Explaining Excess Insurance
CLIA provides long-term professional liability insurance solutions for the legal profession in many Canadian jurisdictions. Lawyers in a CLIA Subscribing jurisdictions have:
Mandatory Errors and Omissions (E & O) insurance with a limit of $1M per claim and a $2M annual aggregate limit; and
Mandatory Cyber insurance ranging from $100K to $250K for various common cyber claims. See our Cyber Insurance Overview information to better understand the mandatory cyber coverage.
Additional or excess insurance is also available through CLIA’s Voluntary Excess Program (VEP). Excess insurance is optional coverage that law firms can purchase as additional protection beyond the coverage required by the Law Society. The VEP offers the flexibility of additional coverage limits, extending up to $35M per claim, with an annual aggregate limit of $35M. Coverage options under the VEP include limits of $1M, $2M, $3M, $4M, $6.5M, $9M, $14M, $19M, $24M, $29M, and $34M, in excess of a $1M base.
CLIA also continues to offer a stand-alone cyber insurance product with higher limits than the cyber coverage we offer with the mandatory insurance. The CLIA Stand-Alone Cyber Coverage can be purchased in conjunction with the excess liability coverage or on its own. In addition to higher limits, the CLIA Stand-Alone Cyber Coverage offers additional base coverage for Multimedia & Intellectual Property Liability and Reputational Damage. Extension Coverage is also available for Electronic Theft, Computer Fraud & Telecommunications Fraud, and Social Engineering Fraud. These coverage extensions are available for an additional premium and are purchased in conjunction with Stand-Alone Cyber.
But just what is excess insurance? Professional liability insurance beyond the limits of the primary coverage is called excess insurance.
Is excess coverage a practice requirement? No. Excess insurance is optional coverage that law firms can purchase as additional protection beyond the coverage required of lawyers by their law society.
Is CLIA excess coverage claims-based or occurrence-based? The CLIA excess liability program is claims-based, meaning coverage must be in place when a claim is made, regardless of when the work was performed. Firms without continuous coverage may be exposed to uninsured claims after their policy expires.
How do I apply? The online application to apply for excess Insurance products can be completed any time after May 5th by going to the Excess insurance section of the CLIA website.
Before Applying, collect the following:
Details on disciplinary proceedings or disbarments involving firm lawyers.
Claims reported in the last 12 months (for renewals) or last five years (for new applications).
Knowledge of potential claim circumstances not yet reported.
For cyber coverage applications, firms must meet certain eligibility requirements. Some of the questions in the application form may require the assistance of your IT department. Contact cliacyber@ar-services.ca to receive the questions in advance if needed.
Existing Customers
The renewal period remains open until the end of June each year.
Pricing may vary annually—request a quote before applying.
Sign in to your account to access the pre-populated application form. Please update any information as needed.
New Customers
Submit applications until the end of July. Applications submitted after this period will be prorated (note that cyber coverage cannot be prorated).
Request a quote before applying.
Create an account to access the application form when you're ready.
Visit the Excess Insurance section of the CLIA website to get a quote and apply.
Need More Information? To learn more about our excess coverages please check out our helpful resources on our website, including FAQs on the following topics:
Explaining Excess Insurance
Need & Availability
Retirement & Claims Continuity
Limits & Coverage Scope
Changes to Firm or Coverage
Application/Renewal Process
If you have any questions, please contact us at service@clia.ca.