Blog Post

At Paragon Underwriters, Inc., we know that a law firm’s commitment to proactive risk management coupled with sound business practices can lessen the likelihood that a lawyer will face a malpractice claim. It can also help mitigate potential losses should a lawyer be sued. Our Risk Management Program for CNA’s Insured Lawyers is ideal for Michigan’s law firms. Minimizing and managing an attorney’s risk is essential. At Paragon Underwriters, we take great pride in putting together the best professional liability insurance coverage for our clients, but we also make it a part of our mission to teach (and preach) good risk management. One of the most important aspects of a responsible risk management program is for attorneys to bring their insurer into the claims process as early as possible – ideally as soon as a claim is noticed.

This practice is the most responsible action and can save a lot of money — both the attorney and the law firm. When a lawyer contacts the insurer or agent as soon as trouble is brewing, it helps get everyone prepared to handle the situation.

Reporting a potential claim early enables the malpractice insurer to begin working on a resolution, which helps get the attorney and the firm back to business without any external hassles or distractions. The insurer may determine that it is appropriate to retain legal counsel to assist with a pre-claim situation. Other services may include grievance coverage, subpoena assistance, 24/7 risk management hotline, deductible reduction and oftentimes cyber liability coverage.

It is very important to remember that making certain actions without consultation with the insurer can result in a coverage denial. Examples of this include admitting liability, assuming damages, voluntarily making any payments, or incurring claims expenses. Such actions will likely violate policy conditions, which may result in a denial of coverage. Policyholders should not take action without first receiving guidance from their insurance agent or insurance company. Early reporting may trigger deductible reduction features and the attorney’s policy may offer a feature which reduces the deductible if you report claims early or settle claims within a certain period of time (usually 12 months). This could reduce your deductible by as much as 50 percent.

Contacting your insurer or agent is a good way to avoid costly mistakes and problems. For example, misstatements on insurance applications may result in a higher premium or even the rescission of a policy based on wrong information. Call your underwriter or agent with questions about the application and the information requested. A phone call is an easy way to correct errors before they occur.

Do not hesitate to contact our professional liability team at Paragon to work with you in protecting your business. We make it our mission to help you manage the risk and avoid a catastrophic situation.

As an attorney, we know that you put your heart and soul into your law practice. You spend much time, energy and care in representing your clients. 99% of your clients are going to be grateful to you for your hard work and your dedication to them. However, there remains the 1% of clients who will turn around and sue and/or grieve their attorney. Sometimes this lawsuit or grievance is initiated several years following the conclusion of your work on their behalf.

Without sufficient professional liability insurance, all your hard work can quickly be for naught. Unfortunately, we have seen the horror stories of attorneys who work their entire career and then they’re left unprotected when a client sues them for professional negligence or “malpractice”. Everything they worked for leading up to that point – their clients, their assets, their REPUTATION – are all in jeopardy.

Paragon’s clients know that they work too hard to risk throwing it all away when one client takes them to court for malpractice. It is essential to have the proper, paid-up professional liability insurance so that you are protected in the unfortunate situation when a distraught client tries to make you pay for their disappointment. The many clients who praise your devotion as an attorney won’t mean anything when you lose everything. Call Paragon Underwriters today to discuss how we can help you be insured and protected in case of an unforeseen litigation by a current or former client. We put our decades of experience at work for you — to protect you, your property, your people and your practice.

It’s hard to believe that the year 2018 is almost over and planning for 2019 has already begun. Paragon Underwriters is a third generation business and has been serving attorneys for decades, but we still think of ourselves as a startup. The reason is that it keeps us thinking up new and fresh ways to innovate and improve. The insurance industry is constantly changing and we see it as our mission to keep ourselves a few steps ahead of the pace. As they say, “Be the lead dog or enjoy the view.”

Our insurance products are constantly evolving to meet the needs of our clients. But as we constantly strive to improve your experience, the recent Thanksgiving holiday gave the team at Paragon a chance to step back, reflect and count our blessings. We are so very grateful to our clients, who have put their trust in us since we first opened our doors as an insurance agency in 1974 when my grandfather Alex Lipson launched our firm. Over the past 45 years, we’ve learned so much and met so many amazing people; we are enormously grateful for each and every one of you. During this holiday season, we wanted to take a moment to say “Thank You” for helping to make the past 45 years, and 2018 in particular, such a big success for Paragon Underwriters.

