Saturday, July 23, 2011

Don't Make the Error of Omitting Errors and Omissions Coverage From Your Professional Life

Errors and omissions insurance is vital for prudent practitioners of any trade or profession. It is especially imperative in today's litigious social climate. The increased diversity and global nature of modern commerce has given rise to ever-increasing litigation. The odds are high that you or your business will be the target of at least one third-party damage claim. Errors and omission coverage is vital protection against devastating economic loss.

In one form or other, errors and omissions insurance has a long-standing history in Big Business annals. Large-scale national and international retail outlets, major distributors, and vendors of consumer products have long recognized the need for adequate liability insurance. General liability insurance offers protection against third-party damage claims arising from the context of tangible facilities or products.

Likewise, professional practitioners can benefit from the shield of protection this important coverage affords, Errors and omission insurance offers similar safeguards for providers of intangible commodities. Common examples are attorneys, real estate brokers, financial planners, and independent engineers or architects. These professionals constantly dispense advice, expert opinion, and work output derived from highly personalized assessments.

These characteristics of such professionals' work product and practice environments make for highly subjective secondary judgment about ultimate quality and accuracy. Such circumstances are especially fertile fodder for all manner of disputes and adverse litigate to arise and fester.

The complex, ever-evolving character of contemporary professional training and information conveyance complicates matters even further. Today's acceptable industry or professional standards are obsolete by tomorrow - quite literally. Even the most conscientious, careful professional cannot hope to insulate themselves from allegations of incompetence or error. As in daily life, inadvertent mistakes and oversights are an unavoidable part of professional practice.

The security, flexibility, and proactive planning enabled by adequate errors and omissions coverage is well worth the premium. No longer must you fear that some obscure legal ruling in another jurisdiction will wreak professional devastation. You need not worry about some novel procedure promulgated last week by an unknown colleague across the globe giving rise to a negligence suit.

A major benefit of errors and omissions policies is the provision coverage for legal defense expenses. In any lawsuit, attorney's fees can be considerable. This expense must be borne even if the subject suit proves unmerited or it is subsequently dismissed. For this very reason, many damage claims are disposed of via out-of-court negotiated settlements. 
Errors and omissions insurance coverage extends to such settlement payouts. In effect, your insurance carrier becomes your financial proxy. As with any insurance policy, coverage costs vary by levels of loss protection and likelihood of claim(s) development. 
Errors and omissions insurance is available in various coverage limits, deductibles, and policy exclusions. Conduct a search engine query to identify carriers that specialize in this type of coverage. Review all terms and conditions of any proposed contract prior to buying a policy.

 

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