For more than 30 years, ALIA has been operating the mandatory indemnity program providing Alberta’s private practice lawyers with professional liability coverage. For the 2019/2020 policy year, that coverage will stay the same – but now through ALIA under a different name.
The Alberta Lawyers Indemnity Association (“ALIA”), formerly the Alberta Lawyers Insurance Association, is reorganizing Alberta’s mandatory lawyer indemnity program to capture cost savings and free up internal resources for new initiatives while maintaining the same protection for Alberta lawyers and the public.
The reorganization will be effective at the end of day on June 30, 2019 and is part of our ongoing efforts to make the indemnity program more efficient and effective.
What’s Staying the Same?
- We’re continuing to provide the same level of coverage to Alberta’s private practice lawyers and the public for lawyers’ negligence and misappropriation.
- Our claims reporting procedures remain the same. Lawyers will continue to report their claims and potential claims to ALIA through the same forms and on the same deadlines.
- We will continue to manage all negligence and misappropriation claims.
- Our board of directors, which includes representatives of the Law Society of Alberta and the profession as well as independent directors, will continue to oversee the indemnity program.
- The indemnity program will continue to be governed under best practices.
- Management of program finance and risk will be substantially unchanged and the program will continue to be backstopped by commercial insurers.
What’s Changing?
- We’re bringing the entire operation of the indemnity program under Alberta’s Legal Profession Act and removing it from regulation under Alberta’s Insurance Act.
- We’ve already changed our name to the Alberta Lawyers Indemnity Association, to reflect the fact that the indemnity we have always provided is no longer through an insurance product. We’ll also be rolling out a new logo and brand to reflect this change.
- We’re refocusing internal resources towards future initiatives designed to further improve the indemnity program.
- The Alberta Lawyers Insurance Exchange (“ALIEX”) will be wound down but existing claims will continue to be managed and funded under the indemnity program.
What do you, as a participating lawyer (or as a claimant), have to do?
- Nothing! Everything continues as it had previously, with no action required.
For more information, contact
ALIA.
