You are here: Home > Law Mutual (WA)

Law Mutual (WA)

Professional indemnity insurance

Claims

If you need to make a claim with Law Mutual (WA) you’ve probably already suffered a stressful experience. We will do our best to ensure your claim is handled as swiftly and efficiently as possible to avoid further distress. Please read the frequently asked questions for more information or call us on (08) 9481 3111.

Download Notify us of a Claim form

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is insured?

the Legal Practice and each Partner in the Legal Practice shown in the Schedule for attachment to the Certificate and each former Partner;
each predecessor of the Legal Practice and each Partner in each predecessor of the Legal Practice;
each person employed or engaged, or previously employed or engaged, on a paid or unpaid basis, in connection with the Legal Practice or predecessor of the Legal Practice, including any trainee, volunteer, part-time, seasonal, temporary, or work experience personnel, a practical legal trainee, or legal practitioner performing Restricted Legal Practice for the purpose of attaining Required Experience, but not including a Consultant;
each Consultant provided that: a. at the time of any act, error or omission giving rise to a Claim, the Consultant was under the direct control and supervision of the Legal Practice or predecessor of the Legal Practice or a Partner of the Legal Practice or partner of the predecessor of the Legal Practice; b. the act, error or omission giving rise to the Claim occurred in the course of or arose out of the services provided by the Consultant pursuant to the Consultant contract.
the estate or the legal representatives of each person included in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3; and
each service or administration company or trust connected with the Legal Practice to the extent that its activities are carried out exclusively in connection with the Practice.

What is insured?

Up to the Limit of Liability (currently $2,000,000 and $1,500,000 for 2007/2008 and years prior) for:

any amount payable by the Insured to a Claimant (including Claimant’s Costs) in respect of any kind of civil liability incurred in connection with the Practice for any Claim first made against the Insured during the Period of Insurance; and
Related Costs with respect to that Claim.

What is not insured?

