When it comes to cyber and professional liability exposures, law firms can’t afford to assume that a professional liability policy is enough to cover all the bases. It’s important to utilize the right coverage needed to address different areas of risk. However, despite growing cyberattacks, many law firms still don’t carry cyber insurance or wrongly assume that their first line of defense against cyber and phishing losses is their Lawyers Professional Liability (LPL) policy.

As property insurance prices continue to rise, the stock throughput segment presents opportunities for relief. While insurers limit or reduce capacity for property coverage, particularly in catastrophe-exposed areas, stock throughput offers more flexibility. That pliability is due in large part to a turnaround in the London market following a hard spell propelled by Lloyd’s Decile Ten profit remediation drive that saw some players exit. Now, insureds may be able to obtain coverage at better terms and prices for stock representing a substantial portion of their exposures. However, stock throughput remains a complex marketplace best navigated with the help of skilled and knowledgeable wholesale brokers.

The 2020 E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce sickened more than 160 people, with more than half requiring hospitalization. Fifteen people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure (source 1). This outbreak was preceded by a similar 2018 outbreak that affected 32 people across 11 states (source 2). Unfortunately, the FDA couldn’t track down the source of either outbreak.

On February 3, 2023, a train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Thirty-eight of the cars left the track, including 11 that were carrying hazardous materials. In the aftermath of the derailment, the EPA has declared that the water and air in East Palestine are safe, but questions remain about environmental liability.

Ransomware garnered many of the cybercrime headlines in 2021 and 2022. Insurance carriers honed in on its devastating impacts, inspiring many insureds to put proper controls in place to help fend off such attacks. Research indicates that ransomware attacks have declined significantly over the past 12 months compared to 2021, and fewer companies are now paying ransoms. A 2022 survey of 300 U.S.-based information technology (IT) decision-makers regarding the impact of ransomware attacks on their organizations found that 25% of companies were victims of ransomware attacks over the past 12 months, a 61% decline from the previous 12-month period (source 3).