Frequently Asked Questions

Please note: our online registration is not yet available.
This will allow you to register your law practice with us and easily obtain PII quotes online.

These are the key steps to sign up a new ABC Insurance online account and register your law practice.

Create a new online account:

1. Click the 'Sign In' button at the top right of this page
2. You will be taken to the ABC Insurance portal
3. Click the 'Sign Up / Register' button
4. When prompted enter your sign-in email address as used for your law practice
5. Click on the 'Send verification code' button
6. An email will automatically be sent to your nominated email address with a 5-6 digit verification code
7. Enter the verification code in the box and click on the 'Verify code' button to move to the next step
8. Provide a password
9. Click on the 'Create' button to continue

Next set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) to secure your account:

1. Select 'County Code' from the list - the default is 'Australia (+61)'
2. Enter your mobile 'Phone Number'
3. select your preferred method of contact e.g. 'Send code'
4. a 5-6 digit code will be sent to your mobile phone via SMS
5. Enter the code in the box provided and click on the 'Verify code' button

The next step is to register your law practice:

1. Provide your law practice details: ABN, legal entity name, business/trading name,
   law practice number (provided by your Law Society), practice commencement date,
   street/office address, mailing address, and optionally web domain/address
2. Provide your own contact details: full name, title/position, phone/mobile number, email address
3. Review and agree to the declaration
4. Click on the 'Register' button to proceed
5. Note: if your law practice is already registered with us then additional instructions will be provided to you on-screen.

Congratulations. Your account is now set up and secure, and you have successfully registered your law practice.

You are now ready to Get a Quote and complete your insurance application online.

Please note: our online registration is not yet available.
This will allow you to register your law practice with us and easily obtain PII quotes online.

Once you have already completed the sign up and registration process for your law practice, the next time you visit our website you will be able to directly Sign In using the same email address and password.

These are the key steps to Sign In to your ABC Insurance online account:

1. Browse to the ABC Insurance website (www.abcinsurance.net.au)
2. Click the 'Sign In' button at the top right of this page
3. You will be taken to the ABC Insurance portal
4. Click the 'Sign In' button in the centre of your screen
5. When prompted enter your email address and password and click the 'Sign In' button
6. You may also be prompted to enter a verification code sent to your mobile phone
7. After this you will be signed in and able to access various online functions.

Please note: our online registration is not yet available.
This will allow you to register your law practice with us and easily obtain PII quotes online.

Please complete the following steps to reset your password:

1. Browse to the ABC Insurance website (www.abcinsurance.net.au)
2. Click the 'Sign In' button at the top right of this page
3. You will be taken to the ABC Insurance portal
4. Click the 'Sign In' button in the centre of your screen
5. When the Sign In box appears click the 'Forgot your password?' link
6. Enter your previously registered email address and click on the 'Send verification code' button
7. An email will automatically be sent to your registered email address with a verification code
8. Enter the verification code in the box and click on the 'Verify code' button
9. Click on the 'Continue' button
10. Note: You may also be sent a text message (SMS) to your registered mobile phone with a verification code
11. Enter the verification code in the box and click on the 'Verify code' button
12. Click on the 'Continue' button
13. Enter your 'New Password' and 'Confirm New Password'
14. Click on the 'Continue' button - your password has now been updated

Professional Indemnity Insurance

Please note: for practising certificate purposes, ABC is awaiting approval from the Attorney General of NSW. Given the practising certificate cycle commenced on 1 April 2025, we assume that a decision in respect of approval of ABC’s policy is imminent.

For law practices that do not require an approved insurance policy for practising certificate purposes, please email us at pii@abcinsurance.net.au for a PI insurance quote.

For additional PI cover in excess of your primary $2 million - please click here for more information.

Cyber cover

If you are interested in cyber cover for your law practice - please click here for more information and to get a quote.

Either a current principal of the law practice or an individual authorised by the current principal(s) of the law practice can complete the online professional indemnity insurance application.

Having all the required information to hand makes completing your online professional indemnity insurance application a simple process.

You will require the following information for your law practice:

• Your law practice’s ABN, registered entity name, address, and unique Law Practice Number issued by your law society or designated local regulatory authority.
• If your law practice has any prior practices (from the acquisition of or merger with other law practices), then for each prior practice: the name, ABN, Law Practice Number, gross fee income (GFI) and any claims history information.
• The number of staff employed in your law practice, which includes: principals, partners, directors, employed solicitors and other legal practitioners, paralegals, administrative and other staff.
• Your law practice’s gross fee income (GFI) for: the previous financial year (actual), the current financial year (partial estimate), and the next/policy financial year (estimate).
• GFI earned by location of your law practice’s offices, whether in Australian states and territories or overseas.
• The area(s) of law practised by your law practice, broken down by GFI or some other suitable metric.
• Your law practice’s claims history report, as obtained from your current or former PI insurance provider(s).
• Any other claims or circumstances that might lead to a claim that are not yet notified to your current or former PI insurance provider(s) and/or not included in your law practice’s claims history report.
• Any official complaints or disciplinary actions registered with a designated local regulatory authority where a finding was made against a principal or legal practitioner director of your law practice.

