Can I choose my own lawyer with a legal expenses insurance?
Do you have legal assistance insurance? Then you are always insured for help when you end up in a legal conflict. Your insurer will, for example, help you to engage a lawyer. But can you choose your own lawyer with a legal assistance insurance or will he be chosen for you?
Free choice of lawyer
A legal dispute can occur at any time, for example due to a traffic or labour dispute. With a legal assistance insurance you are always assured of legal help. Your insurer will help you solve the dispute. Often the conflict can already be solved by sending a letter from the insurer or by calling in a mediator. Has the conflict escalated too far? Then your insurer may decide that legal proceedings are necessary. Insurers have their own lawyers and advocates for such situations. They will offer you a lawyer who is employed by their organisation. However, you are not obliged to choose this lawyer. With a legal assistance insurance you can always choose your own lawyer. This is the right to free choice of lawyer
The right to free choice of lawyer only applies if your insurer decides to take legal action. In the event of a legal conflict, calling in a lawyer is not always compulsory. Whether this is necessary depends on the type of conflict. Does it concern a traffic conflict, such as a traffic violation? Then the case will be heard by the cantonal judge and a lawyer is not mandatory. If the case is brought before the civil court, for example in a neighbour dispute with a large claim for money, then engaging the services of a lawyer is mandatory.
Requesting permission
During legal proceedings you always have the right to your own lawyer. Your insurer can never deny you this. However, you must always ask permission from your insurer. However, this is only a formality, because an insurer may not deny you the right to your own lawyer if you have legal assistance insurance.
Lawyer fees and compensation
Each insurer has included a maximum amount for external costs in the policy conditions. How high this amount is, differs per insurer. With most insurers, however, the reimbursement for external costs falls if they are not necessary. The moment you choose a lawyer yourself, while your insurer provides one, they consider these costs not strictly necessary. When you choose your own lawyer, it is more expensive for your insurer than when your own lawyer handles the case. That is why fewer costs are reimbursed when you use your own lawyer. However, this is not the case with every insurer; with some the amount remains the same. Therefore you should always check the conditions of your legal expenses insurance to find out up to what amount your own lawyer will be reimbursed.
Compare Professional indemnity insurance for lawyers
The professional indemnity insurance for lawyers covers various types of professional risks. Among other things, it covers liability for damage suffered by the client caused by negligence, error, omission or carelessness. In short: cover for the risks you may face as a lawyer.
On Cheapp.nl you can therefore compare professional indemnity insurances from well-known insurers and conclude them directly online. Within a few clicks we show you a clear overview of the insurers with the best offer, including the corresponding premium. Clear, quickly arranged and at the best premium.
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