Insuring thousands of attorneys in Michigan and throughout the United States is something we take very seriously. The gratitude we receive when a client is protected from a malpractice lawsuit or attorney grievance is truly all the thanks we need. Insurance isn’t an investment that lawyers want to make, but it’s necessary to protect yourself in today’s legal environment. We know that there are choices your law firm has to make when it comes to professional liability insurance and we appreciate you choosing us.

During this winter holiday season, we give thanks to all the good we have in our lives. The Paragon Underwriters team is grateful for our company, but we recognize that there is so much more for which we must be thankful. We hope you can take some time for family and friends during the winter holiday season. Eat, drink, watch football and throw in some holiday shopping. Thank you all again. And from the Lipson family and the entire team at Paragon Underwriters, we wish you a joyous and blessed holiday season and a successful ending to 2018.

There’s a longstanding history of professionals who think the worst could never happen to them. Unfortunately, this is why so many successful individuals fail to buy life insurance policies to protect their survivors after they die. Sadly, the same is often true when it comes to professional liability insurance. It’s human nature to think that bad things won’t happen to us.

If local Michigan attorneys needed any convincing evidence that they should obtain the best malpractice insurance available to them they should look no further than a recent case in Metro Detroit. A local man has successfully sued his Bloomfield Hills attorney for $13.1 million. As was quoted on the Channel 4 News, “When someone has a legal dispute, they usually hire a lawyer. But what happens when the dispute is with their lawyer or law firm?”

A Metro Detroit businessman went to court to sue his own attorney and wound up winning one of the largest payouts in such a case in Michigan history. The case had to do with an inventor who was due millions for his technology invention that all the computer companies were using. His lawyer advised him to hold out for more money (over $1 billion) and the client ultimately spent $1 million in legal fees for nothing. The client hired another attorney and successfully sued his former attorney for malpractice.

Many lawyers enjoy wonderful relationships with their clients and never imagine a client turning around and suing them for malpractice. However, this happens much more than you would think. A proper professional liability insurance policy is essential for all attorneys, regardless of your specialty. Contact the team at Paragon Underwriters today to re-enroll or learn about your options for malpractice insurance coverage. We put our decades of experience to work for you.

In the 21st-century organizations are embracing collaboration. Collaboration doesn’t only benefit the organizations; it also benefits their clients and customers. An example of this would be showing your health insurance card at the local sporting goods store and receiving a discount off your purchases. In the case of the new collaboration between Paragon Underwriters and the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), Michigan’s attorneys will benefit greatly. It is for this reason that Paragon began discussions with ICLE nearly three years ago to explore opportunities for synergy and collaboration.

The result of those discussions has finally come to fruition: ICLE customers who are CNA Lawyers’ Professional Liability (LPL) policyholders are now eligible for premium cost reductions up to 25%. (Credits apply to qualifying firms in the form of premium credits). ICLE recently contracted with CNA and Paragon Underwriters to provide a number of malpractice risk management premium credits to new and existing customers to reduce the cost for their LPL coverage.

Since 2007, Paragon has been the exclusive source for the CNA Lawyers’ Professional Liability Program in Michigan for law firms with less than 35 attorneys. “Paragon Underwriters is thrilled to participate in this new initiative with CNA and ICLE. It’s truly a game changer for Michigan law firms and we are very proud that it’s available only through Paragon, CNA’s trusted representative here in Michigan” said David  Lipson, Paragon President and CEO. “We believe all Michigan lawyers will find tremendous value in this new program and look forward to helping many firms benefit from the superior coverage offered by CNA along with the savings offered by the new CNA-ICLE-Paragon synergy.”

“ICLE has always been committed to helping customers with every aspect of their practice. We know that it’s tough out there, especially for the lawyers who are just starting out. We’re excited that our practice resources can now be of further help,” said David Watson, ICLE Executive Director.

