Consultant Insurance

Ontario Consultant Insurance

Consultants have specialized expertise that makes them incredibly valuable to organizations that need advice and strategic thinking on a specific industry, topic or project. Because they provide important feedback on matters that can have a major impact on a company's success—or lack thereof—consultants are vulnerable to allegations and related litigation that can cause them huge financial setbacks. The experienced insurance brokers at Morison Insurance can help you get the financial protection you need to thrive in your career with the right Ontario consultant insurance policy.

What is Business Consultant Insurance?

Ontario business consultant insurance is essentially a type of business insurance that is tailored to the needs of those who provide consulting services, and to the specific insurance requirements of the individual policyholder. The purpose of consultant insurance is to protect consultants against the major financial losses that can result from issues such as lawsuits or disasters that cause damage to their business property and its contents. In the event of an insured peril, consultant insurance carriers provide funds to cover costs such as legal expenses, medical bills, property restoration and more, according to the terms of the consultant insurance policy, which typically includes various types of liability coverage along with property coverage.

Which Professionals Need Consultant Insurance?

Anyone who makes a living providing professional services or expert advice needs the financial protection that is afforded by the right insurance for consultants. That includes consulting professionals across a wide range of industries and professions, including:

• Accountants
• Marketing and advertising consultants
• IT and software consultants
• Home inspectors
• Financial consultants
• Environmental consultants
• Wedding planners
• Private investigators
• Employment recruiters
• Project managers
• Web designers
• Life coaches
• Personal trainers

Of course, this list is far from exhaustive as there are hundreds if not thousands of professionals out there who are offering professional services and advice. If you're not sure whether Ontario consultant insurance is right for you, speak with the friendly brokers at Morison Insurance and give them some information on your career so they can find the right insurance coverage for your unique requirements.

Is Business Consultant Insurance Mandatory?

Like most types of commercial insurance coverage, except for commercial auto insurance, business consultant insurance is not legally required by the government. So in that sense, it is not mandatory to have Ontario consultant insurance. But it's still very much necessary to protect your business and even your personal finances from financial ruin and so you're able to acquire new clients.

Is Business Consultant Insurance Important?

The simple answer is yes. Business consultants handle many vital documents and have many files and folders that could contain confidential or sensitive information about the consultee. This opens you up to many possible risks if you're not covered with the right insurance coverage. Even a single important file being seen by the wrong person could lead to a financial loss or losing clients. This is why the expert brokers are Morison Insurance can help find you the coverage that fits your specific needs.

Protection Against Financial Loss

Most business professionals, regardless of how successful they are, don't have the space available in their budget to soak major expenses like the cost of litigation and liability settlements without suffering stressful financial setbacks that could affect their business for years to come. It's all-too-common for people to think to themselves, "I'll just be extra careful," or "I have a great relationship with my clients, they would never sue me." But realistically, you can't avoid every single mistake or oversight that could result in legal action being brought against you in court, and the costs associated with a lawsuit can be financially overwhelming without the support of consultant insurance compensation.

Furthermore, there is always the potential for a completely unavoidable disaster that causes severe property damage, and no one wants to deal with the unexpected expenses of building restoration and replacement for all their business items, especially while trying to keep up with financial obligations while being unable to bring in revenue. It doesn't make sense to put yourself through the stress of major financial strain when you can have the protection afforded by Ontario consultant insurance at a reasonable cost.

Acquiring and Retaining Clients

The other big reason why Ontario consultant insurance is so necessary is that most clients and companies that may hire you will require proof of adequate coverage via an updated certificate of insurance before they will sign a contract to bring you on as a consultant. If you can't provide that proof because you don't have the right consultant insurance coverage, you'll be forced to abandon lucrative contracts that will go to your competitors instead, seriously affecting your business success and compromising your ability to find and retain new clients.

What Types of Coverage Come With Ontario Consultant Insurance?

Every consultant insurance package is unique, because no two consulting professionals operate their businesses in exactly the same way. Rather than sticking you with a one-size-fits-all policy that doesn't really fit your particular risk exposures and insurance requirements at all, our reliable brokers will start by asking you questions to learn more about your Ontario consultant insurance needs. They'll then search for the right coverage for you specifically so you can rest assured that you have the protection against financial losses that you need. There are some types of coverage that are standard because pretty much everyone with a commercial policy needs them, such as commercial general liability and commercial property insurance. There are also coverages that are highly recommended for consultant insurance, such as professional liability. Here are a few of the types of business insurance coverage that are well worth knowing about when you're considering what you need on your Ontario consultant insurance policy.

