Insurance Application

Filing 2005 insurance application or exemption forms

Who must file an application?

• Any lawyer insured under the LAWPRO program in 2004 who intends to continue in private practice in 2005.
• Any lawyer who was exempt under the program in 2004 but intends to return to private practice in 2005.
• Any in-house counsel, government or education lawyer, who, in the course of employment or otherwise, provides legal services to third parties.
• Any lawyer who, although retired from active private practice, occasionally provides legal services.
• Any Law Society member who, although not resident in Ontario, engages in more than "occasional practice" in Ontario, as defined under the Rules for Exemption Eligibility and does not qualify for the mobility exemption.

How to save on 2005 insurance premiums

E-file to save $50 per lawyer
E-file in 4 easy steps
1. Go to the LAWPRO Web site at www.lawpro.ca and click on File Online.
2. On the Sign-in page, enter your Law Society member number and your unique, confidential password.
3. Select 2005 Professional Liability Insurance Application (renewals) from the list of online filing options. Your online application will be pre-populated with information on your current insurance coverage, as per information in our database.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions for completing your application - in minutes! All of the information on the 2005 insurance program and options is available online.

Pay your premium in a lump sum and save $150 per lawyer
You can choose to pay your 2005 premium in a lump sum, or by quarterly or monthly instalments. But only lump sum payments, made by cheque or pre-authorized bank account withdrawals, qualify you for the $150 per lawyer lump sum payment discount. For more information, go to question #16 on your 2005 insurance application and program guide.

Electronic filing the preferred option for 2005

Based on the resounding success of last year's electronic filing - which saw more than 16,000 of the 19,800 lawyers in practice opt to e-file their insurance application - LAWPRO will again emphasize electronic processes during the upcoming insurance renewal season.

As was the case last year, insurance applications, invoices and policy documents will be delivered primarily via our Web site rather than in printed format through the mail.

By now, all lawyers with an e-mail address on file with LAWPRO should have e-mail notification that the LAWPRO Web site is open for e-filing 2005 insurance applications.

Printed application packages were mailed only to lawyers who have never e-filed, to those for whom LAWPRO did not have a valid and current e-mail address on file, and to those who had specifically requested a printed application package.

All lawyers - whether or not they have e-filed in the past - are encouraged to file their 2005 insurance application electronically, and be eligible for the $50 per lawyer e-file discount (note e-filing must be completed by November 1, 2004).

Law firms of five or more lawyers:
The managing partner, firm administrator and/or insurance contact identified on your most recent online filing will have received e-mail notification that your firm's pre-populated 2005 insurance materials are available online. Firms are encouraged to e-file on a firm basis, to streamline the insurance renewal process.

Filing online will qualify the firm for a $50 per lawyer discount that will be applied to the 2005 insurance premium, if received by November 1, 2004.

Instant access to your 2005 invoice and policy documents
Most lawyers who practise alone and opt to e-file, will see their applications processed instantly and will have immediate online access to their 2005 premium invoice and policy documents in a secure section of the LAWPRO Web site.

Lawyers who prefer to receive a printed invoice in the mail will be able to indicate this preference on the application form.

As in the past two years, only those lawyers who do not e-file, and for whom we do not have an e-mail address will receive printed packages of the 2005 policy and the booklet containing forms for transaction levy filings. PDF copies of the 2005 insurance policy will also be available for downloading and printing from the LAWPRO Web site.

Filing your insurance application

• LAWPRO opts for Web-based delivery of application packages
• Application filing deadlines
• Who must file an application?
• How to e-file your 2004 insurance application

LAWPRO opts for Web-based delivery of application packages

In early October, the more than 14,000 lawyers who e-filed last year were notified by e-mail that the LAWPRO Web site was open for e-filing 2004 insurance applications. Printed paper application packages were mailed only to lawyers who have never e-filed, and to those for whom LAWPRO did not have a valid and current e-mail address on file.

