Legal Expenses Insurance for UK Employers

Policies vary, but a standard employment section covers solicitor and barrister costs in defending a tribunal claim, the cost of preparing the response, representation at the hearing, and the award or negotiated settlement up to the policy limit.

What it does not do is remove your obligations. Cover applies to claims arising after the policy starts, and it is conditional on you having followed the advice given before the decision that triggered the claim.

Almost every employment legal expenses policy requires you to call the advice line and follow the advice before dismissing, making a role redundant or settling. Employers who dismiss first and report the claim later frequently find the insurer declines cover, entirely legitimately.

This is why we pair the policy with an advice line you actually use. Every call is logged, so if a claim follows, the record showing you took and followed advice is already in place.

Claims already in progress or reasonably foreseeable when the policy starts are excluded, as are personal injury claims, criminal prosecutions including health and safety prosecutions, and situations where you acted against the advice you were given.

We go through the exclusions with you before you buy rather than after a claim, and we will say plainly when the cover would not help with the situation you are worried about.