# Legal expenses



## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

The insurance is up for renewal on the tt, we have always had the legal cover option but never used it. It covers for upto 100k and adds £30 to the premium. However this year we now get 50k worth of legal cover with the rac breakdown cover.

I'm thinking of not taking the 100k one out and just using the 50k free one, does anyone else have legal cover, have you ever used it, is it worth paying the £30 one ?


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

usually i take the free one if i am honest


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

If you manage to get through £50k of cover the issue is without stating the obvious going to be one that is "involved". 

Once the LEI cover is exhausted you can enter into alternative funding arrangements depending on what the legal issue is. Typically that means a percentage of damages which is usually capped.

Alternative way of looking at it is the charge for LEI is very modest. £30 for £100k...£30 is often less than 15 minutes of chargeable time!


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

So its worth paying £30 to get the 100k cover rather than not taking legal cover that comes with the policy and relying on the free 50k legal cover that comes with the RAC breakdown cover we have.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

If the only difference was £50k and £100k limit between the policies, personally i'd go with the free one.

Not that we are always party to full claims costs, but i can't recall even complicated motor insurance claim's cost getting anywhere near £50k. The limits are usually set to cover most eventualities and Insurers try to settle claims that have gone legal as soon as possible to try and keep their outlay down. In other words, it is better for them to settle a £5k injury claim with £2k solicitor costs rather than drag it out and fight it to only potentially end up with a £5k injury claim and £30k solicitor costs.


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## Steve (Mar 18, 2014)

Shiny said:


> If the only difference was £50k and £100k limit between the policies, personally i'd go with the free one.
> 
> Not that we are always party to full claims costs, but i can't recall even complicated motor insurance claim's cost getting anywhere near £50k. The limits are usually set to cover most eventualities and Insurers try to settle claims that have gone legal as soon as possible to try and keep their outlay down. In other words, it is better for them to settle a £5k injury claim with £2k solicitor costs rather than drag it out and fight it to only potentially end up with a £5k injury claim and £30k solicitor costs.


Exactly what this man said.


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## clap (Aug 26, 2013)

sjk said:


> Exactly what this man said.


I'm a Solicitor who works for a firm with 300 staff. 40 of our lawyers deal with serious injury cases. Legal costs do sometimes amount to over £50k for these serious cases. They typically take 4 years to settle. The insurance companies DO NOT rush to settle these types of cases. Most of our serious injuries cases involve motor cyclists. Some do involve car drivers.

If you needed £100k worth of cover it would be a serious injury.


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

Following my massive crash where a Romanian truck took me out on the M25 (I ended upside down in a field thanks to the prick lorry driver!)in the wifes saab.

DO NOT even think about not having the legal cover...Sarah never used to bother and its been a right pain as my accident injury claims are having to be handled by a local solicitors which is a bit of a pain in the ass.

I would deffo take the £50k worth of cover though you wont need any more than that.

As for time of claims well the above mentioned accident happened on the 2nd of Sept last year....and we still havent got close to the end and there is no question of blame here!


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

I wouldn't personally bother if you can get a free one with a £50k limit of indemnity.

In the event that the worst happens, your solicitor would be able to purchase a top up premium if necessary which you will still be liable for but you'd at least be using such cover rather than paying for something that you might not use.

Before the LASPO Act (2012), I never understood why anyone would buy legal cover but it does make more sense these days.


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## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

nick_mcuk said:


> Following my massive crash where a Romanian truck took me out on the M25 (I ended upside down in a field thanks to the prick lorry driver!)in the wifes saab.
> 
> DO NOT even think about not having the legal cover...Sarah never used to bother and its been a right pain as my accident injury claims are having to be handled by a local solicitors which is a bit of a pain in the ass.
> 
> ...


Co-incidentally I too got taken out by a foreign truck (Portugese) on the M25 a few years ago, nothing quite so serious but he did make a mess of my Mondeo and when I discovered either his cab or his trailer were uninsured alarms bells rang knowing I didn't have legal protection. I need not have feared Saga took care of everything regardless which does make you wonder if paying extra for legal protection is all it's cracked up to be.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

You may have found that Saga had Legal Expenses built into your policy. Sometimes (although not very often) an Insurer may take on a policyholder's uninsured loss claim when they are taking a legal route themselves to pursue their own losses, although this is far and few between.

Uninsured losses (i.e. losses that won't be covered by a policyholder's own Insurer in the event of a non-fault accident) can include:

Personal Injury
Medical Expenses
Loss of Earnings
Replacement Hire Vehicle &/or Travelling Expenses
Your policy excess
Damaged personal effects 
etc

A Legal Expenses policy will provide you with and pay for a solicitor/legal costs (up to the policy limit) to pursue these losses on your behalf.


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## uruk hai (Apr 5, 2009)

For me this is one of those times where it's something I'd rather have and hopefully never need as oppose to not have and in some peculiar twist of fate end up needing !

I'm not in the RAC anymore and the money I saved by switching service provider has more than paid for my legal protection !


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

Ah, the £30 one includes uninsured losses


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