Commercial legal expenses insurance

Cover your business against the cost of contract disputes, tax investigations and more from as little as £5 a month.

  • Fast, easy online quote in just 90 seconds

  • 24hr legal advice helpline and legal hub

  • No hidden fees or cancellation charges

Legal expenses insurance can protect your business against a wide range of legal costs, including contract disputes (including recovering debts owed to you by your clients), tax enquiries (including IR35) and employment disputes with former employees.

What is legal expenses insurance?

Legal expenses insurance covers the cost of pursuing or defending against certain legal actions. The chance of a dispute with another party such as a client, a supplier or an employee is significant so having protection through a legal expenses insurance policy could be valuable to your business.

Markel offers legal protection insurance from as little as £5 a month. It enables you to access 24-hour legal advice via our helpline and will cover unexpected legal costs should you find yourself in a dispute.

What does legal expenses insurance cover?

Legal expenses insurance covers legal costs and expenses in respect of:

  • Contract disputes
  • Tax investigations (including IR35)
  • Jury service attendance
  • Criminal defence
  • Health & Safety investigations
  • Employment disputes

Depending on the cover you choose, there may be a payable excess in the event of a claim.

When you arrange your legal expenses insurance with Markel, you also receive access to:

  • 24 hour legal advice helpline – giving you immediate access 24/7 to an experienced team of qualified solicitors at no additional cost. Knowing who to turn to for expert legal advice can be difficult when you’re working for yourself. The team at Markel Law are on hand day and night to help you with any business-related legal queries.
  • Markel Law Hub – an online resource of legal and business guides, templates and content written and created by our team of expert solicitors. Instantly download ready-made contracts, policies, procedures and guidance you can use to run your business with confidence - without paying any expensive legal fees.

Why does my business need legal protection insurance?

Legal expenses insurance covers legal costs you might incur during disputes or legal action.  Legal expenses insurance will enable you to:

  • Pursue a client where they have breached a contract or defend you against an unfounded allegation of you being in breach
  • Have representation when HMRC investigate your business tax affairs
  • Have representation when the Health & Safety Executive conduct an investigation - for example, after an accident that took place at your business premises
  • Have representation should you be required to attend a police interview under caution concerning an alleged criminal matter that took place in connection with your business
  • Cover expenses if you are required to attend jury service
  • Defend yourself against an allegation of discrimination by a former employee

How to arrange cover

With Markel, it is easy to set up cover. You can get a quote for commercial legal expenses insurance in as little as 90 seconds by providing a few important details about your business. There are no hidden fees or charges for cancellation, and you’ll have the option to spread the cost of your policy over 10 interest free instalments

Get a quote online now, or call our insurance experts on 0800 640 6600.

How much does legal expenses insurance cost?

Taking out a business legal expenses insurance policy with Markel can cost as little as £5 a month. If you change your mind, you have a cooling off period of 14 days from receiving the documents to cancel your policy. You won't be charged for the cancellation, and any premiums paid will be refunded.

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Policy Documents

Cover starting at £5 a month

Frequently asked questions

  • What's the difference between legal expenses insurance and professional indemnity insurance?

    Legal expenses insurance covers your business for a wide range of potential legal disputes including investigations by the Health & Safety Executive, contract disputes, employment disputes with employees and the costs of attending court if required to when you have a claim covered under the policy.

    Professional indemnity insurance, on the other hand, specifically covers against allegations of professional negligence – namely errors or mistakes you make in a piece of work (such as a project or report) for a client.

    The two types of cover insure against different scenarios, therefore, it's important you consider arranging both to ensure full protection.

  • What level of cover is available?

    Our legal expenses insurance offers limits of up to £100,000.

    Please note this is subject to a total limit of £1m for all claims made in a policy period.  For full details, please refer to the Summary of Cover and Policy Wording.

  • Why should I insure with Markel?

    Markel has over 25 years of experience insuring contractors, consultants and self-employed professionals. We insure over 200,000 micro businesses and are highly rated by our customers at Feefo.com.

    We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s and London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of $1.2 billion in 2018.

    To talk about your insurance requirements and better understand our cover, call us on 0800 640 6600 or get a quick quote online.

  • How are Markel regulated?

    Markel International Insurance Company Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Find out more on the Financial Services Register.

Cover starting at £5 a month

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More specialist cover

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    If your business needs to defend itself from claims for compensation or damages in cases of professional negligence, professional indemnity insurance is essential.  We offer cover for a wide range of limits ranging from £50k to £5m.

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  • Cyber and data risks insurance

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