a liability which arises out of facts or circumstances that might give rise to a Claim that were notified to an insurer or a mutual fund prior to the Period of Insurance;
a liability which arises directly out of facts that might give rise to a Claim of which the Insured was aware or ought reasonably to have been aware before 1 July 1995 or in the case of a Barrister, before 30 June 2010;
a liability which arises directly out of an act or omission of a Practitioner who is not a Partner in, an employee of, or directly contracted by, a Legal Practice located wholly or partly in Western Australia;
a liability which arises directly or indirectly out of the Insured acting as a public officer, company director, company secretary or other company officer (other than a claim arising from the Legal Practice’s provision of legal services through any of its directors or officers who are Practitioners);
the Insured’s Contribution;
the contribution by the Law Society out of the Law Mutual Fund pursuant to clause 3.2 of the Master Policy or by the Insurers pursuant to clause 4.2 of the Master Policy;
a liability which arises directly or indirectly out of the performance or non-performance of a contract other than a contract by the Insured to provide legal services in connection with the Practice;
a liability to repay to a client fees or disbursements (other than the fees of experts and counsel) charged by the Insured to the client;
a liability for costs incurred by the Insured in relation to a dispute about fees or disbursements charged by the Insured to a client;
a liability for damages for death or injury other than mental distress or anxiety arising out of legal services provided by the Insured in connection with the Practice;
a liability for physical loss or damage to property, unless the property was in the care, custody and control of the Insured in connection with the Practice and for which the Insured is responsible, not being property occupied or used by the Insured for the purposes of the Practice;
the payment of a trading debt incurred by the Insured;
a liability brought about by the dishonest or fraudulent act or omission of an Insured, but this exclusion will not apply to:
- the liability of an Insured or former Insured not engaged in or knowingly connected with the dishonest or fraudulent act or omission, where the dishonest or fraudulent act or omission occurred after 30 June 1999; or
- a liability brought about by the dishonest or fraudulent act or omission of a person employed in connection with the Practice.
- and
- this exclusion shall only apply once the dishonesty or fraudulent act or omission has been established by express admission, court judgment or other final adjudication;
- the provisions of clause 12 of this Certificate will apply;
- notwithstanding subclauses 2.1.13.1 and 2.1.13.2 above, the Insurers shall not be liable to indemnify the Insured for any amount payable under a Guarantee Fund or analogous fidelity fund, nor for any Claim made by any Guarantee Fund or analogous fidelity fund;
a liability for any:
- fine;
- civil penalty;
- punitive, exemplary, aggravated, additional or like damages; or
- costs or expenses incurred or ordered to be paid by an Insured in connection with a complaint against, or investigation into, the professional misconduct of an Insured;
a liability directly or indirectly caused by or contributed to by, or arising from, ionising radiation or contamination by radioactivity from any nuclear fuel or from any nuclear waste from the combustion of nuclear fuel;
a liability directly or indirectly caused by or contributed to by, or arising from, the radioactive toxic explosive or other hazardous property of any explosive nuclear assembly or nuclear component;
a liability which arises from war, invasion, acts of foreign enemies, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), civil war rebellion, revolution, insurrection, military or usurped power;
a liability for any costs awarded against an Insured where the Insured is not a party to proceedings, but is acting on behalf of a party to proceedings;
a liability incurred by an Insured in his or her capacity as an insurance agent;
a liability arising out of death, injury, illness, loss, damage, cost or expense directly or indirectly caused by, contributed to by, resulting from or arising out of or in connection with:
- an Act Of Terrorism regardless of any other cause or event contributing concurrently or in any other sequence to the loss; or
- an action in controlling, preventing, suppressing, retaliating against, or responding to any Act Of Terrorism;
a liability arising out of an actual or alleged liability whatsoever for a Claim in respect of loss or losses directly or indirectly arising out of, resulting from or in consequence of, or in any way involving asbestos, or any materials containing asbestos in whatever form or quantity other than where such liability is in relation to provision of professional services as a legal practitioner;
any Claim directly or indirectly based upon, attributable to, or in consequence of insolvency, bankruptcy or liquidation of an Insured;
a liability in relation to a dispute between:
- the Partners;
- shareholders of the Legal Practice if it is an Incorporated Legal Practice; or
- Partners and shareholders of the Legal Practice if the Legal Practice is an Incorporated Legal Practice;
a liability in relation to an employment related dispute brought by an employee of a Legal Practice against the Insured;
a liability which arises directly or indirectly out of an Insured being:
- an Exempt Practitioner or a Partner or employee of an Exempted Firm;
- a Partner or employee of a Legal Practice conducted in Western Australia and at least one other State or Territory prior to or during the Period of Insurance, if the Insured is entitled to claim under another mutual fund or insurance policy for the same liability, and such liability arose predominantly from an act or omission committed by a person or persons who was or were, at the time of the act or omission:
  - residing in; or
  - a resident or residents of, a Territory or State other than Western Australia.

When should I notify Law Mutual (WA)?

An Insured must give written notice of a Claim first made against the Insured during the Period of Insurance as soon as reasonably practicable after the Claim is made. It is also prudent and Insureds are strongly urged to notify Law Mutual (WA) of any circumstances that might give rise to a claim against the Insured.

If you have any queries in relation to notifications of circumstances or Claims, please call the Claims Solicitor on (08) 9324 8626.

Insurance

A A A

The Insurance Arrangements are governed by the Legal Profession Act 2008, the Legal Profession Regulations 2009 and the Master Policy.

The Law Society is required to publish details of the Insurance Arrangements to Law Practices and Practitioners (Regulation 84(3)). This is specified in the Annual Information Booklet which is released prior to the commencement of the new insurance year.

Neither the Law Society nor Law Mutual WA is regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). The Law Society has been granted an exemption on the basis that it is not an insurer – it only arranges insurance as required under the Legal Profession Act 2008.

The Law Society arranges insurance for Law Practices. Law Practices are issued with a Certificate on behalf of the Underwriters. This is evidenced by an insurance certificate provided to Law Practices. The terms and conditions of the Certificate are Schedule 1 to the Master Policy.

Ceased Law Practices and former practitioners previously insured through Law Mutual (WA) are also entitled to cover under the Master Policy in respect of professional indemnity claims arising from the practice of law during their previous periods of insurance through Law Mutual (WA).

The Certificates are issued in the Law Practice’s legal name and not their trading name (if it differs from the legal name). The certificates are not issued in the names of individual practitioners. Who is ‘insured’ is set out in the definition section of the Certificate of Insurance.

