INDEMNITY UPDATE

With a month to go until the new professional indemnity arrangements take effect, Zurich Professional has announced the appointment of its ten-strong law firm panel.

Former Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) panel firms appointed by Zurich are: Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, Bond Pearce, James Chapman & Co, Mills & Reeve, Morgan Cole, Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, Weightmans, Browne Jacobson, Henmans and Hill Dickinson.

Former SIF director Liz Mullins, now Zurich Professional's managing director, said that while their in-house team expected to resolve a 'good proportion' of matters, panel firms would provide 'additional resource' for more complex and high-value claims.

Lloyd's broker First City is offering clients a free audit service on past SIF contributions to secure rebates where due, it announced last week.Paul Lawrence, formerly of SIF and now divisional director of First City's professional indemnity unit, said factors such as partner retirement, mergers and demergers - if not properly notified - could have led firms to pay increased rates in the past.

As an example, Mr Lawrence said a firm with gross fees of around 500,000 which notified SIF that 26% of its work wasconveyancing would have paid a 21,600 SIF contribution for that element of work.

However, if it actually did 23% conveyancing that would drop to 19,100.A total of 28 insurers have now signed up to the Law Society's minimum terms and conditions to offer insurance.

New signees since the end of June offering insurance via brokers only are:l Denham Syndicate 990 at Lloyd's;l St Paul Syndicate Management - syndicate 1411;l RJ Kiln & Co - syndicate 510;l Wellington Syndicate 2020 at Lloyd's;l Drysdales; andl Heritage Managing Agency.Law Society director of policy Russell Wallman urged firms to 'shop around' and negotiate where they felt quotes were too high.

Sue Allen