Providing any of the following optional information for your law practice may result in further discounts to your premium:

• Whether any principals or solicitors in your law practice specialise in a particular area of law.
• A current ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems accreditation certificate, if applicable.
• Recent history of risk management training/courses for your law practice’s principals and solicitors, if applicable.
• Information about IT systems and processes used by your law practice and its staff.

Gross fee income (GFI) should include all fees rendered and received while practising law or providing legal and ancillary services by your law practice, and any other practice (prior practice) over which your law practice has assumed control.

It should also include internal costs and disbursements which have been charged to your clients.

If your law practice has not generated any income for a prior financial year, you should declare a ‘nil’ ($0) fee income for that period.

When declaring your GFI for next year please provide your best estimate. This can be reflective of your business expectations for the next year including, stability, expected growth, or reductions to operations.

The main reasons we require a percentage breakdown of your law practice’s gross fee income by state and territory are:

• To ensure your premium accounts for the relative differences in costs in various jurisdictions.
• Stamp duty is payable on your premium in accordance with the portion of your premium related to activities undertaken in each of the individual states and territories.

For these reasons we ask you to apportion your gross fee income in relation to individual states or territories.

Additionally, you may be eligible for the NSW stamp duty exemption for small businesses, which can be declared on your proposal.

The main reasons we require a percentage breakdown of your law practice’s areas of law by gross fee income (or other suitable metric) are:

• To ensure your premium accounts for the relative differences in risk and costs for some particular areas of law.
• To support any area of law specialisation in your proposal.

All law practices should consider whether the nature of their work might expose them to potential claims that exceed the primary $2 million limit of cover.

If your law practice requires additional cover ABC Insurance can offer a range of top-up cover options under your policy, subject to underwriting criteria.

Top-up cover can be obtained at the same time as your primary PII application or at a later date throughout the year.

Any professional indemnity insurance cover provided by us is subject to a Duty of Disclosure clause.

Essentially, before you enter into the insurance contract, you have a duty to tell us anything that you know, or could reasonably be expected to know, that may affect our decision to insure you and on what terms. You have this duty until we agree to insure you. You have the same duty before you renew, extend, vary or reinstate the insurance contract.

You do not need to tell us anything that:

• reduces the risk we insure you for;
• is common knowledge;
• we know or should know as an insurer; or
• we have waived your duty to tell us about.

In the case of additional top-up cover in excess of $2 million:

• If you do not inform us of anything you are required to, we may cancel your contract or reduce the amount we will pay you if you make a claim, or both.
• If your failure to tell us is fraudulent, we may refuse to pay a claim and treat the contract as if it never existed.

ABC Insurance supports online immediate payment of your premium by credit card (Mastercard or Visa).
We also support payment via BPAY through your usual banking institution, which typically takes 2-3 days to settle.

You may also choose to pay your premium in instalments via a third-party premium funder finance arrangement.
In this case ABC Insurance would require either full settlement of the premium or a guarantee of settlement from your premium funder before we will issue your PII policy.

ABC Insurance is awaiting approval from the Attorney General of NSW for the 2025/26 financial year.
Given the practising certificate application cycle commenced on 1 April 2025, we assume that a decision in respect of approval of ABC’s policy is imminent.

We are also aware that the Attorney General of NSW has obtained independent advice confirming that ABC’s insurance policy meets the objective standards in s 210(1) of the Legal Profession Uniform Law, including the minimum standards.
Notwithstanding, ABC's PII policy provides broader cover for inquiries and costs orders, as well as additional cover above the $2 million primary limit.

For further information about obtaining your practising certificate please contact the Law Society of NSW or the designated local regulatory authority in your jurisdiction.

If you are starting up a new law practice in NSW please first contact the Law Society of NSW to register your law practice.
If your law practice is based in another state or territory then please contact the designated local regulatory authority in your jurisdiction.

Upon registration you will be provided with a unique Law Practice Number or reference.
Please note this number as it is important for communications with ABC Insurance, including when first registering your law practice with us, or when completing your proposal for a PII quote.

Short answer: yes. It is recommended prior to acquiring or merging with another law practice to request its claims history.
Claims made against the prior practice must be declared as part of your law practice’s claims history and may impact your future premium.

‘Prior practice’ means any legal practice to which the law practice is a successor in business, and which would be noted in the policy schedule.

A merger or acquisition of another law practice (prior practice) could mean that your law practice becomes the successor practice of that law practice.
Similarly, in the event of a reconstitution the original law practice is the prior practice and the resultant law practice is the successor practice.

The prior practice and successor practice claims history is combined, which could have an impact on future premiums.

For the purpose of premium rating, the reported gross fee income of the successor practice for a historical financial year also includes/combines the gross fee income of the prior practice if it existed as a separate entity in that year.

Email us at pii@abcinsurance.net.au providing details of your law practice closing plans, including matters such as:

• proposed date for the closing
• have you wound down the business?
• have you sold to another law practice?