In summary, subject to the terms of the Master Policy, the Insurance Arrangements cover the Law Practice, its current and past partners/directors along with its current and past employees, for claims notified during the Insurance Year. The amount payable by Law Practices is comprised of 2 components:

the Annual Contribution (Regulation 92), and
the Administration Levy (Regulation 102).

2017/18 FORMS

Form A – Sole Practitioners and Partnerships

Complete and submit Form A if you are classified as sole practitioner or partner for insurance purposes and you expect to be above the low fee earner threshold of $100,000 during an insurance year.

Form B – Low Fee Earners

Complete and submit Form B if you are a sole practitioner or an incorporated legal practice and you estimate that you will earn less than $100,000 in gross legal fees for the entire insurance year. You will be entitled to concessional annual contribution rates based on your level of income.

Conditions apply depending on who you can employ and discounts you are entitled to.

Form C – Incorporated Legal Practice

Complete and submit Form C if your law practice is structured as an incorporated entity.

An incorporated legal practice is a corporation (typically a company within the meaning of the Corporations Act) that provides legal services and that may provide other services in addition to legal services.

Form 1A – Additional Practitioner

Complete and submit Form 1A when a practitioner joins or commences work at a firm during the insurance year other than renewal period

2016/17 FORMS

Form A – Sole Practitioners and Partnerships

Complete and submit Form A if you are classified as sole practitioner or partner for insurance purposes and you expect to be above the low fee earner threshold of $50,000 during an insurance year.

Form B – Low Fee Earners

Complete and submit Form B if you are a sole practitioner or an incorporated legal practice and you estimate that you will earn less than $50,000 in gross legal fees for the entire insurance year. You will be entitled to concessional annual contribution rates based on your level of income. See our Annual information booklet.

Conditions apply depending on who you can employ and discounts you are entitled to.

Form C – Incorporated Legal Practice

Complete and submit Form C if your law practice is structured as an incorporated entity.

Form 1A – Additional Practitioner

Complete and submit Form 1A when a practitioner joins or commences work at a firm during the insurance year other than renewal period.

Low Fee Earner - Statutory Declaration Form

An low fee earner must submit a statutory declaration to Law Mutual (WA) by 30 September following the end of the insurance year.

Notification of Exemption

Complete and submit the online form if you are a practitioner who is entitled to an exemption pursuant to Regulation 97(1) (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) or (h).

Frequently Asked Questions

I want to renew my Insurance Arrangements?

Details about renewing your Insurance Arrangements can be found in the Annual Information Booklet.

Do I have to complete an insurance application?

Under the Legal Profession Act 2008 the Law Society of Western Australia is required to make professional indemnity insurance arrangements for practitioners and former practitioners. Under the Legal Profession Regulations 2009, the Law Society is required to enter into professional indemnity insurance arrangements with one or more insurers for the provision of professional indemnity insurance for practitioners and former practitioners.

If your law practice does not have a professional indemnity insurance arrangements in place by 1 July each year, the Legal Practice Board will not be able to issue you, or the solicitors who work at your law practice, with a Practising Certificates for that year.

How do I arrange Insurance with Law Mutual (WA)?

Application forms can be found on this website. If you are unsure about your structure, please refer to our annual information booklet.

How do I submit a Notification of Exemption from Law Mutual (WA)'s professional indemnity insurance arrangements?

From the 1^st of July 2016 the Law Society will administer the submission of the Notification of Exemption Forms. An administration Levy of $75 (inclusive of GST) is chargeable to each practitioner to cover the costs of processing Notifications, as it is entitled to do so by Regulation 102 of the Regulations.

However, the charge will be waived for the following categories of practitioners:

Financial members of the Law Society of Western Australia
Employees of a Community Legal Centre, Legal Aid Commission and Aboriginal Legal Service (as defined in the Legal Profession Act 2008 and prescribed in Schedule 2 of the Regulations)
Those claiming exemption under 97(h)

You will need to submit the form via the following link notification of exemption form.

When should I complete my insurance application?

For renewing law practices, we will email to advise you that your renewal for the forthcoming year is due. This is usually in February and March, you will then need to submit a completed and signed renewal form applicable to your law practice.

If you are a new firm you will need to complete the respective application form and return to our office at least seven business days before the commencement date of insurance cover. For further information please refer to new insurance application.

