Insurance
Overview
The National Insurance Scheme is one of Community Legal Centres Australia’s key services for the community legal sector. We coordinate the scheme and administers the annual provision of three group insurances with the support of an insurance broker. Contact insurance@clcs.org.au for information or queries.
The scheme incorporates our National Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) Scheme which includes:
- implementing a Risk Management Guide for legal practice in the community legal sector; see below for information about the ongoing review of the RMG
- working closely with the National Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) Network and state and territory PII committees to manage and mitigate risk
- overseeing the annual peer review cross-check process.
Negotiating group insurances can be complex and time-consuming. There are multiple stakeholders involved with competing critical deadlines. We take on this responsibility on behalf of centres participating in the scheme and secure bespoke coverage at scale, delivering significant savings for centres. W
Group insurances offered
The three group insurances offered to centres are:
- Professional Indemnity Insurance
- Association Liability Insurance
- Public Liability Insurance.
Centres apply for cover under these policies as part of Community Legal Centres Australia’s annual renewal process. The policy period runs from 4:00pm 30 June to 4:00pm 30 June the following year.
We also arrange group insurance coverage for some state and territory peaks. Our broker can assist centres to take out other insurance cover including cyber insurance.
For more information on The National Insurance Scheme, please log into the User Portal.
PII Network
The National Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) Network consists of representatives from each state and territory and works to support centres in legal practice management. As well as supporting the annual renewal of the National PII Policy, the network analyses claims and notifications under the policy and uses this to plan and provide resources and training at national and state/territory levels.
Each year, the PII Network:
- Supports centres to make notifications to the insurance broker and provides guidance on next steps
- Delivers training on public indemnity insurance and risk management
- Oversees implementation of the annual cross-check process, which ensures that centres are complying with the sector’s Risk Management Guide, and which we deliver as part of our National Insurance Scheme
- Liaises with Regional Accreditation Coordinators on matters relating to legal practice as identified by the annual cross-check process.
The National PII Network is capably convened and led by Catherine Eagle from the Welfare Rights Centre of WA.
Risk Management Guide review 2023–24
The Risk Management Guide (RMG) is a legal practice management resource developed by Community Legal Centres Australia (CLCs Australia).
Community Legal Centres Australia is currently undertaking a review of the RMG which will be complete by the end of 2024.
A copy of the RMG and more information regarding the review of the RMG can be found in the User Portal
