Professional Liability Matters

LATEST INSIGHTS

September 4, 2013 • Employment Practices Liability, Professional Liability Matters

Fantasy Sports in the Workplace

Football season kicks off Thursday, September 5. As a result, millions of otherwise well-respected and seemingly professional Americans turn their attention to a grown-up version of make believe; a/k/a fantasy sports. Over 25 million Americans now belong to at least one fantasy football league and fantasy sports represent a multibillion dollar industry. Surveys suggest that many of those fantasy football participants access their league at the workplace, on equipment provided by employers. Most employers are cognizant of the importance of maintaining up-to-date computer use policies, social media protocols and other important workplace regulations, yet they inexplicably miss regulating participation in fantasy sports.

September 3, 2013 • Accountants, Legal Malpractice, Professional Liability Matters

Responding to Legal Audit Letters = Risk Management Headache

As many of you probably know, auditing standards require that an auditor confer with the attorneys for the audited entity about certain types of loss contingencies, such as pending litigation and unasserted claims. During this process, the audited entity/client asks that its attorneys respond to the “legal audit letter.” Some attorneys may view this procedure as cumbersome and perhaps even annoying, but it is a required element of the auditing process and must be taken seriously. This is especially so because the attorney’s response to the legal audit letter presents risk management problems particularly with respect to the potential waiver of the attorney-client privilege.

August 22, 2013 • Professional Liability Matters, Risk Management, Settlement

When a Settlement Unhinges: Failure to Document a Mediated Agreement

Mediation is intended to facilitate the expeditious resolution of disputes. Often, mediation offers the ideal setting to promote productive conversation and settlement discussions. Skilled mediators know the right buttons to press, highlight strengths and weaknesses, and allow the parties an opportunity to “be heard,” all of which can go a long way toward settling a dispute. But, mediation does not always go as intended particularly when the terms of a proposed agreement are not documented.

August 20, 2013 • Medical Malpractice, Professional Liability Matters

A-Rod: Not Going Down without a (Malpractice) Fight

Alex Rodriguez’s newest target is apparently the Yankees’ team physician. According to reports, A-Rod is exploring a potential malpractice suit against team doctors for “deliberately misdiagnosing” an injury that may have contributed to his woeful performance in 2012.

August 19, 2013 • General, Professional Liability Matters

The Inevitable Question: Who Hired You?

Invariably, during the representation of a professional, defense counsel may be asked by his or her adversary: who hired you? For a variety of reasons, opposing counsel may be interested in whether you were retained directly by the professional or you were appointed as defense counsel by an insurance company. A perfectly reasonable and appropriate response to this question could be: it’s none of your business.

August 14, 2013 • Professional Liability Matters, Risk Management

Lessons Associated with the Professional Liability Insurance Application

All professionals who maintain professional liability insurance are familiar with the insurance application. When completing the application, professionals must make decisions regarding the type and amount of coverage, and the costs for the premium and deductible. Moreover, the professional must provide information that the insurance company’s underwriter will rely upon to weigh the risks of insuring that professional. Notably, many PL applications request historical information regarding threatened or potential litigation. This question, perhaps more than others, has led to significant coverage issues and presents a risk management concern.

August 13, 2013 • Cyber-Liability, Professional Liability Matters

Time to Revisit your Password

It is time to revisit your password because it may be susceptible to an easy hack. The risk of cyber loss is well documented. We’ve routinely warned of these risks previously and, no doubt, will continue to do so because cyber losses are reportedly increasing, and the cost to recover from a data breach can be staggering. All professionals maintain personally identifiable data that would be a goldmine to hackers. Most professionals – hopefully all – at the very least utilize the most fundamental type of security by storing electronic data in a password protected format. But, according to a recent survey, that password may need an update.

August 12, 2013 • Insurance Products, Professional Liability Matters

Does Malpractice Insurance Cover Fee Disputes?

You may be surprised to learn that some professional malpractice policies do not cover fee disputes. Professional liability insurance is an essential component of every professional’s practice, helping to mitigate risk in malpractice actions. But many professional liability policies may leave professionals to fend for themselves in one of the most fundamental aspects of the …

August 7, 2013 • Employment Practices Liability, Professional Liability Matters

Life for the Employer After a Discrimination Claim

The workplace is often incredibly uncomfortable following an employee’s claim of work-related discrimination. The employer must balance its goal of productivity and profit while maintaining employee morale and equality on the job. At times, an employer facing a charge of discrimination may feel hamstrung by the looming charge and may permit employee conduct that was otherwise sanctionable out of fear of what may be perceived as retaliation against the employee for filing a charge. But, as the recent decision out of the Seventh Circuit proves, a charge of discrimination does not provide the employee with free rein to violate work-place protocol.