What happens if there are changes to my firm during the year?

You will need to notify Law Mutual (WA) as soon as possible when there are changes to your firm. A brief description for each form can be found on New Applications and Change in Circumstances page.

New insurance application or a change in your circumstances?

If during an insurance year you commence a new practice, restructure or have changes in practitioners please notify Law Mutual (WA).

How much is my premium and are discounts applicable?

Information can be found in our annual information booklet based upon your classification, criteria and circumstances

If you require further information regarding an insurance quote, you can contact Law Mutual (WA) on (08) 9481 3111 or email info@lawmutualwa.com.au

What happens if I fail to renew my insurance by the 15 May deadline?

Regulation 89 of the Legal Profession Regulations 2009 imposes a late lodgement penalty of 10%, where law practices have not paid the insurance contribution by the annual 15 May deadline. The Law Society can waive payment of the late lodgment fee in whole or part at its discretion. It has developed a policy to ensure fairness and consistency in the exercise of this discretion.

If I forget to renew my insurance arrangement can I back date my period of cover?

Law Mutual (WA) is not obliged to backdate cover; this remains a discretion to be exercised by us in appropriate circumstances.

My circumstances have changed, am I entitled to a refund?

The Certificate of Insurance cannot be cancelled and is not transferrable.

If Law Mutual (WA) was notified before 30 June in that respective insurance year of a partner/director or an employed practitioner leaving a law practice, a refund may be provided if a practice certificate has not been issued for forthcoming year. No refunds are payable by Law Mutual (WA) where notification is received after 30 June of the respective insurance year.

No refunds are paid for employed practitioners, partners or directors who leave the firm after 30 June of the respective insurance year.

For more information on refunds, please refer to our annual Information booklet.

I’m a consultant/mediator/migration agent/settlement agent. Do I need insurance?

The Law Mutual (WA) policy only covers you for the legal work that you undertake in your role. Any non-legal work is not covered. You will need to determine if the work you undertake in your role is legal work. The definition of Legal work can be found in the Legal Profession Act 2008.

If I employ a consultant, are they covered under my Law Mutual (WA) PII policy?

The title ‘consultant’ is used in many different contexts by lawyers and does not necessarily refer to an independent contractor who is providing consultancy services to the law practice. Under the Law Mutual (WA) professional indemnity insurance arrangements, a consultant who is determined by us to be an employee of a law practice is covered, whereas an independent contractor is not.

Typically, an independent contractor will be an individual who is not supervised, whose contact with clients is not controlled and whose work is not authorised by the principals or management of the law practice.

For more information on consultants and professional indemnity insurance arrangements, please refer to our annual Information booklet.

Can I fund my insurance premiums elsewhere?

Yes, premium funding facilities are available and further information can be found at Paying Your Premium.

I’ve paid my insurance with Law Mutual (WA), when do I get my Practice Certificate?

The Legal Practice Board will be notified electronically on the following business day after your payment has been cleared and receipted.

Law Mutual (WA) has no responsibility over the issuing of Practising Certificates. You will need to contact the Legal Practice Board directly in respect to practising certificates on (08) 6211 3600.

Paying your premium

A A A

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)

The most efficient method of payment is via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) direct to Law Mutual (WA)’s bank account as funds are usually cleared within two business days. Please quote the respective invoice number on each EFT payment to Law Mutual (WA). Payment details are provided on every invoice generated by Law Mutual (WA).

Cheque

Cheques need to be addressed to the Law Mutual Fund and be mailed to Law Mutual (WA). It can also be directly deposited into Law Mutual (WA)’s bank account over the counter at a branch of your banking institution. The funds are subject to clearance and this may take three to five business days.

Credit Card

To pay by credit card, the remittance advice section of each invoice will need to completed and sent back to Law Mutual (WA) for processing via an online credit card payment facility. Credit card payment instructions can be communicated to Law Mutual (WA) by phone, email or at its office.

Funds are not immediately available to Law Mutual (WA) until remitted by the credit card merchant. This process can take up to two to three business days. Credit card payments also attract a processing fee of 1.5% of the invoice amount which covers merchant charges.

