One of the harder questions that lawyers face when purchasing or renewing a legal malpractice insurance policy is: what policy limits and policy deductibles should I choose, and are those limits sufficient? 

No one wants to buy more coverage than they need or have a deductible that never gets satisfied. Unfortunately, there just isn’t a stock answer. Since every law firm is different, the policy limits and deductible chosen should be based on the individual characteristics of the firm. Never choose limits and deductibles based on what your friend or the law firm down the street has. Take some time to consider the matter. No one knows your practice any better than you do. 

Consider the type of law or cases your firm handles. What is the value of the cases you handle? What is the largest case value that you handle? What is the smallest? Is there an “average” value? How many lawyers are in your firm? What is the economy like? Lawyers seem to get sued more often in a bad economy than in a good one. These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself before deciding on your limits and deductible. 

Once you have gathered the relevant information and thought about it, you’ll be in a much better position to decide, and I think you’ll find the decision becomes a little easier. Not easy, but a little easier.