Legal Aid & Public Defender Insurance

 The Legal Aid Insurance Program offers a wide range of coverages which have been created to address the unique needs of public defenders, legal aid societies, pro bono programs, law school clinics, public interest groups and others who work to make sure that quality legal services are available for the poor and underpriviliged. Reveiew the list of information below to determine if this policy is right for you and your practice.

Guidlines for Private Law Firms to Participate

• Existing CNA insureds will be grandfathered into program
• Target members of associations dedicated to providing legal aid to indigent communities
• Private law firms acting as contract defender/assigned counsel
• Minimum of 80% of the firm's clients must be low-income
• Less than 35K (50K in CA) annual revenues from remaining 20% of clients that are not low-income
• No publicly traded clients
• Typical practices area include: criminal, immigration, bankruptcy, family law, civil rights/discriminition and civil lit defense (healthcare, elder law, veterans, domestic violence, housing, tenants' rights, consumer, etc.)
• Unacceptable practice areas include: intellectual property, plaintiff, real estate, banking/FI, securities, mass tort/class action and business transactions

Typical Public Entitites/Organizations Who Qualify

• Public Defender Associations (federal/state/city/county, etc.)

• Civil/Social Legal Aid/Services and Programs (immigration, healthcare, elder law, veterans, domestic violence, housing, children, etc)

• University Law School Programs/Clinics

• Corporate Pro Bono Programs with with mainly domestic exposure

• ACLU Organizations

• Public/Consumer Advocacy Groups

• Bar Association Programs

• Charitable/Non-Profit Organizations

• Volunteer Lawyers Organziations

•  YM/YWCA

One or more of the CNA companies provide the products and/or service described. The Information is intended to present a general overview for illustrative purposes only. It is not intended to substitute for the guidance of retained legal or other professional advisors or to constitute a binding contract. Please remember that only the relevant insurance policy can provide the actual terms, coverages, amounts, conditions and exclusions for an insured. All products and services may not be available in all states and may be subject to change without notice. CNA is a service mark registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Copyright 2011 CNA. All rights reserved.