Cyber Liability Privacy Network Security
Cyber threats affect every profession – from the healthcare industry with online medical records and the use of smart devices, to law firms that have confidential sensitive information in their files that if hacked into can be misused by criminals. In addition, the rise of spear phishing attacks – sending targeted email that appears to come from a trusted source in order to trick the recipient into opening a malicious attachment or visiting a malicious website where malware is downloaded to their computer – combined with business email compromise to get companies to erroneously wire transfer money, employee negligence, and cyber extortion have all made for a very complex cyber security landscape for any business.
Professional Liability Insurance
Professional Liability insurance, also known as Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance, is designed to protect your firm against claims that arise from providing or failing to provide professional services. Depending on your profession, this could mean anything from a conflict of interest that caused financial damage to a client, design flaws that resulted in project delays and loss of tenant revenue, and inadequate coverage or policy limits that negatively affected the resolution of a claim, among many other situations. Axis Insurance Services, LLC focuses on providing Professional Liability insurance solutions to a diverse clientele that, without this must-have coverage, would find themselves paying out of pocket to defend lawsuits (even those without merit) and potential damages if found legally responsible.
E&O Coverage for the Legal Profession
As an attorney or law firm, you’ve been on both sides of the table: defending professionals and their work in disputes with clients and working on behalf of plaintiffs who are unhappy with a particular service or job and claim financial damages. You, too, unfortunately, can find yourself across the table as a defendant in a legal malpractice claim that without proper insurance protection will cause your bottom line and reputation to take a hit.It’s not just large firms that face allegations of professional liability negligence. The American Bar Association estimates that attorneys at legal firms of all sizes will have at least three legal malpractice claims brought up against them in the course of their careers. Additionally, claims against lawyers have been steadily increasing in recent years, and the size of claims is also on the rise. Real estate lawyers in particular have seen a spike in claims.
E&O Coverage for the Real Estate Sector
As one of the nation’s largest independent firms writing Commercial Real Estate E&O insurance, we provide a unique perspective in this risk. We insure hundreds of risks and are regularly asked to speak and write on relevant industry topics. Our team of professionals at Axis Insurance Services, LLC understands that the profile risk of each of our real estate clients differs depending on the sector they serve and their exposures and why it’s so important to offer customized solutions. As a result, our Real Estate Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance programs are specifically tailored to each client. Our E&O program offers coverage for legal fees and settlements as a result of claims arising out of allegations of negligence or oversight in the performance of the work provided.
E&O Coverage for the Technology Industry
Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance for the technology industry is designed to cover the financial loss to a company’s customer as a result of an error or omission in the service or product supplied to the customer. Lawsuits commonly arise due to disputes over the scope of a project, delays, security issues, miscommunication, or the quality of the work you’ve delivered. For example, a customer sues a software development company because they are dissatisfied with the performance of the product or the customer’s expectations were higher than the capabilities of the product.Tech E&O insurance will step in and pay the attorney fees to defend the suit, court costs, settlements or judgments, and miscellaneous lawsuit expenses. This coverage not only safeguards your bottom line but also protects your reputation – one of the most valuable assets you have in the tech world.
D&O Management Liability Insurance
The legal landscape for directors and officers and board members has become increasingly complex with emerging risks such as data privacy claims, greater shareholder activism, environmental litigation, and an increase in securities class actions and merger-objection suits. It’s not only public companies that face management liability claims but also private and non-profit entities that are targets of allegations of unfair business practices, conflicts of interests, mismanagement of funds, release of non-public information, and other issues.Directors & Officers (D&O) solutions from Axis Insurance Services, LLC are designed to protect the executive management team of public, private, and non-profit companies from claims against them relating to their daily management decisions. Our D&O policies provide coverage for the directors and officers themselves; reimburse the company when it indemnifies its directors and officers’ costs; and protect the corporate entity itself.
Employment Practices Liability Insurance
A hostile working environment, workplace discrimination, and accusations of sexual harassment continue to be the top trending employment practices litigation cases, with companies increasingly facing tougher regulatory investigations and actions— no matter what size organization you are. According to Trusted Choice, a leading insurance association, employee lawsuits have increased by 400% during the past 20 years, with wrongful termination suits skyrocketing more than 260%. About 41.5% of these employee lawsuits are brought against private companies with fewer than 100 employees. Also, the financial damage of employee lawsuits can be significant, with the cost of settling out of court averaging $75,000, and the average jury award hitting $217,000 if the case goes to court and the employer loses. Even those businesses with strict employment guidelines can find themselves facing an employment practices claim.
Commercial Crime Insurance
Companies across the United States lose upwards of $40 billion annually due to employee theft. From taking home office supplies to devising elaborate embezzlement schemes, the types of crime committed are wide-ranging. It’s estimated that 80% of workplace crime is carried out by an employee, with one in four workers either having committed or witnessed workplace fraud or abuse.Additionally, cyber fraud has further complicated the potential for fraud and criminal activity for all types of businesses. Bank accounts can be compromised by experienced hackers and novices alike to tap into a company’s assets via fraudulent wire transfer schemes as well as employee theft.
Fiduciary Liability
Individuals who oversee a company’s pension, savings, profit-sharing, employee benefit, or health/welfare plans are liable to the beneficiaries of these plans for any breach of their fiduciary duties. A fiduciary can be a director, officer, employee or other retained person(s). Recent changes with the new fiduciary rule have create increased liability for companies and individuals at all levels.In addition, recent lawsuits involving a spate of high-profile universities illustrate the types of exposures fiduciaries face: Retirement plan sponsors of each of the university’s plans are being sued by employees for failure to monitor excessive fees paid to administer the plans and for not replacing these more expensive, poor-performing investments with cheaper ones.
E&O Coverage: Miscellaneous Services
It’s inevitable that at some point in a company’s lifespan an error will occur that will cause financial damage or loss to a client. Anyone in your company could make a mistake, overlook or misplace critical information, forget a crucial step, or be misinterpreted. Without the proper coverage, this mistake or oversight can be devastating to a firm’s bottom line and your reputation.That’s where Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance steps in. E&O insurance covers damages and legal fees for negligence claims arising from professional services. The policy in addition to covering the business and employees can also be extended to include protection for independent contractors, part-time workers, or even volunteers.
