[VeesTees]

Hello,

I did post this question a couple of hours ago, but I think it vanished?

Im presuming we need a form of Public Liability Insurance, in case someone is allergic to a cotton Tshirt or something??

What level do we need and is there a preferred company?

Thank you,

V

 

[PatWibble]

Public liability usually applies to members of the public when they are in your premises, and insures against accidents (trips, fire, smack in the mouth etc) that may occur when they are there.
The instance you mention would be covered by product liability insurance.
Most insurance companies offer a combined package that combines both along with Employers liability insurance.
The usual amounts would be £5 million public/product and £10 million employers liability.

 

[VeesTees]

Ah Yes Product Liability is what Im thinking of!
Thank you, I'll re-Google

 

[rini]

The usual amounts would be £5 million public/product and £10 million employers liability.

Holy crap, 5million pounds for liability? I thought the standard $1ml liability/$2mil aggregate was bad =P.

 

[PatWibble]

Its just the standard amounts that insurance companies bundle together.
From memory I think that you can get away with £2million employers liability, but it probably wouldn't workout much cheaper.
Employers liability is compulsory if you have staff. Public and product liability are optional, but advisable.
The UK laws regarding the amount and scope of advertising that Law firms are able to do was relaxed a few years ago. As a result there is almost as much litigation here as you get in the US.

 

[rini]

Really? What happened to the rule that the losers pay costs? In law school, we were always told that was one big reason why there was so much less litigation in the UK than the US.

 

[PatWibble]

Partly, but until a recent years Law firms were only allowed to advertise in a very localised, rudimentary way.
Effectively they could do little more than advertise their existence, and list the services they provided. They were restricted regarding actively soliciting business.
Now the rules are relaxed and there is a lot of 'no win no fee' ambulance chasing going on. Most cases are settled out of court by insurance companies. Hence the need for insurance...