“CNA is the market leader in Lawyers Professional Liability, with more than 60 years’ experience, and our data confirms that the more a lawyer engages in meaningful continuing legal education and risk control support, the better they can serve their clients,” said Michael Furlong, Esq., Vice President, Underwriting, CNA. “We’re excited to be able to reward Michigan lawyers who are pursuing excellence through ICLE.”

Qualified Michigan customers are eligible to receive the following credits against their Lawyers’ Professional Liability insurance policy:

1. Be an ICLE Partner – ICLE Partners save up to 7%. The longer you’re a Partner the more you save.
2. Complete an ICLE certificate – choose an entire practice area or a specific topic and save up to 7%.
3. Attend an ICLE event – annually attend any of our major Institutes and save up to 2%.
4. Be an ICLE Volunteer Contributor – join hundreds of your colleagues and help us with a seminar, book, or another online resource to save up to 7%.
5. CNA Risk Control participation – ICLE customers who also participate in CNA specific risk management initiatives can save an additional 2%.

The above credits can be combined for premium cost reductions up to 25%* and are applicable each year that an attorney remains involved with ICLE and insured with CNA.

The collaboration launched September 1, 2018. Full information about opportunities can be found at www.icle.org/cna. Individual lawyers and law firms interested in the offers should contact Paragon Underwriters directly at 248-851-3066 or www.ParagonUnderwriters.com/ICLE.

*Potential savings are determined by the specific lawyer and his or her practice. Savings are applied only to the individual, not a firm. Savings can only be obtained by providing a current eligibility report found in the ICLE My Account area at www.icle.org.

Our Paragon Underwriters team recently returned from several industry conferences around our great State of Michigan. One thing that remains clear to us when we talk with colleagues, attorneys and law firm administrators about professional liability insurance coverage is “Experience is Everything.” Most insurance agencies in Michigan don’t understand legal liability and rarely (if ever) work with attorneys to secure Lawyers malpractice insurance policies. They don’t specialize in it as we do. They don’t do it all day every day as we do. At Paragon Underwriters, we put malpractice insurance for Michigan’s lawyers front and center, and we have the decades of experience that make us the experts in this field. That high level of experience benefits our clients and helps us continue to lead the pack for insuring lawyers all over Michigan.

In 1974, a math teacher named Alex Lipson started our firm. Years later, Alex’s son Ken teamed up with his father to build a highly-specialized agency based upon trust, transparency and commitment to personal service. Today, the 3rd generation continues the Paragon tradition of excellence. David Lipson has built upon his grandfather and father’s legacy to continue to help attorneys protect themselves against malpractice. As President of the agency, David Lipson is keenly aware that Paragon’s experience is everything to clients. Professional malpractice insurance is a niche in the insurance industry and there are very few agencies around the country that truly focus on this. That is where Paragon truly stands out.

David Lipson and the Paragon Team understand Michigan’s legal community and are actively developing programs to help Michigan firms improve their practices, decrease their malpractice exposure and then reward them with lower insurance premiums. Through our new affiliation with The Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), lawyers and law firms can save big on their CNA Lawyers Professional Liability insurance. For small Michigan firms, CNA is only available through Paragon Underwriters. Learn more at www.ParagonUnderwriters.com/ICLE

Paragon has been CNA’s Exclusive State Administrator for Michigan law firms with less than 35 attorneys for more than a decade. CNA is the nation’s largest writer of legal malpractice insurance for law firms and offers the broadest policy language available in Michigan. Why did CNA choose Paragon? Because we have the experience… and experience is everything.

Take advantage of our experience. Make the right call and call the experts at Paragon today to learn about professional liability insurance plans that will protect you, your practice and your reputation.

If you’ve ever seen someone wearing a t-shirt that says, “Mind the Gap” and wondered what that phrase means, you’re not the only one. It is a well-known saying that is heard in the London Underground warning people who use the subway to be wary of the gap between the train and the platform. It has become synonymous with the London subway system and is found to be both fascinating and funny by international tourists.

That same phrase should be considered by Michigan attorneys. “Mind the Gap” doesn’t only have to refer to the gap in the London subway. It should also serve as a warning to lawyers to be ever-mindful of gaps in their malpractice insurance policy.