Premium Funding

Premium funding is a facility that improves cash flow by providing a cost effective monthly instalment option to pay your professional indemnity insurance premium. Applications will need to be submitted to the premium funding provider and may take some weeks depending on the funder’s assessment process. Information and quotations on funding can be sought from the following two more common providers.

Marsh Premium Funding

To request a premium funding application, to fund payment for your professional indemnity insurance premium, please email your request to chelsea.furniss@marsh.com with your Law Mutual (WA) invoice.

Westpac Insurance Premium Finance

For general information on premium funding see Westpac Insurance Premium Finance. To request a competitive quote to fund payment of your professional indemnity insurance premium, please email your request to rindrisie@westpac.com.au along with your Law Mutual (WA) invoice.

Payment of Premiums

Law Mutual (WA) does not offer any instalment payment plans and cannot take cash payments. You will need to apply with a premium funding provider to fund your premium by instalments.

Regulations require law practices to pay their full annual contribution and administration levy by 15 May preceding the commencement of the Insurance Year (Regulations 83 and 88).

If this date falls on a weekend or public holiday, payment is due the next business day. Should payment not be made by 15 May of the relevant year, a 10% late lodgment fee will be imposed pursuant to Regulation 89(1) See Clause 6.8. The late lodgment fee will not apply provided any payment made by the 15 May is cleared within five (5) days thereafter.

We cannot receipt payments until the funds have cleared through our bank account. Once payments are fully receipted, a copy of the receipt will be emailed to the email address prescribed in the latest renewal application from the Law Practice.

The Legal Practice Board will be notified of compliance on the following business day after your payment is receipted.

Non Payment

Any law practice that does not pay its renewal invoice and late lodgment fees (if any) before 30 June for the next Insurance Year, will have its invoice withdrawn and cancelled effective as of 30 June and will have no insurance cover for the ensuing Insurance Year. Law Mutual (WA) may, at its absolute discretion, reinstate the invoice and accept a payment on or after 30 June.

In the unlikely situation where an existing law practice continues to practice into the next Insurance Year without having either applied for or paid for insurance then:

until a Certificate is issued, the Law Practice will be practising in contravention of the Legal Profession Act 2008;
The Law Practice, its Principals, Directors and its Employees will be uninsured, and
The Law Practice may not be able to recover its professional fees.

Law Mutual (WA) is not obliged to offer cover for the following Insurance Year if the Law Practice has not paid any outstanding invoices by 15 March (Regulation 91).

Risk Management

A A A

It is well established that good risk management will lower claims costs, increase the quality of legal services and enhance the legal profession’s reputation.

In addition to the frequency and magnitude of claims and notifications in setting the premium for the Master Policy the underwriters of the Law Mutual (WA) insurance arrangements take into account the standard and quality of risk management training undertaken by practitioners.

Risk Management Seminars

Law Mutual (WA) offers a range of seminars for 2016/2017 insurance year that are focused on the needs of different categories of practitioners and Law Practices and various types of claims.

Please note that there is no requirement to attend a Law Mutual (WA) risk management seminar. However, your firm may be entitled to a discount on its Annual Contribution if you do.

View the Risk Management Programme 2017/18

View the Risk Management Presentations 2016/17

Risk Management Discount

Law Practices will be able to obtain a 5% discount (the Risk Management Discount) on their total Contribution Amount from the 2017/2018 insurance year onwards, if they have fulfilled the following requirements for the discount.

All of the Partners or Practitioner Directors and at least 80% of the employed Practitioners of the Law Practice have attended at least two (2) hours of Law Mutual (WA) approved risk management training in the period 1st March 2016 to 28th February 2017 (for the 2017/2018 insurance year).
The Law Practice declares in its Application for Insurance that it has met the training requirements above and is entitled to the Risk Management Discount.
The Law Practice is able to produce, within 7 days of a written request by Law Mutual (WA), documentary proof that it has met the training requirements, such as certificates of the attendance of Practitioners at approved training.
The Law Practice must agree that if such documentary proof is not produced to the satisfaction of Law Mutual (WA), the Law Practice will immediately repay to Law Mutual (WA) the equivalent of the Risk Management Discount it received together with the GST payable thereon. Further, the Law Practice will not again be entitled to a Risk Management Discount until it has completed two consecutive years of training requirements.

