Professional Indemnity for Management Consultants

Since management consultants work with the heads of organizations and change the way businesses run, they have a lot of responsibility. Part of this responsibility is accepting the potential for things to go wrong. If you want to protect yourself from lawsuits and other issues, you need to make sure you have the right insurance.

What Sorts of Consultants Require Insurance?

The management consultant field is very broad. Some consultants specialize in certain fields while others have a more general focus. Whatever area of management consultancy you prefer, you will most likely need consultant insurance. Indemnity insurance helps to protect you from clients who feel you did your job poorly.

Does the type of job you have affect your insurance needs? It certainly does. Here are some ways your type of consultant work will impact your insurance requirements:

• General: This type of consultant focuses on the big picture. They tend to help with issues like improving efficiency and increasing profits. However, no matter how good the consultant is, there is a chance the business could fail after taking the consultant's advice. The right insurance can protect from lawsuits.

• Financial: Financial management consultants move from office to office, helping various businesses with financial matters. If a consultant makes a mistake while handling complex finances, indemnity insurance can prevent a consultant from having to cover the expenses of a pricey financial mistake.

• Marketing: These consultants work with management to help improve a company's marketing strategies and brand reputation. Many marketing consultants help with newer businesses because companies tend to prefer consultants instead of salaried employees at this point. At this delicate stage in a business' growth, there is a lot of potential for disagreements that can necessitate assistance from an insurance company.

• HR and Employment: Many management consultants focus on improving employment practices at a building. This can result in more satisfied, productive employees who help a company grow. Unfortunately, when a consultant interacts with so many people, there is a chance one of these many employees could become disgruntled and sue both their employer and the consultant.

What Is Professional Indemnity Insurance?

In short, this type of insurance helps you pay for a lawsuit if something goes wrong while you are consulting. In even the best management consultants company, there is a chance that your advice could end up causing a financial loss for one of your clients. If the client feels you misled them, were not properly educated, or failed to warn them about risks, they could sue you.

This is where indemnity insurance for management consultants comes in. Also called errors and omissions insurance for management consultants, this insurance helps cover the cost of any lawsuit due to mistakes, negligence, or good faith violations. It can help with legal fees throughout the process, and if the court rules against you, it can pay your lawsuit settlement. This insurance can protect you from going bankrupt due to extensive lawsuit costs.

What's the difference between indemnity and liability insurance?

To understand the question: what is professional indemnity insurance? you need to be able to tell it apart from other types of insurance. Indemnity and liability insurance are frequently confused, but they're actually separate things. This is the main difference between the two items:

1. Indemnity insurance: Indemnity insurance gives you coverage in cases where a client feels you have been negligent. It can include help with lawsuit expenses, legal fees, and court ordered settlements.

2. Liability insurance: Liability insurance is broader. It covers all sorts of mistakes or accidents that could harm a management consultant's client. However, it won't cover any negligence that is an actual crime.

What's the difference between public and professional indemnity insurance?

Another difference to be aware of is the difference between public and professional indemnity insurance. Here's what you need to know:

• Public insurance: This is a type of insurance meant to protect a business owner from problematic encounters with the general public. It can cover things like a random person slipping and falling on your stoop after you failed to remove ice buildup.

• Professional insurance: This is mainly to handle issues between you and a customer. For example, it could cover a client who took your advice, went bankrupt, and wants to sue you for the potentially dangerous advice.

Benefits of Professional Indemnity Insurance for Management Consultants

There are several reasons management consultants need the right indemnity insurance. It can protect you from a number issues and help improve your business relationships.

Whether you're a massive consultant business or a self-employed home consultant, there are all sorts of benefits to choosing consultant indemnity insurance for management consultants.

1. Reduce the stress of undelivered service

When you miss deadlines, it can potentially affect your client's ability to perform their business. They may be able to take you to court over financial losses from your tardiness.

Having insurance protects you, so you don't have to stress as much. While undelivered services still impair your professional relationships, they don't have the ability to bankrupt you.

2. Reassure clients of your professionalism

When clients are in the market for a management consultant, they will want to check your credentials. Many businesses do not want to work with uninsured individuals because they know there might not be a way of getting reimbursed if something goes wrong. Your insurance company eases their fears by showing that any successful lawsuit would be paid.

3. Protect your personal and professional assets

Of course the biggest benefit of indemnity insurance is simply financial protection. This type of insurance is fairly cheap, but years of paying for it will be worth it if you have a single lawsuit. Lawsuits are extremely costly.

In addition to paying for all the legal fees, you also end up having to pay compensation if the court rules against you. Insurance keeps you from having to close your business or declare bankruptcy if this unfortunate event happens.

The Average Cost of Professional Indemnity Insurance

A quote for a professional indemnity insurance policy can vary quite a bit depending on where you live and what sort of business you have. The amount you pay per year for your policy can be anywhere from around $500 to $1,500. Since business lawsuit settlements can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, insurance is definitely worth it.

Several factors affect costs. If you pick a policy with more coverage or a lower deductible, expect to pay more for your premium. You may also pay more if you run an expensive business, work with high profile clients, or have a past history of lawsuits.

What Insurance Do Management Consultants Need Besides Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Professional indemnity might be one of the most important insurance types, but it's not the only one. Some other types of insurance management consultants may want to consider include:

• General liability insurance
• Cyber liability insurance
• Media liability insurance
• Commercial auto insurance
• Workers' compensation insurance

For all your insurance needs, CoverWallet is here to help. Our team provides customized insurance solutions that work well for your specific situation. Contact us for more information and get a free quote today!