LAWPRO - E&O Insurance - FAQs - LAWYERS in Private Practice FAQs

If you have questions that are not answered below, or if you need further clarification or information, please contact LAWPRO^®'s Customer Service department toll-free at 1-800-410-1013, 416-598-5899 in Toronto or at service@lawpro.ca.

About the restricted area of practice option

Starting in January, I will be restricting my area of practice to immigration law. Is there a reduction in premiums that I can apply for?

The Restricted Area of Practice Option is available to LAWYERS who restrict their practice to criminal law and/or immigration law in the current year. Qualifying LAWYERS are eligible for a discount equal to 40 per cent of the base premium. This reduction in premium is supported by loss statistics under the program which indicate that LAWYERS who limit their practice to immigration and/or criminal law represent a substantially lower risk than those who do not.

Please note that if your firm is a partnership or a LAW CORPORATION, if one member of your firm elects to restrict/expand his/her practice to/beyond criminal and immigration law, all policies for the LAWYERS of the partnership must be likewise amended.

What are the coverage implications if I choose the Restricted Area of Practice Option?

LAWYERS who qualify for the Restricted Area of Practice Option have coverage of $1 million per CLAIM/$2 million in the aggregate. You are obligated to practise only in the areas of criminal and/or immigration law while you maintain the Restricted Area of Practice Option.

Errors or omissions that are committed at the time you maintain the RAOP are covered only if the professional services were in the area(s) of criminal and/or immigration law. (CLAIMS that arise with respect to areas of practice outside of criminal and/or immigration law will only be covered provided you maintained a professional liability insurance policy that did not reflect the RAOP at the time the alleged error or omission occurred.)

My LAWPRO policy currently reflects a Restricted Area of Practice Option because I only practise criminal law. A defendant client charged under the Civil Remedies Act is facing the seizure of property. Can I represent the client and maintain my Restricted Area of Practice Option?

If you have a Restricted Area of Practice option under the LAWPRO policy, you may represent a client on the above matter. Under the Restricted Area of Practice option you must restrict your practice to immigration and/or criminal law (including representing clients in matters considered to be quasi-criminal). For further details, please review the Restricted Area of Practice criteria.

I work in a law firm that is a partnership of four LAWYERS. Three of the LAWYERS in our firm restrict their practice to criminal law. The fourth LAWYER practises criminal law but also does some civil litigation work. Can the three LAWYERS who restrict their practice to criminal law choose the Restricted Area of Practice option?

LAWYERS who work in a partnership (general or LLP) or in a LAW CORPORATION (with more than one LAWYER) must choose the same practice options. As the fourth LAWYER in your firm does not qualify for the Restricted Area of Practice option (as he or she also does civil litigation work), none of the LAWYERS in your firm can choose the Restricted Area of Practice option. Pursuant to the Program Information Guide, the Restricted Area of Practice Option is available only to LAWYERS who restrict their practice to criminal and/or immigration law during the policy year and all LAWYERS in a law firm that is a law partnership must select this option collectively as a group. Therefore, as a partnership, if one LAWYER of your firm elects to expand his/her practice beyond criminal and immigration law, all policies for the LAWYERS of the partnership must be likewise amended.