{"id":609,"date":"2026-02-09T18:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T18:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/?p=609"},"modified":"2026-02-09T18:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T18:15:11","slug":"extended-reporting-periods-what-every-attorney-needs-to-know-before-tailing-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/?p=609","title":{"rendered":"Extended Reporting Periods: What Every Attorney Needs to Know Before Tailing Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Extended Reporting Periods: What Every Attorney Needs to Know Before Tailing Out\" width=\"584\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CudIQC8y2gw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re planning to retire, step away from private practice, or transition out of law for any reason, there\u2019s one topic you cannot afford to misunderstand: <strong>extended reporting periods<\/strong>, often referred to as \u201ctail coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recently, I read an article published on the <em>Professional Liability Underwriting Society<\/em> blog, authored by Lucas Roberts, that does an excellent job of reinforcing an important\u2014and often overlooked\u2014point about tail coverage. It\u2019s a point worth emphasizing because getting it wrong can leave you exposed at exactly the wrong time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What an Extended Reporting Period Really Does<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many attorneys assume that purchasing tail coverage (or qualifying for a free tail) automatically protects them from any issues that arise after their policy ends. That assumption can be dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An extended reporting period <strong>does not extend the time to report claims you already know about<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, it allows you to report <strong>claims that are first made against you and first become known to you during the extended reporting period<\/strong>\u2014after your policy has ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That distinction matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Known Claims Must Be Reported <\/strong><strong><em>Before<\/em><\/strong><strong> You Tail Out<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before canceling your policy or requesting tail coverage, you must take the time to review your files carefully. Any claim\u2014or even a potential claim\u2014that you are aware of <strong>must be reported to your carrier before the policy ends<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is true whether you are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Purchasing tail coverage, or<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Qualifying for a free tail under your policy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Failing to report known issues before tailing out can result in a claim being denied later due to late reporting\u2014even if you have an extended reporting period in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why This Step Is So Important<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the situation you want to avoid:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You retire or leave practice.<br>You tail out your policy.<br>A claim surfaces during the extended reporting period.<br>You report it\u2014only to learn that the carrier declines coverage because the issue was known before the policy ended and was never reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At that point, you may find yourself personally responsible for a claim you assumed was covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Right Way to Protect Yourself<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you tail out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Review your open and closed files carefully<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identify any actual or potential claims<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Report those issues to your carrier <strong>before<\/strong> canceling the policy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Then proceed with tail coverage\u2014free or purchased<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking these steps helps ensure that the coverage you believe you have is actually there when you need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Extended reporting periods are a valuable protection\u2014but only when they\u2019re understood and used correctly. Don\u2019t let a technical misunderstanding undo years of careful risk management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re approaching retirement or considering a transition out of practice, now is the time to review your coverage and make sure everything is handled properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re planning to retire, step away from private practice, or transition out of law for any reason, there\u2019s one topic you cannot afford to misunderstand: extended reporting periods, often referred to as \u201ctail coverage.\u201d Recently, I read an article &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/?p=609\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=609"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":610,"href":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609\/revisions\/610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.integrityfirstins.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}