§ discipline

Professional indemnity insurance practice

The lawyer or firm must hold and maintain professional indemnity insurance at no less than the prescribed level, including any required run-off cover.

133 cases 62% strike-off avg suspension 19.5 mo avg fine 2,778 41 with dishonesty finding

How the codes express this duty

E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code CCS 5.6 partial 122 cases
5.6 If you are a solicitor or an REL carrying on reserved legal activities for the public or a section of the public in a non-commercial body, you must ensure that: (a) the body takes out and maintains indemnity insurance; and (b) this insurance provides adequate and appropriate cover ...

SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs · 2019 · archived copy · official source ↗

E&W Barristers BSB Handbook rC76; rC77 strong
rC76 You must: .1 ensure that you have adequate insurance (taking into account the nature of your practice) which covers all the legal services you supply to the public; rC77 Where you are acting as a self-employed barrister, you must be a member of BMIF, unless: ...

BSB Handbook · current · archived copy · official source ↗

Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 R.8.3 strong
A recognised law entity shall maintain professional indemnity insurance against professional liabilities arising from practice with a level of cover no less than that determined by the Council from time to time.

Cayman Islands Legal Services Code of Professional Conduct · 2026 · archived copy

AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules no clear equivalent
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules no clear equivalent
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch9 — Professional indemnity insurance strong 1 case
A practising certificate will not issue to a solicitor unless the solicitor provides evidence of professional indemnity insurance or exemption therefrom. A solicitor must ensure compliance with all professional indemnity insurance regulations and the requirements of the Legal Services Regulation Authority not only while in practice, but also after ceasing practice in respect of cover.

Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗

IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct Rule 2.15 strong 1 case
Barristers shall be insured at all times against claims based on professional negligence. Barristers shall so insure to an extent which is reasonable having regard to the nature and extent of the risks ... and in any event at a level not less than the minimum level of professional indemnity insurance as declared from time to time by the Bar Council.

Code of Conduct for the Bar of Ireland · 2024 · archived copy · official source ↗

JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics no clear equivalent
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code R.7.3 strong
An ordinary member in practice on their own account or any two or more ordinary members in practice in partnership... must maintain professional indemnity insurance against professional liabilities arising from practice with a level of cover no less than that determined by the Law Society in general meeting from time to time.

Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗

ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 7.8-2 commentary [1] partial
Under the lawyer's compulsory professional liability insurance policy, a lawyer is contractually required to give written notice to the insurer, including an optional excess insurer, immediately after the lawyer becomes aware of any actual or alleged error or any circumstances that could give rise to a claim. [The requirement to hold professional liability insurance is imposed by By-Law 6 (Professional Liability Insurance), referenced but not set out as a conduct rule in the RPC.]

Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗

BC Lawyers BC Code r 7.1-2 partial
A lawyer must promptly meet financial obligations in relation to his or her practice, including payment of the deductible under a professional liability insurance policy, when called upon to do so.

Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗

NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 3.4(b) partial
the professional indemnity arrangements of the lawyer's practice. This obligation is met if it is disclosed that the practice holds indemnity insurance that meets or exceeds any minimum standards from time to time specified by the Law Society. If a lawyer or a practice is not indemnified, this must be disclosed in writing to the client:

Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 · SR 2008/214 · archived copy · official source ↗

SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct no clear equivalent
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 no clear equivalent
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide Principle 2.01 Commentary 4 strong
Subject to any exemption by the Council, every solicitor who is or is held out to the public as a solicitor in practice in Hong Kong must comply with the Solicitors (Professional Indemnity) Rules (Cap. 159, sub. leg. M). (see rules 6(1) & 7(1)).

Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗

HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct para 5.3 strong
all barristers who hold and/or intend to apply for practising certificates, including pupils in limited practice, must:- (a) be insured under the current Master Policy; and (b) punctually pay the contribution to the premium payable by the Association for such insurance:-

Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong SAR · 2018 · archived copy · official source ↗

Cases dealing with this duty

Clear

133 decisions · link basis: found breached = a tribunal finding; rule cited = the mapped provision is cited in the decision; text match = high-precision text pattern

Duty classification does not yet cover every jurisdiction (Ontario, New Zealand and Singapore decisions are indexed but not yet duty-classified), so counts here understate those corpora.