When a law practice ceases practising and:

• is not succeeded by any other law practice; and
• immediately prior to cessation was insured by an ABC Insurance professional indemnity policy; and
• is not covered under any other professional indemnity policy issued by another insurer

then the law practice will have the benefit of PII cover under the ABC Insurance run-off master policy for a period of 84 months (or 7 years).

Cover for a claim under this policy is subject to the payment by you of an excess. The excess amount payable is the greater of:

• the excess which applied under your law practice’s policy; and
• $5,000 each and every claim.

To find out more about run-off cover and whether your law practice is eligible, please email us at pii@abcinsurance.net.au.

Your ABC Insurance professional indemnity insurance policy defines a claim as:

• any written or verbal demand for, or assertion of a right to, compensation or damages;
• any intimation of an intention to demand or seek compensation or damages; or
• receipt of any originating legal process claiming compensation against you.

An intimation by a client or third party may be direct or it may be subtle. Therefore, it is important to have in place good risk management and detection systems and to be alerted to matters that do not go as planned or clients who express disappointment with advice or outcomes.

A circumstance, also known as a potential claim situation, is any fact, matter, incident or event which might result in someone making an allegation against you in respect of a loss, liability, cost or expense of a type covered by the policy.

Being risk aware, acting quickly and prudently is key to good risk management in this situation.

Even if a claim has not been made against you, notify us of facts or circumstances that might lead to a claim. You have a statutory right to cover for a claim arising from a circumstance related to the claim if notified by you to us during the period of insurance.

A claim made against you or your law practice must be notified to ABC Insurance as soon as possible.

A potential claim situation or ‘circumstance’ should also be notified to us too, since early action with our assistance can often manage the situation and prevent a claim from arising, or else reduce the impact of any claim that does arise.

Often the best time to resolve a claim or a circumstance is as soon as practicable. We will assist you to achieve this.

As an ABC Insurance policyholder email us any time at claims@abcinsurance.net.au and provide:

• your policy number and/or law practice name
• your name and contact details
• a preferred method for us to contact you
• a description of what has happened.

You’ll initially receive an email acknowledging the claim lodgement or notification of a circumstance. It will provide you with details of your submission along with a reference number and information on how we plan to resolve your claim.
You’ll also be provided with contact details for our Claims Team so you can directly engage with them as needed.

We'll then be in contact with you to understand what has happened in more detail and to determine the best way to handle the matter.

Be assured that we’re standing with you. Once a claim is notified, we will act quickly to work with you to understand what has happened and advise you on the best way to handle the matter.

An experienced claims solicitor will assist you.

Depending on the nature of the claim we will:

• communicate with the solicitor for the claimant, or with the claimant directly if unrepresented;
• seek to manage the claim on an unlitigated in-house basis if appropriate;
• otherwise we will instruct an external panel solicitor or counsel to represent you and provide legal advice on the defence of the claim.

In managing the claim, we are:

• Unwavering in defence. Should you be the subject of a claim where you are not negligent, our commitment is to defend you and your law practice.
• Proactive in resolution. Where a claim has merit, we will work to resolve the claim as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

We will keep you closely informed and work with you to manage the claim to a prompt finalisation. We cannot do it without you.

The ABC Insurance claim notification form can only be completed by a principal of the law practice or an employee of the law practice who has been authorised by the principal(s) of the practice to make the notification on their behalf.

Claims against a law practice insured by ABC Insurance cannot be accepted directly from a claimant.
Claimants should first communicate with the law practice either directly or on legal advice. The law practice can then notify ABC Insurance and instruct us to respond.

ABC Insurance strongly recommends early notification of any potential claim situations or circumstances. This allows us to work with you to either resolve the situation or reduce the impact of a claim if one is made, resulting in a cost-effective outcome and a more favourable claims history.

When a circumstance is notified to ABC Insurance a file is opened and a small reserve is raised. The file and reserve are reviewed periodically. If there are no further developments, the file is closed and the reserve deleted after a period of time.

Notification of a circumstance does not impact a law practice’s premium. Rather, it is an indicator of a practice’s healthy risk awareness and risk management practices.

Law practices, like other businesses, require insurance to protect against unforeseen and unintended events.

Whilst a claim or circumstance cannot be totally discounted, the risk of occurrence can be reduced by being risk smart.

The following are ways to be risk smart:

• Have a risk positive mindset and putting in place effective risk management systems and processes.
• Encourage employees to report mistakes and things that don’t go as planned in an open and transparent way.
• Preserve client files and file notes for at least seven years and maintain a searchable index of closed matters.
• Ensure you have sufficient top-up cover for large value transactions.
• If a potential claim is foreshadowed, don’t ignore it. Notify ABC Insurance.
• Seek help in handling a potential claim situation as soon as possible.
• If a claim is made, work together with the ABC Insurance claims solicitor to manage the claim.

Prompt action will often reduce the impact and cost of a claim, and sometimes succeed in resolving it at an early stage.