The approved training for the purpose of the Risk Management Discount is set out below:

Risk management seminars held by Law Mutual (WA)
Select CPD seminars held by the Law Society of Western Australia
External training courses or in-house training approved by Law Mutual (WA)

View for the Risk Management Training Approval Form for the purposes of the Law Mutual (WA) risk management discount.

Please contact Law Mutual (WA) for details of the approval process.

Please note that the 2015/2016 annual risk management seminar is not approved training

QPS Discount

Law Mutual (WA) also recognises the importance of implementing effective risk management systems by providing a discount to QPS accredited Law Practices.

More information

Other Risk Management services

In addition to its seminars, Law Mutual (WA) also provides risk management tools, and risk management advices and alerts to insured practitioners on this website that will be continued and expanded.

The website tools will be supplemented by a risk management advisory service for insured practitioners that will be launched later this year.

Risk and Control Map

The Risk and Control Map sets out the key professional liability risks facing law firms, along with measures for reducing them. It was introduced to Law Mutual (WA) members during the 2015 Risk Management Seminars.

Please note that the contents of the Risk and Control Map are a guide only. It does not purport to contain all the risks and controls that may be relevant to a practice. Practitioners should consider the particular circumstances of their practice when determining the risks and controls that are relevant to them. The Map may be updated from time to time by Law Mutual (WA).

The Map may display differently and have different functionality depending on the internet browser you use. If you are unable to download it, contact Law Mutual (WA) on (08) 9324 8623 and we will endeavour to email you a useable PDF.

Law Mutual (WA) carried out polling of practitioners during the 2015/2016 Risk Management seminars. We have now prepared an analysis based on the results of that polling and our claims history.

View the summary of the Professional Liability Risk Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the next Risk Management seminar?

View the Risk Management Programme 2017/18

How do I register for the Risk Management seminar?

Return your signed registration form to the Law Society. We need to confirm practitioners are registered for suitable seminars, as we are unable to facilitate this online. Registrations are manually entered.

I sent through my registration, do I get confirmation?

Yes, an automatic email confirmation will be sent to the email address we have on record once registration has been processed.

Why isn’t the Risk Management seminar free anymore?

From the 2016/2017 insurance year, the Risk Management seminars are no longer compulsory. If you are a Law Mutual (WA) insured, and are attending a seminar that is relevant to you, then you will either not be charged, or be charged at a subsidised rate, depending on which seminar you attend.

I am not located in Perth or in the metropolitan area, how can I access the Risk Management seminars?

At present, seminars are only available face-to-face in Perth. We are investigating the development of an online capability.

I am not insured with Law Mutual (WA)?

You will have to pay non-subsidised rates to attend Law Mutual (WA) seminars. However, at its sole discretion, Law Mutual (WA) may allow non-insured practitioners to attend at no charge or at a subsidised rate provided the seminar is not at capacity.

Law Mutual (WA) insureds will be given priority enrolment in seminars.

What if I am not a Law Society member?

You can still attend the Risk Management seminars but you will have to pay non-subsidised rates. Law Mutual (WA) insureds will be given priority enrolment in seminars.

How can I become a CPD Active member?

To add CPD Active to your membership, please email cpd@lawsocietywa.asn.au or call (08) 9324 8600.

What happened to the Risk Management seminars, they used to be compulsory?

From the 2016/2017 insurance year, the Risk Management seminars are not compulsory. The seminars are now targeted at priority risk management areas, firms and practitioners. If you are a Law Mutual (WA) insured, and are attending a seminar that is relevant to you, then you will either not be charged, or be charged at a subsidised rate, depending on which seminar you attend. Your firm may be entitled to a Risk Management discount on its Annual Contribution for insurance (premium) if sufficient numbers of its practitioners attend seminars.

Can we have the seminar presented in our office (in-house)?

Please email us to discuss your requirements. Law Mutual (WA) may be able to arrange in-house delivery of a seminar, depending on your number of practitioners and availability of presenters.

There is a charge for this service.

The Risk Management Discount

Please refer to the full details on the Law Mutual (WA) website.

My firm has more than 10 practitioners; can I attend a seminar designed for 6-9 practitioners?

This seminar is not targeted to you. However, if the seminar is not fully booked by targeted practitioners, we may release places to other practitioners. Please register your interest by email.

