Legal protection insurance is one of the most interesting options offered by insurers. Can be taken out alone or with other insurance contracts, it is intended to provide assistance in case of necessity, as well as to your loved ones. Legal protection insurance is a contract allowing you to obtain help from your insurer in the event of a conflict or legal procedure with a third party. From assistance to legal advice, the coverage of this guarantee can extend to covering the costs incurred. So, how to take out this guarantee? What situations can legal protection insurance cover? Let’s take stock to understand how it works and its areas of intervention.
What is legal expenses insurance?
Legal protection insurance is also known as “legal protection guarantee”. This is a contract allowing you to be defended and represented by your insurance during a dispute or dispute opposing you to a third party. It can be taken out alone or with another insurance contract. In fact, this guarantee can be the subject of an independent contract and cover many everyday situations, like what is offered by MAIF , an insurance company which is among the market leaders.
This guarantee can also be included in comprehensive home insurance or car insurance. In this case, the guarantee is limited to the scope of the contract.
Its cost varies depending on the plan you choose. Procedural costs as well as legal costs are also covered by the insurer. This is particularly the case for lawyer and bailiff fees.
Depending on the contract taken out and the insurer, the definition of the term dispute may be different. This can have a significant impact on the handling of a claim. However, legal protection insurance intervenes in many cases: medical disputes, neighborhood problems, professional concerns, disputes related to housing, car sales, etc. In general, the contract covers your entire family, including your spouse and your children (minors and adults), as well as everyone living under your roof. It is of course essential to find out about the terms of the contract before signing it.
What are the different types of legal insurance contracts?
There are three legal protection insurance contracts: segmented legal protection, criminal defense and recourse following an accident, and general and independent legal protection.
Segmented legal protection
This is an insurance contract covering a particular area of intervention. Therefore, this guarantee only covers one or more areas of intervention. This may be in the areas of health, housing, automobiles, family, consumption, etc. Its scope of application is very limited and specifically regulated. It is not obligatory to link this legal protection to another specific insurance contract.
Criminal defense and recourse following an accident (DPRSA)
This type of guarantee is integrated into other contracts such as home or automobile insurance. Likewise, it can be inserted into bank card insurance contracts, mutual health insurance, etc. This guarantee, attached to a civil liability insurance contract , allows the criminal defense of the personal interests of the insured involved in a dispute. In this aspect, which is contractually defined by the civil liability guarantee, the insured is presumed responsible.
This guarantee also allows the insured to have recourse in order to obtain compensation for personal damage that he has suffered. These are cases in which the insured is the victim of damage. Thus, he goes through his insurer to claim compensation for his material damage from the person responsible for the accident.
General and autonomous legal protection
It offers much broader coverage in many areas. It therefore takes care of most everyday disputes . General legal protection includes risks relating to contractual law, real estate law and criminal law. It allows coverage of very diverse areas, with the exception of those excluded in the contract. This type of contract is offered to individual customers or professional customers.
What are the exclusions from legal protection insurance?
You should already know that there are services which are not covered by legal protection. Obviously, this contract allows you to benefit from valuable assistance in the event of a dispute. You will benefit from advice, tailor-made support and legal assistance.
However, like any insurance contract, that of legal protection has some contractually provided exclusions . Thus, conflicts or procedures related to family law, as well as rent recovery disputes, will not be handled. This is why it is essential to carefully check the details of your contract before making a subscription. Indeed, legal protection insurance is generally subject to exclusions. The scope of a contract is therefore limited according to the stipulated causes. Here are the limits and exclusions most often found in a legal expenses insurance contract.
Areas of intervention covered
Legal protection insurance contracts only cover conflicts or disputes that fall within a specific area. There are therefore certain areas in which contracts are not triggered.
Ceilings for support and attorney’s fees
The contracts offer compensation up to a certain amount. Thus, depending on the disputes and the types of guarantees , there are ceilings that must not be exceeded. They can be expressed per file or per year. If the useful amount exceeds these ceilings, the charge will return to you.
Intervention thresholds
There is also an amount below which legal insurance will not intervene. For example, if the minimum amount is 800 euros, it will only be triggered when the costs incurred exceed 800 euros.
The waiting period
Below a minimum number of days from the date of signing the contract, you will not be covered or compensated by the insurance. So be sure to find out about the waiting period before signing your contract.
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