Professional Liability Insurance

A professional liability insurance policy, which is also known as errors and omissions insurance (E&O) or professional indemnity insurance depending on the type of profession it is being applied to, is a critically important form of liability coverage for consultants of all kinds. It protects against the cost of litigation related to claims of negligence, bad advice and errors that cause some type of harm to a client, whether it's financial, contractual or reputational harm. For example, you are brought on to work on a specific project that requires numerous permits and applications. You forget to file a couple of key applications, causing the company to be stuck with a large fine for non-compliance and significantly delaying the project overall. The client sues you for negligence and to recoup the cost of the fine along with their loss of income caused by the delay. In that type of situation, the professional liability coverage on your consultant insurance would allow you to recover related costs such as legal mediation, legal defence fees, settlement costs and more, up to the limits listed on your policy.

Commercial General Liability (CGL)

Most kinds of businesses or professionals need CGL insurance, and that naturally includes consultants. Commercial general liability covers third-party bodily injury or third-party property damage that you are accused of causing or have been found liable for, but aren't directly related to the services or advice you provide to your clients. Commercial general liability coverage on your consultant insurance covers expenses such as legal defence fees, settlement costs, medical bills, building restoration and replacement for damaged items in the event of third-party bodily injury, third-party property damage, or in some cases, advertising injury. An example of a commercial general liability claim is if a client came to see you at your home office and slipped on a patch of ice on your walkway, breaking their ankle, they could bring legal action against you for the cost of their medical care as well as lost income if they were unable to perform their work duties while recovering from their injury. CGL coverage would apply to litigation expenses, including settlements should you be found liable in a court of law.

Commercial Property Insurance

If you work out of a commercial office space, then it stands to reason that you need commercial property insurance so you can get insurance compensation for building restoration and replacement costs should your building or its contents be damaged by an insured peril such as a fire or natural disaster. But many consultants work from home and assume they don't need commercial property insurance because their house is already covered by homeowners insurance. This is not the case. If your house was damaged by a fire that started in the kitchen while you were cooking dinner for your family, for example, then your home insurance policy would apply to the damage that was caused. However, if the same fire damages your work laptop and work-related files or other assets you use specifically for business purposes, they would not be covered under the contents portion of your homeowners insurance and you would need commercial property insurance in place to receive the funds necessary to replace or repair those items. Conversely, if the fire was somehow started when you were engaged in a business activity for commercial purposes, such as creating an instructional cooking video for a client, your home insurance may not apply at all even though the fire occurred in your home. That's why it's important to have the necessary commercial property insurance coverage that is designed to give you financial protection no matter where you do your work.

Cyber Liability Insurance

Most types of business are conducted using connectivity and computers in our modern world. As a consultant, you likely count on them to send, receive and store sensitive information such as clients' financial details, identity documents and possibly even valuable business secrets. While your files and documents may seem like they're securely protected, the truth is that there are dedicated criminals out there who are constantly working on new ways to hijack that sensitive information and use it to demand ransom payments or commit fraud and theft against your clients. If that information is stolen while in your care, you'll be at risk of lengthy litigation and the high costs associated with lawsuits if you don't have cyber liability insurance included with your consultant insurance policy. Cyber insurance coverage is an addition to your consultant insurance package that protects you if you are the victim of a cyber attack and someone makes a cyber liability claim against you, by giving you financial assistance to pay your legal expenses and recover financial losses such as payments for ransomed information.

Additional Consultant Insurance Coverage

• Media Liability Insurance
• Business Interruption Insurance
• Commercial Auto Insurance
• Commercial Umbrella Insurance

Do I Still Need Consultant Insurance if My Clients Sign-Off on Approvals?

This is a common misconception about Ontario consultant insurance. Some consultants assume that because their clients sign approval forms for their work before it is published or put into practice, that means they can't be held professionally liable for issues such as errors, omissions, oversights, bad advice and negligence, but unfortunately that's not the case. Approvals do not protect you against being sued for all of the above and more, so you can still be forced to deal with the eye-watering expenses associated with legal mediation, legal defence in court and liability settlements that can easily exceed hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Is It Necessary for Consultants to Have Both Professional Liability and Errors and Omissions Insurance?

Professional liability insurance and errors and omissions insurance are basically two names for the same type of insurance coverage. You don't need two separate policies with these coverages, because that would essentially mean you were doubly covered for the same liability perils, such as lawsuits that allege you are responsible for professional negligence or giving bad advice.

Where Can I Get a Quote for the Right Ontario Consultant Insurance?

That's simple—get in touch with the commercial insurance experts at Morison Insurance by calling 1-800-463-8074. We have the consultant insurance expertise to seek out the right Ontario consultant insurance coverage to address your unique insurance requirements so you know you're financially protected against the perils that are most likely to befall you.