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Playing the market

16 September 2010 / Steven O'Sullivan
Issue: 7433 / Categories: Features , Profession , Insurance / reinsurance
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Steven O’Sullivan shares some tips on how to lower your insurance premium

After a number of “soft” years (meaning favourable to insureds), the solicitors PI market has gone markedly hard last year and this. Of course, in any market, no firm wants to over-pay for professional indemnity insurance, but price assumes an ever more important role when it eats up a larger slice of your turnover. In what ways can firms take steps to reduce their premium, yet get maximum value?

Shop around

This may seem obvious, but it’s surprising the number of firms, often hard pressed and too busy to give the matter due thought, simply accept the first quote received from their existing insurer. Few insurers deal directly with their insureds, and this is where a broker can be useful. Even if you are happy with both your insurer and your new premium, there is no harm in testing the market. In softer markets I heard of one insured who went from paying £110,000 to £16,000!

While there is a degree

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NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
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