The Web-based process not only streamlines lawyers' interactions with LAWPRO, but also saves the company more than $40,000 in printing and mailing costs (in the past, we mailed pre-populated applications and program guides to each insured lawyer and his or her law firm under the Law Society insurance program).

Lawyers who e-filed on an individual lawyer basis last year: You should have received e-mail notification that your pre-populated 2004 insurance application is available online as of October 1, 2003. The application is available in two formats:

• as a Web-based electronic application form pre-populated with information from our database on you and your coverage and payment options, as at October 1, 2003. You can review, update and submit the application online in only minutes. Filing online by the November 3 e-file deadline will again qualify you for a $50 per lawyer online filing discount that will be applied to your 2004 insurance premium.
• as a PDF document that is to be used for reference purposes only, and replaces the paper version that would have been mailed to you in past years. This PDF document is a snapshot of your coverage and options as of October 1, 2003, and cannot be altered and will not reflect any updates or changes you make to the live online form.

Law firms of five or more lawyers: The managing partner, firm administrator and/or insurance contact identified on your most recent online filing should have received e-mail notification that your firm's pre-populated 2004 insurance materials are available online. The online firm application/summary will be pre-populated with information from our database on all lawyers in your firm.

The online firm form has been simplified to make it easy for law firms to add the names and other relevant information for new lawyers in their firm. Rather than complete an online or paper form for each new lawyer, the insurance contact will provide only some basic information such as the new firm member's Law Society number, name, status and specific practice options that apply (e.g. part-time practice).

Filing online will qualify the firm for a $50 per lawyer discount that will be applied to the firm's 2004 insurance premium, if received by November 3, 2003 .

Lawyers who completed paper/fax applications in 2002 for the 2003 insurance program: You will be invited to complete your application online, via the LAWPRO Web site and qualify for the $50 online filing discount. You will continue to receive a package containing your pre-populated paper application and the printed instruction booklet. However, filing by mail or fax will not entitle you to the $50 discount available to those who file electronically by November 3, 2003.

Invoice and policy packages for all lawyers: If you or your law firm file the 2004 application electronically, you will automatically be eligible to receive your 2004 insurance premium invoice online; you will be informed via e-mail later this fall that your electronic invoice is available, in a secure, password-protected portion of our Web site. Lawyers and law firms have the option of indicating, on their application, a preference for a printed invoice.

As in the past two years, only those lawyers who do not e-file, and for whom we do not have an e-mail address, will receive printed packages of the 2004 policy and the booklet containing forms for transaction levy filing. Printed copies also are available on request.

Application filing deadlines:

November 3: e-file deadline
File your 2004 insurance application by November 3, 2003, and you'll receive a $50 premium discount on your next year's insurance premium. Last year, close to 75 per cent of lawyers opted to take advantage of this discount and completed their applications via the File Online option on our Web site - www.lawpro.ca

November 7: application filing deadline
To avoid paying a late filing surcharge of 30 per cent of the base premium, applications must be filed with LAWPRO by November 7, 2003. Applications can be filed in one of three ways: electronically (e-file), by fax or mail.

Who must file an application?

• Any lawyer insured under the LAWPRO program in 2003 who intends to continue in private practice in 2004.
• Any lawyer who was exempt under the program in 2003 but intends to return to private practice in 2004.
• Any in-house counsel, government or education lawyer, or legal aid clinic lawyer who, in the course of employment or otherwise, provides legal services to third parties.
• Any lawyer who, although retired from active private practice, occasionally provides legal services.
• Any Law Society member who, although not resident in Ontario, engages in more than "occasional practice" in Ontario, as defined under the Rules for Exemption Eligibility and does not qualify for the mobility exemption.

Who must file an LPIC insurance application for 2002?

