. In addition, an extensive claims database identifies trends that can be shared with you, as a policyholder.

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Most Frequent Claims by Area of Practice

Personal injury – plaintiff
Real estate
Family law
Estate, trust & probate

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Most Frequent Alleged Malpractice Errors

Conflicts of interest
Failure to file timely
Failure to know and apply the law

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Berkley Select Serviced Claims

$600 million in claims paid
Over 12,000 claims serviced

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Claim Scenarios

The Berkley Select claims staff stands out as a team of in-house, experienced professionals empowered to resolve claims. While no two claims are exactly alike, the following examples illustrate a range of lawyers professional liability claim scenarios.

Failure to File on a Timely Basis

The insured failed to timely file an action arising from a motor vehicle accident, resulting in the loss of the bodily injury claim. The insured was sued for malpractice. The case went to trial and the jury came back with a verdict for the plaintiff. A portion of the multi-million dollar damages award was appealed to the state supreme court who ultimately reduced the award by over $3 million. Defense costs in excess of $1 million were paid to see the matter to resolution.

Conflict of Interest

A longstanding client of the insured firm sought legal counsel in a business dispute over an agricultural interest. The representation occurred over a number of years, until the client terminated the insured due to undisclosed conflicts of interests. Specifically, the insured attorney did not disclose that he had an ownership interest in three of the opposing party’s businesses. The client sued the insured firm alleging breach of fiduciary duty and legal malpractice and seeking in excess of $30 million in damages. A settlement was eventually negotiated in excess of $1 million but significantly less than the claimed damages. More than $600,000 in defense costs were incurred.

Contract Dispute

The insured attorney prepared a sale contract for a commercial property being sold by his client, the seller. The contract contained a vague provision about discounts to the sale price for rents received. The buyer argued that the provision reduced the price of the property by more than $1 million. The interpretation of that fifteen-word provision was litigated up to the state supreme court. Defense costs and indemnity payments exceeded $800,000.

Improper Withdrawal

An insured firm was retained by an insurance carrier to represent a contractor in a building defect case. The insured’s representation got off to a rocky start when the client representative appeared for his deposition slurring his speech and smelling of alcohol. The client difficulties continued from there. As the case was nearing resolution, the client (without the insured’s counsel) wrote a letter to opposing counsel admitting fault for the defect in question. The carrier instructed the insured to withdraw from representation and the insured complied. The insured followed the proper procedure to withdraw and the court granted its motion to withdraw. That did not stop the client from filing suit against the insured alleging that the insured’s withdrawal was improper. The insured’s defense counsel prepared a letter to the plaintiff detailing why the malpractice claim was meritless, and the suit was subsequently dismissed.

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