Apply for Insurance

Each active member of the Law Society of Alberta is required to have professional liability insurance who is in private practice.

You may be exempt if you are employed by an organization other than a law firm and practise law solely in the scope of that employment, or can also be exempt if you are not practicing or are insured in another jurisdiction. To review the information regarding insurance exemptions, see Rule 148.

To obtain professional liability insurance coverage, you must complete and submit the following documents and fees:

• An Application for Professional Liability Insurance (Form 7-1) 2018/2019
• Insurance Levy payable to the Alberta Lawyers Insurance Association (making a payment)

Please send the necessary forms by mail or email to the attention of Membership Services, but make out payments to the Alberta Lawyers Insurance Association.

Effective Date

Your insurance can be effective as quickly as the date your application and payment are received in the Law Society’s Calgary office.

Levy Amounts

The annual insurance levy is set based upon a recommendation from the Alberta Lawyers Insurance Association’s (ALIA) actuary and approved by the ALIEX Advisory Board. If you require insurance midway through the policy year, a pro-rated insurance levy schedule is available.

Levy Surcharge

If you have a paid claims history, the insurance levy is subject to a surcharge for a period of five years.

Deductible

A $5,000 deductible will be applied on all professional liability claims.

Reinstatement

If you are an active member, exempt from liability insurance and not practising law, you must first apply for reinstatement.

Exemptions from the Levy

In-house and government lawyers, and lawyers with a special Pro Bono service status are exempt from professional liability insurance.

Pro-rated Refunds Not Available

Pro-rated refunds on levies paid will not be available to lawyers leaving private practice mid-policy year.

Voluntary Excess Coverage

Depending on your practice, you may want to consider purchasing excess insurance. Lawyers have the option of purchasing voluntary excess coverage for additional protection.  For more information, visit the Canadian Lawyers Insurance Association (CLIA) website or contact ALIA at 403.229.4716 (1.800.661.1694) or email.

Applying for Insurance Exemption

You can apply for an insurance exemption if you fall under any of these categories:

• You are employed by an organization other than a law firm and practise solely in the scope of that employment
• You do not practise law in Alberta
• Your principal practice of law is within Canada, but outside Alberta

See Rule 148 for more information.

To apply for exemption, you please submit the following:

• Application for Exemption from Professional Liability Insurance (Form 7-2)

Please send the necessary forms by mail or email to the attention of Membership Services.

Pro Bono Services

If you are an active member of the Law Society and provide pro bono services through an approved pro bono service provider, you are deemed exempt from liability insurance coverage. You are automatically covered under the group professional liability insurance policy for this volunteer work. See Rule 148(2.1).