• Any lawyer insured under the LPIC program in 2001 who intends to continue in private practice in 2002.
• Any lawyer who was exempt under the program in 2001 but intends to return to private practice in 2002.
• Any in-house counsel, government or education lawyer who, in the course of employment or otherwise, provides legal services to third parties.
• Any lawyer who, although retired from active private practice, occasionally provides legal services.
• Any lawyer who, although not resident in Ontario, engages in more than "occasional practice" in Ontario, as defined under the Rules for Exemption Eligibility.

Changes to the 2002 application

Claims/potential claims notification
As an additional risk management measure, LPIC has added to the 2002 application a question drawing lawyers' attention to their obligation to notify LPIC of claims and potential claims situations. This question must be completed by the following:

• all lawyers in law firms where the application is filed on a law firm basis;
• individual lawyers changing any coverage options for 2002; and
• individual lawyers re-entering private practice in 2002 after a period of being exempt from having to pay the insurance premium.

Key contact information requested
To assist LPIC in streamlining its communications and providing more targeted information to key individuals in law firms, law firms are being asked to provide key contact information for firm members/employees responsible for activities related to insurance, continuing legal education (CLE) and claims matters. This information will assist LPIC in working with various constituencies to develop new programs, materials and communications vehicles that better meet the needs of various segments of the bar.

Two of every three Ontario lawyers filed their LPIC insurance applications online via the LPIC website this year - a 15 per cent increase over previous years and a record number since LPIC introduced online filing in 1997.

Just over 12,000 lawyers - or about 66 per cent of the practising bar -- opted to take advantage of the e-file option, saving themselves $50 each in the process. In each of the two previous years, about 10,500 lawyers filed their insurance applications online.

More than 1,500 of those who e-filed had never previously filed their applications electronically. Four of those who e-filed have been in practice for 60 years or more.

Analysis of applications filed electronically also reveals the following:

E-filers tend to be the younger, newer lawyers

About 45 per cent of those who filed - just under 5,500 - have been in practice for 10 years or less; of these, just over 3,300 have been in practice five years or less.

Less than three per cent of applications filed electronically (337) came from lawyers who have been in practice for 40 years or more; 45 e-filed applications came from lawyers in practice for 50 years or more.

E-filers tend to work in very large or very small practices

About 32 per cent of those who e-filed work in small practices of five or fewer lawyers; 20 per cent of all e-filers are sole practitioners while 40 per cent work for larger firms of 25 lawyers or more.

E-filers concentrated in urban centres

Close to 70 per cent of e-filed applications came from Toronto and Ottawa/Carleton areas, with Toronto lawyers accounting for just under 7,000 e-filed applications while 1,200 lawyers in the Ottawa area opted to file electronically.

Lawyers contacted after they e-filed cited the ease and convenience as the impetus for filing online. Ottawa's Mark Arbique of the firm Forley Arbique, for example, pointed out that e-filing is faster and easier than any other option - "and I like that I can do it at the last minute." Jerry Kreindler of Gaertner Tobin LLP in Toronto liked the quickness with which his information was updated and his online application refreshed: "I knew at any point what my coverage was and could go in and change it if I wanted. The system works very well and is very straightforward, to say nothing of convenient."

LPIC currently provides liability insurance to more than 18,000 lawyers in Ontario. It also provides lawyers with a competitive title insurance product through TitlePLUS, its title insurance/real estate conveyancing program, and offers excess liability insurance on an optional basis. LPIC is licensed in Ontario, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Nunavut.

For the second consecutive year, lawyers flocked to the LPIC website to take advantage of the speed and ease of e-filing their liability insurance applications.

A record 10,550 lawyers saved themselves $50 each by filing electronically – representing a savings of more than $525,000 for the practising bar.

E-filing has also saved LPIC significant costs normally associated with data entry and verification. Information submitted electronically is easily integrated into LPIC's database, reducing the time and resources needed to process policies and invoices for the 2000 program.

