Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Professional indemnity definition

What does Professional indemnity mean? Professional indemnity describes the insurance legal practices and other professionals maintain to cover civil liability to clients and third parties for negligence, breach of duty and related claims, usually including defence costs. In legal services it is a descriptive term rather than a statutory definition; its scope is set by regulators’ rules and the policy wording. Across the UK and Ireland, solicitors’ firms and many other regulated legal services providers are required to maintain professional indemnity insurance (PII), but the mechanism and minimum terms differ. In England and Wales, the SRA’s Indemnity Insurance Rules and Minimum Terms and Conditions require authorised firms...

Professional indemnity insurance renewal for SRA-regulated law firms in England and Wales: timelines, proposal form guidance, risk disclosures, insurer selection, claims handling and ancillary covers

Published by a LexisNexis Practice Compliance expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note

This Practice Note is aimed at law firms regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). It sets out practical ways to approach renewal of your professional indemnity insurance (PII) policy, as your renewal strategy can markedly affect the results you secure, regardless of prevailing insurance market conditions. As firms adapt by expanding business models, adopting new working practices, becoming more agile or pursuing opportunities in other territories, open and effective dialogue helps to limit the chance of unintentionally impacting PII cover.

When choosing an insurer, you can factor in your future plans, claim handling requirements and any added value services, and it is sensible to ensure you understand differences in what is offered. This Practice Note gives practical examples of how best to manage your PII renewal. For guidance on the regulatory requirements that apply to PII, see Practice Note: Professional indemnity insurance—law firms. Your PII is more than a regulatory obligation; it provides crucial reassurance to your clients, your firm and your fee-earning staff when faced with claims or potential claims...

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Calum MacLean

Miller Insurance

Calum MacLean is a Risk Manager with Miller Insurance, with specialist expertise in the legal sector. A solicitor, with experience in private practice, he has worked in legal risk and compliance since 2008, working closely with firms of all sizes across the UK and internationally.A self-confessed ideas person, Calum is passionate about making things work better. He advocates strongly for the importance of effective risk assessment at the client onboarding stage, and has helped a number of firms re-engineer their processes in that regard. He also has a particular interest in the use of technology – both as a risk control, and as a risk factor.He has designed e-learning and regularly presents workshops and seminars on risk, including on cyber and AI risks.He provides advice and support to Miller Insurance’s clients on all things risk related....

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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