What is corporate legal protection for?
Corporate legal protection covers legal aid, lawyer, procedural, expert, mediation or court costs when a covered dispute affects your activity. It can also provide rapid legal information before the conflict escalates.
It does not replace corporate civil liability. Civil liability occurs when a third party claims compensation from you for damage for which you are responsible. Legal protection mainly intervenes to assert your rights, defend you in a contractual dispute or manage a procedure not covered by a civil liability.
Frequent disputes in SMEs
- Customers: unpaid invoice, disputed service, breach of contract or request for reimbursement.
- Suppliers: non-compliant delivery, delay, material defect or poorly executed service.
- Collaborators: dismissal, salary, work certificate, overtime or labor law dispute.
- Commercial lease: defects in the premises, termination, rent increase, work or disagreement with the lessor.
- Insurance and authorities: contested decision, refused service or administrative procedure linked to the activity.
- Competition, data and the Internet: reputation, data protection, intellectual property or cyber risks depending on the modules.
Modules to compare
Swiss offers from AXA-ARAG, CAP, Dextra or other insurers are often modular. A basic module covers the daily life of the company: labor law, insurance, liability, criminal law due to negligence or operating premises. Additional modules may cover customer/supplier contracts, debt collection, vehicles, real estate law, tax or customs law, intellectual property, cyber risks or public tenders.
What is often limited or excluded
- Pre-existing disputes: a conflict that has already arisen or is foreseeable before subscription is generally not covered.
- Waiting times: certain contractual areas are only covered after a waiting period.
- Fines and sanctions: Criminal fines, tax penalties or administrative sanctions are in principle excluded.
- Intentional violations: the defense is often limited to torts by negligence, with special conditions in the event of an accusation of an intentional act.
- Complex tax disputes: sometimes limited to advice or certain remedies, depending on the module chosen.
- Internal disputes: conflicts between partners, shareholders or people insured by the same policy can be excluded.
For which companies?
This coverage is useful as soon as a company signs contracts, employs staff, rents premises, sells services or depends on customer payments. It is particularly important for businesses, craftsmen, firms, agencies, start-ups, service SMEs, companies with subcontractors or companies exposed to complex contracts.
The essential points of comparison
- Sum insured per dispute and sub-limits per module.
- Territorial validity: Switzerland, Europe or the whole world.
- Free choice of lawyer and when it becomes possible.
- Debt recovery support and number of cases included.
- Modules really necessary according to your activity.
- Coordination avec RC professionnelle, D&O, cyber et assurance choses.
Our support
Finwise analyzes your contracts, your structure, your employees, your lease, your customers, your suppliers and your other insurance. We compare useful modules, exclusions and ceilings to build legal protection that really serves your business.