Professional Liability Insurance

Coverage Under Professional Liability or E&O Policies

Commercial general liability insurance won't cover all of the risks that professionals and service providers potentially face in such fields as medicine, law, accounting, real estate, consulting or software development. Professional liability or errors and omissions (E&O) insurance extends your right to defense or indemnification on claims related to the performance or neglect of professional responsibilities or negligent mistakes in the fulfillment of a contract.

The insurance law attorneys of Callahan & Blaine can advise professionals in any field of their right to coverage, defense and indemnification whenever a client or customer alleges a claim for damages related to the professional relationship. Contact us in Santa Ana for dependable advice about the best ways not only to respond to the claim against you, but to get the most out of your professional liability or E&O coverage.

Sound Counsel for the Insured in Orange County and Southern California

Lawyers, doctors, architects, engineers and professionals in such fields as real estate or even insurance find it advisable to supplement their business liability coverage with insurance to cover liability for "negligent acts, errors or omissions" under a basic E&O policy. For members of licensed occupations, professional liability insurance goes even further to cover situations where the professional's client might seek damages related to noncompliance with recognized professional responsibilities or standards of care.

Callahan & Blaine can work with you to protect the full scope of your defense and indemnification rights, even when they arise in the form of a counterclaim to your own action to collect a fee or enforce a contract against a client. Our experience with the resolution of insurance coverage problems can help in a variety of insurance coverage disputes:

  • Acceptance of the duty to defend with reservations
  • Refusal of coverage after the insurer accepts tender of defense under reservations
  • Disputes over control of the litigation
  • Disputes as to the use of independent counsel or panel attorneys
  • Disputes as to the limits of coverage
  • Rescission or cancellation issues
  • Disagreements as to coverage of fewer than all of the claims against you
  • Denial of coverage on the grounds of prior acts or prior knowledge
  • Disputes as to the applicability of coverage limits
  • Disputes concerning excess insurance
  • Unfair claims handling or settlement practices
  • Bad faith claims against your own insurer during or after the litigation of the main claim

In some cases, Callahan & Blaine not only can obtain full defense and indemnification coverage of claims brought against our client, but can also recover an affirmative recovery on cross-claims, counterclaims or bad faith insurance claims. For more information about our experience with professional liability and E&O coverage, contact Callahan & Blaine in Santa Ana.