Transaction levies maintained as premiums

Revenues from the real estate, civil litigation and claims history levies again will be applied as insurance premiums in 2000.

Maintaining these levies as premiums ensures an element of risk rating in the insurance program; real estate and civil litigation continue to represent a disproportionate risk when compared to other areas of practice, and lawyers with a prior history of claims are statistically more likely to generate a subsequent claim than lawyers who are claims free.

Application deadline November 12, 1999

Application packages containing pre-populated year 2000 application forms, program information booklets and exemption forms were mailed to all Ontario lawyers in early October.

Sole practitioners and those who practise in firms of less than 10 lawyers were mailed to individually. For firms with 10 or more lawyers, application packages were mailed to the managing partner or insurance contact in the firm, along with special instructions for filing.

Applications were pre-populated with lawyer-specific data drawn from LPIC's database. In many cases, lawyers will have to only verify the information on the pre-populated form, and sign the appropriate declarations and warranty sections. Changes can be easily indicated on the reverse of the application.

Applications must be completed and returned to LPIC by November 12, 1999, to avoid the late-filing surcharge of 30 per cent of the base premium.

Lawyers who e-file their 2000 application by November 1, 1999, will receive a $50 per lawyer premium discount.

In 1998, more than 10,000 lawyers – 62 per cent of the practising bar – opted to e-file via the LPIC website at www.lpic.ca.

Filing online this year is even easier than last: The 2000 online application form uses a step-by-step instruction approach, and provides all the information a lawyer needs to respond to a specific question – all on one screen.

As was the case last year, online applications will be pre-populated with information on the specific lawyer's insurance coverages and options in place in 1999. Changes can be easily made by following the online instructions.

Access passwords online: To access their online liability insurance application form, lawyers will have to first key in their Law Society number and their own, unique password. Those who have completed an online filing in the past but have forgotten their password can retrieve it using an online Password Validation form. Lawyers e-filing for the first time will have to first obtain a password from the Customer Service Department at 1-800-410-1013 or (416) 598-5899.

E-file deadline extended to November 12, 1999

The deadline by which applications must be e-filed to qualify for the e-filing discount has been extended to November 12, 1999. Lawyers who complete their 2000 insurance applications via the LPIC website by this date will receive a $50 per lawyer premium discount.

Filing online for 2000 is even easier than last year when more than 10,000 lawyers - 62 per cent of the practising bar - opted to e-file. The 2000 online application form uses a step-by-step instruction approach, and provides all the information a lawyer needs to respond to a specific question - all on one screen. To e-file visit File Online and follow the on-screen e-filing instructions.

The final deadline for filing 2000 applications by fax or mail also is November 12, 1999.

10,000-plus lawyers e-file their applications

Ontario lawyers saved themselves more than $500,000 by opting to e-file their 1999 LPIC insurance application forms!

By the November 2, 1998 deadline, more than 10,500 lawyers - about 62 per cent of the practising bar - had chosen to file their applications electronically via the LPIC website, qualifying for a $50 per application discount.

At its peak on November 2, the electronic filing system at LPIC was handling 500 application submissions hourly.

The e-file option allowed lawyers to access a pre-populated application form electronically, verify and change information on-line, and submit the completed application at the touch of a button.

Information submitted via e-file will be electronically integrated into LPIC's existing database, reducing the time and monies spent to generate 1999 insurance policies and invoices.

LPIC expects to complete mailing 1999 policy materials by mid December 1998.

• Any lawyer insured under the LPIC program in 1998 who intends to continue in private practice in 1999.
• Any lawyer who was exempt under the program in 1998 but intends to return to private practice in 1999.
• Any in-house counsel, government or education lawyer who, in the course of employment or otherwise, provides legal services to third parties.
• Any lawyer who, although retired from active private practice, occasionally provides legal services.
• Any lawyer who, although not resident in Ontario, engages in more than "occasional practice" in Ontario, as defined under the Rules for Exemption Eligibility.