Rainy day cover exclusive to member expert witnesses

Introduction

Professional Indemnity Insurance is now more or less essential for expert witnesses. With the more litigious nature of today’s society, expert witnesses will be the subject of more claims – whether real or vexatious.

Working with Lockton Companies LLP, we have designed the UK Register of Expert Witnesses Professional Indemnity Insurance scheme, insured by Accelerant and underwritten by Omnyy. It has been created specifically to offer insurance for the expert witness work you do. It can be taken out to provide additional cover if you already have insurance in place for your non-forensic work, or to offer new cover if your work is entirely forensic. Alternatively, if you wish to obtain cover for all your work, forensic and otherwise, this can be considered too.

Having insurance means that the insurer will be able to manage any claims on your behalf, and in the worst case settle the claim should that become necessary. In other words, any claim against you no longer needs to deflect you from productive work, or keep you awake at night!

Our scheme is exclusive to members of the UK Register of Expert Witnesses and provides cover from £500,000 upwards.

Policy Coverage

We have worked hard with Lockton to ensure the UK Register of Expert Witnesses Professional Indemnity Insurance scheme is tailored to the needs of expert witnesses. The key points of the insurance are that for your expert witness work it:

• protects you against your legal liability for losses suffered as a result of any negligent advice you give and any errors or omissions you make
• is written on an Any One Claim basis, which means that, should multiple claims arise, there will not be a cap on the amount of cover provided under the policy
• provides full retroactive cover so the uncertainty over exactly when the Kaney ruling removed expert witness immunity (and that may be as early as November 2005) need not trouble you because cover under the policy will go right back to your first piece of expert witness work
• includes full defence costs
• includes £250,000 cover for lost or damaged documents
• includes optional £250,000 cover for any proceedings brought by your professional regulator.

To learn more about the policy coverage, you can read the policy document, or talk to Lockton.

How to apply

If you are interested in joining the UK Register of Expert Witnesses Professional Indemnity Insurance scheme, you can download the application form and send it to Lockton, or call Lockton on 0845 634 0672 where a member of its team will be more than happy to discuss your requirements.

If you:

• need a different amount of cover, or
• wish to cover your non-forensic work

you can still look to take cover under the UK Register of Expert Witnesses Professional Indemnity Insurance scheme. Simply contact Lockton, who will negotiate competitive cover terms specifically for you.

Contacting Lockton

UKREW Professional Indemnity Scheme
Lockton Companies LLP
6th Floor
Trinity Quay
2 Avon Street
Bristol
BS2 0NB

Direct Tel: 0117 906 5036
Bristol Office Tel: 0117 906 5000

email: [email protected]