For attorneys, one of their biggest costs is their professional liability insurance. As any lawyer knows, a lapse in coverage creates a high-risk situation and a large exposure – a dangerous, unsettling combination. Shockingly, many lawyers don’t seem to fully appreciate the ramifications of allowing a coverage gap to occur. The reason one wants to maintain continuous coverage throughout a legal career is to make certain coverage is in place for all prior acts. That’s why retroactive dates are so extremely important. Any alleged malpractice that occurred prior to the retroactive date would not be a covered claim, even if the claim was made and reported during a current policy period.

The problem with allowing a coverage gap to occur is that the insurance company issuing a new policy post gap can, and often will, move the retroactive coverage date forward to align with this new policy’s inception date. The result is that coverage for all prior acts has now been lost, which is a harsh outcome, particularly for those attorneys who have been in practice for many years. Though recent years have seen insurance products developed that can go back and cover a lapse in insurance, the cost to do so can be astronomical and is best avoided in the first place.

For help covering a past lapse in insurance, call Paragon today. Better yet, to ensure you “mind the gap” and don’t allow any lapse in your malpractice insurance, call the Paragon Underwriters team today at (248) 851-3066. We’re here to help.

Auto executives in and around the Motor City of Detroit, Michigan, are mourning the sudden death of one of the auto industry’s most popular and beloved leaders, Sergio Marchionne. The former CEO of Fiat/Chrysler died last week of complications from surgery. Marchionne often talked about his love of fixing things. He talked often about how this love for fixing things helped him in 2004 after taking over the beleaguered Fiat automotive company.

Attorneys would love to fix the system that allows disgruntled clients to file malpractice claims and grievances against them so easily. Unfortunately, there is no fix for this. It is a reality of the legal profession that, at some point in their career, more than one of every three lawyers will have to protect themselves against claims of malpractice or a disciplinary inquiry from the Attorney Grievance Commission (AGC).

For over five decades, Paragon Underwriters has been helping Michigan’s attorneys find the best malpractice coverage available to them. As an insurance agency that specializes in Lawyers’ Professional Liability Insurance, we take great pride in delivering coverage to our clients that meets their individual needs at a highly competitive price point.

Since no lawyer can fix the system that allows unhappy clients from suing them, it’s imperative that your coverage protects you from lawsuits and disciplinary situations. Trust your professional liability insurance to our highly specialized team and be confident that your practice is properly protected.

Optimal keywords are in bold

In his HBO comedy special, comedian Chris Rock memorably joked about insurance coverage. It might have been one of Rock’s funniest bits from the earlier part of his career. On stage, the comic said, “You need some coverage… Coverage will save your life.” Of course, he was talking about life insurance and health insurance, but he very well could have been talking about malpractice insurance for lawyers.

When we hear that scary “M Word” (malpractice), we often think about doctors. However, there are many cases every day in which attorneys find themselves having to deal with lawsuits brought by clients. And most of the time these attorneys never saw it coming. Even if malpractice insurance for attorneys won’t save your life in the way that health insurance might, it can save your practice from a catastrophic lawsuit or career-threatening grievance. Thus, it is essential for every lawyer in your law firm to be covered – be they partners, associates, employees, of counsels, independent contractors, full-time, part-time or nearly retired.

Paragon Underwriters has five decades of experience educating lawyers about the best professional liability insurance that will protect them in unfortunate situations. No matter the size of your firm (from a private practice with one solo attorney to a large law office with 1000 lawyers), legal malpractice insurance is a must.

Whether you’re an attorney, a paralegal or a law office manager tasked with obtaining the best and most cost-effective professional liability insurance, Paragon Underwriters is here to help you. We don’t simply sell malpractice insurance. We first spend time gaining an understanding of your firm’s unique needs. We then educate you about the various coverage options, risk factors, best practices and risk management discounts available.

David Lipson, President of Paragon, is a third-generation insurance advisor in Michigan. David and The Paragon Team always take the time to get to know your firm and walk you through the application process and your coverage choices. Reach out today to set up a free consultation about malpractice insurance for attorneys. Call (248) 851-3066 today to ensure you’ll be protected properly from a lawsuit against you and your firm. You’ll quickly understand why thousands of Michigan’s lawyers and law firms trust Paragon Underwriters to protect their people, their property and their practice.