AILA Lawyers Malpractice Insurance Program

Numerous coverage enhancements are built into the policy form offered by AIX Specialty, a member of The Hanover Insurance Group.  These are included for AILA members at no additional charge:

• $50,000 Limit for Defense of Disciplinary Actions (no deductible)
• $50,000 Employment Practices Defense Supplemental Limit
• First Dollar Defense – deductible does not apply to Claim Expenses / Defense Costs
• Aggregate Deductible – only one deductible per policy, regardless of the number of claims
• Loss of Income Reimbursement for attendance at hearings, trials or depositions at the company’s request

An application is required to obtain a quote for Malpractice Insurance. To complete the application, go to ailainsurance.org

1. 1. Register for an account by selecting Click here to register.
   2. Enter your first name, last name and email address and click submit.
   3. A confirmation email will be sent to the email address previously entered.

• If you prefer to remit payment electronically, please use the following SecurFee payment link https://serviceapi.securfee.com/ioa-aila and note the following transaction fees apply:  ACH payments – no charge; credit cards 3.50% of the transaction amount.
• If you prefer to send a check, please make it payable to Insurance Office of America and mail it to our offices with a copy of the invoice to: Insurance Office of America — 100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 600 Atlanta, GA 30339

Please note that we are unable to take payments over the phone.

Here are a few tips:

• “Credit Card” will always default as the primary option for online payment. If you have already entered the premium amount you wish to pay and you then select ACH instead of Credit Card, any amount previously entered in the premium field will disappear. You will need to go back and reenter the amount of premium you intend to pay or the system will give you a Captcha message because the premium amount field is blank.
• It is best to access SecureFee using a Chrome or Edge browser.

All matters should be reported to Hanover/AIX immediately. Claims can be reported via phone, fax or email.

Phone: 800-628-0250 ext. 8556281
Fax:        508-926-4789
Email:    ProClaim@Hanover.com

Be sure to include the following:

Policy Number:
Contact Phone Number
Contact Email Address
**Include copy of Claim Reporting Guidelines**

If you need help logging into the BankDirect website to sign your agreement and/or make the initial down payment, please email Brianna Rosales at brosales@bankdirectcapital.com. If you need assistance with an account already in force, please email Nathan Millman at NMIllman@bankdirectcapital.com.

In order to add a lawyer to your policy, please complete and return the attached New Lawyer Supplement. In order to remove a lawyer from your policy, please provide the lawyer’s name and date of departure. While there are exceptions, we typically do not charge additional premium to add an attorney mid-term nor do we refund premium when removing an attorney mid-term.

1. Lawyers Professional Liability policies are claims made and This means coverage needs to be in place the date the claim is made, and the retroactive/prior acts date needs to go back to the date the error occurred.  When a policy is canceled, non-renewed, a firm dissolves, a firm merges with another firm or an attorney leaves and joins another firm an ERP Endorsement should be considered.
2. Extended reporting period means an additional period of time for reporting claim(s). The extended reporting period starts on the policy termination date and ends at the extended reporting period expiration date.
3. Types of Extended Reporting Period Endorsements
   1. Automatic
      • Policy provides an automatic ERP for no additional premium up to 60 days immediately following the policy termination date.
   2. Optional
      • Can be purchased by paying additional premium by the Named Insured for an amount of time in the future to report claims for work done after the applicable retroactive date and prior to the end of the policy period.
      • Premiums are calculated based on the rates in effect on the date the policy was issued or last renewed.
      • Named Insured can purchase an ERP for 1 year, 3 years, 3 years, 6 years or an unlimited period of time.
      • Optional ERP must be requested in writing within 60 days of the policy end date.
      • Premiums are fully earned and the ERP may not be canceled or renewed.
   3. Retirement
      • If you have retired completely from the practice of law, been continuously insured with us for the
        immediately preceding three (3) years, and have reached the age of 55, we will issue an extended
        reporting period endorsement of unlimited duration without cost to you.
   4. Death or Disability
      1. If you die or become totally and permanently disabled and the terms and eligibility requirements are met, the carrier will issue an extended reporting period endorsement of unlimited duration without cost.

Retroactive date refers to the date shown on the Declarations for the named insured firm. Wrongful acts that occurred prior to the retroactive date are not covered by this policy.

In order to change your mailing and/or physical location address, please send an email to AILA-ATL@ioausa.com and we will make the change on your behalf.

An electronic copy of your policy is available at all times by logging into your account at www.ailainsurance.org. You can also request a copy of your policy by sending an email to AILA-ATL@ioausa.com.

You do not need to be an AILA member to obtain a quote; however, you do need to have an active AILA Membership to purchase an insurance policy through the AILA Lawyers Malpractice Insurance Program.

Yes, we do offer a complete range of insurance products for your firm/organization. Please send an email to AILA-ATL@ioausa.com and we will connect you with an insurance professional to assist you in obtaining coverage.

AIX Specialty/Hanover Insurance Company does require that all solo practitioners have a backup attorney lined up. Please note the following information:

• Each solo lawyer should have an agreement with another lawyer who can cover the practice in the event of the insured lawyer’s emergency or unexpected absence, which can be caused by an unexpected health emergency/event (acute medical condition, accident involving life-threatening injuries, etc.), or a similar event involving a family member
• Agreements should ideally be written (with an expiration), but an oral agreement is acceptable
• The back-up would not necessarily need to take over the practice, but should be prepared to provide triage – that is, a review of active files in order to identify impending deadlines and either respond or find another lawyer who can respond; and/or contact the state bar for assistance
• The insured should leave contact information for this back-up with a non-lawyer staff member, family member or close friend who will be aware of the insured’s condition
• There is likely an ethical requirement to identify a back-up; or an implied requirement since abandoning one’s practice whether intentional or unintentional is considered unethical.

Free risk management services are available to all policyholders.  You can access the risk management hotline by calling 1-866-512-9953 (press #2 for lawyers) or by reaching out to Gawain directly.  His contact information is below:

Gawain Charlton-Perrin
Director of Risk Management
630-379-6069
GCharltonPe@Hanover.com