Where can I get more information about the Risk Management seminars?

For more information please contact the Law Society or phone (08) 9324 8600.

Publications

A A A

Annual Information Booklet

Master Policy

Law Mutual (WA) News

Please note, the hyperlinks within some editions may not work due to reference material being removed.

Risk Management Presentations

2016/2017 Risk Management Presentations

About Us

A A A

Law Mutual (WA), a division of the Law Society of Western Australia, arranges Professional Indemnity Insurance arrangements on behalf of Western Australian practitioners. If you would like to know more about the Law Society of Western Australia please click here.

Under the Legal Profession Act 2008 the Law Society of Western Australia is required to make professional indemnity insurance arrangements for practitioners and former practitioners. Under the Legal Profession Regulations 2009, the Law Society of Western Australia is required to enter into arrangements with one or more insurers for professional indemnity insurance for practitioners and former practitioners.

Law Mutual (WA) was established by the Law Society to administer the professional indemnity insurance arrangements.

The Law Society is not licensed under the Corporations Act 2001 in relation to the operation of the Scheme, and the Scheme is not regulated under the Insurance Act 1973.

The major functions of Law Mutual (WA) are to:

obtain competitively priced insurance coverage for Western Australian law firms
implement risk management strategies to reduce the instances of claims
establish an efficient claims management service

The details of the professional indemnity insurance arrangements can be found in the Annual Information Booklet. As part of the insurance arrangements a Master Policy 2016/17 has been taken out by the Law Society.

Professional Indemnity Insurance Management Committee

Pursuant to Section 331 of the Legal Profession Act 2008, the Law Society established the Professional Indemnity Insurance Management Committee. It is comprised of seven members; three non-Council members and four Council members. The Council has delegated some of its powers to the Committee to assist it in the efficient running of Law Mutual (WA). The Committee reports to the Council of the Law Society.

Contact

Street Address: Level 4, 160 St Georges Terrace Perth WA 6000
Postal Address: PO Box Z5345 Perth WA 6831

Telephone: (08) 9481 3111 | Facsimile: (08) 9481 3166
Email: info@lawmutualwa.com.au

Law Mutual (WA) is committed to your privacy, please read the Law Mutual (WA) Privacy Policy.

Events

Law Mutual (WA) seminar: You’re not my client; are you?

July 11, 2017 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

The Law Society
Level 5, 160 St Georges Terrace Perth

In the majority of situations your client is easily identifiable. However, practitioners are often challenged to identify the client particularly when instructed …

Law Mutual (WA) seminar: How to Stay Conflict Free for Small Practices

July 20, 2017 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

The Law Society
Level 5, 160 St Georges Terrace Perth

Recent profiling of Law Mutual (WA) claims and Insureds showed that conflict of interest claims and breach of fiduciary duty claims account …

Law Mutual (WA) seminar: Professional Liability Risks and Controls in Practice – are you accepting high risk clients and matters?

July 20, 2017 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

The Law Society
Level 5, 160 St Georges Terrace Perth

Recent analysis of Law Mutual (WA) claims and Insureds’ preventative measures suggests that good initial screening processes is one of the most …

Law Mutual (WA) seminar: Introduction to Practice Management and Matter Management Guidelines

August 10, 2017 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

The Law Society
Level 5, 160 St Georges Terrace Perth

Law Mutual (WA) has developed guidelines setting out the requirements for management of practices and matters with an emphasis on mitigating professional …

Law Mutual (WA) seminar: Client Engagement Agreements – Planning for Success

August 22, 2017 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

The Law Society
Level 5, 160 St Georges Terrace Perth

Would you enter into an agreement with a builder to construct your house without a detailed plan of what it should …

Law Mutual (WA) seminar: Introduction to Practice Management and Matter Management Guidelines

September 15, 2017 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Hotel Lord Forrest
20 Symmons Street Bunbury

Law Mutual (WA) has developed guidelines setting out the requirements for management of practices and matters with an emphasis on mitigating professional …

Law Mutual (WA) seminar: New Practitioner Risk 101

September 26, 2017 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

The Law Society
Level 5, 160 St Georges Terrace Perth

An introductory risk management seminar on the principles and processes all newly admitted lawyers need to know and understand. Designed specifically for newly …