This article was last updated 0 months ago and may not represent current law.
Legal Expenses Insurance, sometimes called Family Legal Protection, Legal Insurance, or Family Legal Expenses Insurance, is an insurance product that people (or businesses) can take out to protect against the cost of legal expenses, such as solicitors fees, Court fees, Experts Fees and Barristers costs.
LEI insurance is typically bundled into Home Insurance, more usually these days as an additional cost. The cost is very little though, often around £20-30 per year. While I cannot provide advice on insurance, it does appear to represent good value given what a solicitor’s hourly rate is likely to be.
Legal Expenses Insurance generally provide cover for the following types of disputes:
- personal injury
- contracts for goods or services
- property
- employment
In order to use your Legal Expenses Insurance, a solicitor will need to assess your case and give the insurance company a report on the "prospects of success". This is a percentage change of you winning the case, and usually LEI insurers are looking only at claims that have a higher than 51% chance of success.
Legal Expenses Insurers will often try to convince you to use their own solicitors, like DAS Law, or their appointed legal panel. They have agreed low rates with such solicitors. However, if you want a particular solicitor or someone local, then you can ask to choose your solicitor. Under the 1990 Regulations you are free to choose your own lawyer where one is needed to represent you in an inquiry or proceedings, or where there is a conflict of interest; before that stage insurers often insist on their panel.
I don’t run disputes myself. If you have a dispute and want to choose your own solicitor for it, then please get in touch and I will refer you to one of my Nexa colleagues, who will quote their own fee.
Written by Steven Mather, a business solicitor acting on company sales and purchases. This is general information about the law, not legal advice on your situation. Law correct as at .
