Professional Liability Insurance

What Is Professional Liability Insurance?

Professional liability insurance (PLI) is insurance that protects professionals such as accountants, lawyers, and physicians against negligence and other claims initiated by their clients. Professionals who have expertise in a specific area require this type of insurance because general liability insurance policies do not offer protection against claims arising out of business or professional practices such as negligence, malpractice, or misrepresentation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Professional liability insurance is used in businesses to protect against claims of negligence.
• Professionals such as accountants and doctors use this insurance to protect themselves against client claims of negligence or malpractice.
• Professional liability insurance is also referred to as medical malpractice insurance or errors and omissions insurance, depending on the professional.

How Professional Liability Insurance Works

Depending on the profession, professional liability insurance may have different names, such as medical malpractice insurance for the medical profession, and errors & omissions insurance for real estate agents. Professional liability insurance is a specialty coverage that is not provided under homeowners' endorsements, in-home business policies, or business-owners' policies. It only covers claims made during the policy period.

Professional liability insurance policies are usually arranged on a claims-made basis, which means coverage is good only for claims made during the policy period. Typical professional liability policies will indemnify the insured against loss arising from any claim or claims made during the policy period by reason of any covered error, omission or negligent act committed in the conduct of the insured's professional business during the policy period. Incidents occurring before the coverage was activated may not be covered, although some policies may include a retroactive date.

What Professional Liability Insurance Does Not Include Coverage does not include criminal prosecution, nor all forms of legal liability under civil law, only those listed in the policy. Cyber liability, covering data breach and other technology issues, may not necessarily be included in core policies. However, insurance that covers data security and other technology security-related issues is available as a separate policy.