Mmegi: In simple terms, what is legal expenses insurance?
JL: Legal expenses insurance, also known as legal protection insurance, offers support for members by providing legal advice and covering legal fees, regardless of whether the insured is the claimant or the defendant. Legal expenses insurance policies normally cover civil disputes (e.g. disputes concerning personal injury, consumer rights, property), labour and criminal matters.
Mmegi: Why is it important for individuals to have legal expenses insurance?
JL: Increasingly people need legal protection and assistance to solve common disputes and actively defend and enforce their rights. The number of conflicts or claims that people have to deal with has been constantly growing, e.g. conflicts over consumer rights, motor vehicle disputes, labour law, etc. Furthermore, the costs, length and complexity of the legal environment usually stops people from seeking justice. People are afraid, not only of the costs, length and uncertain outcome of court proceedings, but also of the costs of legal representation. As a consequence, a lot of people do not even try to assert their rights. By contrast, those who take out legal expenses insurance will be helped and assisted by their insurer either directly or through an external lawyer.
