There are many decisions that have to be made when purchasing professional liability insurance. The following items should be considered. Handling - It is important to ascertain the insurer's reputation for handling insureds claims.
Companies vary in their attitudes towards claims.
Some look at the terms and conditions of coverage and are quick to disclaim liability for claims that are excluded or outside of the scope of coverage. Other companies make great efforts to afford coverage with respect to claims falling in those gray areas in the policy language in an effort to avoid disputes with their own insureds. In recent years, some plaintiff's attorneys have taken what should have been regular malpractice claims and have purposely worded their complaints to allege fraud instead of negligence to entice insurers to disclaim both coverage and defense costs. The strategy is to force the defendant to settle a smaller case quickly rather than incur large legal bills. Some insurers will provide defense until fraud is proven, while others will not.