Insurance
Overview
- The scheme incorporates the following in relation to our Professional Indemnity Insurance: Implementing a Risk Management Guide for legal practice in the community legal sector
- 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
Group insurances offered
The three group insurances offered to centres are:
- Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII)
- Management Liability Insurance (MLI)
- Public Liability Insurance (PLI)
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.
Member organisations can access more information on The National Insurance Scheme in 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 PII group 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 Welfare Rights and Advocacy Service (WA).
Risk Management Guide
The Risk Management Guide (RMG) is a legal practice management resource developed by Community Legal Centres Australia. It aims to:
- Set a national policy framework for risk management of legal practice and related service delivery in centres
- Set mandatory minimum risk management standards for centres
- Provide additional recommended risk management standards, guidelines and procedures that are good practice and can be adopted by centres wishing to improve their standards and quality insurance beyond the level of the required minimum standards
Centres that are full members of a state or territory peak body are required to comply with the Mandatory Standards of the RMG, which can be found in the User Portal
Centre compliance with the Mandatory Standards is assessed annually through a peer review system, involving a compulsory ‘cross-check’ of the centre by a representative of another centre. Centres are also required to conduct a cross-check on another centre each year, in accordance with the state or territory membership rules.
A copy of the RMG can be found in the User Portal.