Legal Insurance - Is it worth It

[maverick67]

Whenever I take out a car insurance policy they have a box to add legal cover, is it worth having?

Also is the such a thing for a more general service that covers more than cars, ie: someone hurts themself at my house and bring a claim etc?

[MIKE770]

Re: Legal Insurance - Is it worth It

with legal insurance make sure it covers solicitor etc cost and not just some agency who so call give advice and that is it!

[des8]

Re: Legal Insurance - Is it worth It

Hi
The easy bit first .... your house contents insurance should cover your liability, and pay for your defence if necessary.
Regarding legal expenses cover added to car insurance, I have never taken it. The biggest problem is that if you need it to pursue a third party the insurers will only play ball if they think there is a chance of winning.
If you are bound to win either do it yourself or use a conditional fee agreement (no win no fee) [and yes I know that if successful fees will be deducted from any award].

An indication of the standard of these insurers:
When I was working as a broker one of my clients one dark night drove into a black cow that had gotten out of its field. His legal insurers refused to act for him as they did not think he would win although there is an absolute duty on farmers to stop their animals straying. He used a solicitor to
recoup his losses and then we enjoyed dealing with the insurers.

If there is a claim made against you, your third party insurance covers you.

The same caveats apply to Legal Expenses cover added to Household policies. I would never pay for it, but it is standard in some policies anyway.