What is Legal Expense Insurance

Legal expense insurance, also known as legal protection insurance is a short-term insurance product which provides you cover for your legal fees when you need the services of a lawyer. Legal insurance would cover you for legal fees for both in-court and out-of-court matters.

In South Africa a lawyer may charge you as much as much as R2 000 an hour. When you have a legal expense insurance policy you, as the policyholder, pay an affordable monthly fee (plan fee) to the insurer which provides you with legal insurance cover should you need it.

You may need legal insurance for the following reasons:

• Labour matters (unfair dismissal, retrenchment, sexual harassment, discrimination and poor working conditions)
• Criminal matters(If you have been arrested unlawfully or if you have been assaulted, threatened or abused)
• Civil matters (If you need to sue, problems with your lease or landlord, car accidents and 3rd party claims)
• Family matters(divorce, maintenance)

Over and above the cover for legal fees, many providers, such as Legal&Tax provide legal advice. Our legal expense insurance policies include unlimited legal advice with access to our team of internal, highly qualified legal advisors. We also provide templates for agreements, access to articles about legal matters and will even assist with communicating and negotiating with third parties on your behalf.

We have a range of plans available to suit your needs. Compare the legal expense insurance plans we provide.

What’s not covered?

The most common exclusions are prior events (i.e. pre-existing matters), business matters, family matters and deliberate criminal acts. Read the full policy document detailing the terms, conditions and exclusions.

Please remember that even if your matter is not covered, we are always here to help with free legal advice.