6 min read
The Risks That Come with Serving on a Corporate Board
Underwriters in the legal malpractice insurance space often exercise caution when reviewing applications of firms that have one or more attorneys...
We've crafted solutions tailored to your firm
The world of insurance for law firms can be confusing, and difficult to navigate. We've created this glossary because these common insurance terms should be easy to understand.
2 min read
Mark Bassingthwaighte, Risk Manager
:
Updated on April 10, 2025 | Posted on April 2, 2024
I continue to get the occasional call from a lawyer wanting to know my thoughts about a new business opportunity. It’s a call that often starts out with the lawyer sharing that so and so company wants the lawyer to be their exclusive local point person and the lawyer is hoping I’ll give the idea my risk manager’s stamp of approval. After talking through the issues, I always ask the one question most callers rarely seem to think about. Is there an indemnification provision in the contract? I have yet to hear any lawyer tell me no.
Truth be told, a number of the lawyers who call about various types of contracts they are considering signing seem surprised when I ask about the presence of any indemnification language. Apparently, they just gloss over certain sections of the contract. Trust me, that’s a misstep. Indemnification provisions are not something to be ignored because they raise very real and potentially significant insurance coverage concerns.Since 1998, Mark Bassingthwaighte, Esq. has been a Risk Manager with ALPS, an attorney’s professional liability insurance carrier. In his tenure with the company, Mr. Bassingthwaighte has conducted over 1200 law firm risk management assessment visits, presented over 650 continuing legal education seminars throughout the United States, and written extensively on risk management, ethics, and cyber security. Mr. Bassingthwaighte is a member of the State Bar of Montana as well as the American Bar Association where he currently sits on the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility’s Conference Planning Committee. He received his J.D. from Drake University Law School.
6 min read
Underwriters in the legal malpractice insurance space often exercise caution when reviewing applications of firms that have one or more attorneys...
The two most common excuses I’ve heard over the years for not having a succession plan in place are these. It’s either “my plan is to die at my...
3 min read
During a recession, and for the three years following, there has historically been a huge spike in paid claims, which is a number that typically...