Legal assistance insurance won’t pay compensation to a third party, but it does cover the costs of defending your rights or submitting a claim, such as legal fees, costs of expert witnesses and court charges. You can obtain cover for both your professional activities and your private life.
Did you know that as many as 60% of Belgians have had a legal dispute at some point? Yet many avoid taking action due to the high costs: legal proceedings can easily set you back between 5,000 and 15,000 euros.
Legal problems often arise unexpectedly and can have a serious impact on your practice or private life. Here are some situations where legal assistance will help you defend your rights.
Disciplinary proceedings
- You have shared medical information about a patient with another doctor. The patient files a complaint with the disciplinary body of the Order of Physicians on the grounds of breach of professional confidentiality.
- You are prosecuted due to a medical error. Additionally, the patient files a complaint with the Order of Physicians, which also seeks to take disciplinary action.
Contractual disputes
- You are sent defective medical equipment and want to send the supplier a notice of breach of contract.
- Your landlord unilaterally increases the lease charges of your practice.
Tax and administrative disputes
- The tax authorities reject some of the professional expenses you have declared.
- After an investigation by the social inspectorate, you receive notice of incorrectly charged medical services with an invitation for voluntary repayment. An administrative fine is also applied that you wish to dispute.
- The municipality grants a permit for a new complex near the location of your practice. You fear that this will cause major disruption and want to object to the granted permit.
Disputes as an employer or employee
- As an employee in a hospital or group practice, you face an unfavourable evaluation that will affect your career, or a disagreement about your terms of dismissal.
- As a practice owner, you have a dispute with a staff member that falls under the jurisdiction of the labour court.
A legal assistance insurer will always initially seek an out of court settlement. Specialist lawyers will examine your case, give advice and try to find a solution in consultation with the other party. This saves you time, money and stress.
If an out of court settlement proves impossible and legal proceedings
cannot be avoided, the policy will cover the costs. This will include:
- The fees of a lawyer of your choice.
- Judicial officer’s costs and costs of the proceedings.
- The fees of an expert witness if necessary to support your claim.
A good legal assistance policy gives you certainty: you gain access to legal expertise without any financial concerns. You can then continue to focus on what really matters: providing care. When you arrange such insurance, it is important to determine what types of cover are most relevant to you, as not every insurer offers the same cover. Do you want to know what’s best for your situation? Get in touch with us, and we’ll be happy to help.
