LMICK Minute

To our Policyholders,

In accordance with the Governor’s May 8, 2020 Order for phase 1 reopenings, including professional service offices (See Executive Order 2020-323), we began a phased reopening of LMICK’s offices on May 11, 2020. Since March 23rd, we’d been working mostly remotely with in-office activity only as absolutely necessary. Since May 11th, however, there has been LMICK staff in the office every day, but some remote work continues. Like you, we are working, homeschooling children, taking care of non-school age children without available daycares and trying to keep ourselves and our families healthy and well. Yet, we remain committed to serving your needs and moving back to a more normal work environment.

To our Policyholders,

First and foremost, we hope you and your loved ones are well and that you’ve settled into a new normal that is sustaining you professionally and personally. The LMICK staff continues to work remotely, but we are responding to all of your needs from assisting with a new claim to processing a renewal application to arranging for electronic premium payments. There may be a slight delay in our ability to address your inquiries, so please be patient and follow up if you haven’t heard from us within 48 hours for electronic inquiries. It will take us longer to handle your communications sent via “snail” mail.

We have received a number of questions about whether statutes of limitation are extended and whether notarization can be done remotely during these most unusual of circumstances in which you are practicing law. The purpose of this communication is to provide you some information in that regard that may be useful to you in your practice.

To our Policyholders,

These are uncertain and difficult times to be sure. Most importantly, we hope you and your loved ones are healthy. We anticipate that you are getting a handle on working remotely in what may be our new normal for the foreseeable future. Though risk management advice is not the purpose of this communication, we would be remiss if we did not take every opportunity to remind you of the importance of client communications during this time. Now more than ever it is critical that you have regular communications with your clients and manage their expectations about what you can and cannot do in the current climate. We surmise that a significant number of the bar complaints and/or claims against your coverage during this time will be the result of a failure of adequate communications. This is the time to be more resolute and diligent in client communications.

We are receiving a number of inquiries about what financial assistance may be available to lawyers and law practices as a result of the pandemic. We are not expert in interpreting all of the new legislation and regulations in that regard, but wanted to provide some guidance for your consideration. You should consult a financial professional for the specifics of what is available and whether you qualify. If, however, you are unable to work due the COVID-19 State of Emergency, please consider these options:

To our Policyholders,

Effective Monday, March 23, 2020, Lawyers Mutual of Kentucky closed its office until such time as it is safe to resume in-office operations. We made the unprecedented and difficult decision to close the office not just to take care of ourselves, but to stay well in order to assist you with your professional liability insurance needs. LMICK’s core business functions are being handled remotely and we will do our best to provide whatever you may need in this most uncertain of times.

Nonetheless, and as you’ve undoubtedly experienced with your own efforts to practice remotely, there are challenges and limitations to navigate. To that end, we wanted to advise how best to reach us, explain the functions that may be slower than normal and provide some additional information that you should know about your coverage and premiums that may be coming due.

To our Policyholders,

Given the recent developments regarding the spread of the Coronavirus and the social distancing that has been mandated as a result, we wanted to share some information with you and encourage you to take care of your health and protect your practice during this time of uncertainty.

It goes without saying that your number one priority is to protect your health and stay well. There are countless resources available to inform you of the preventative measures that you should be taking to ensure that you stay healthy. As a reminder, please wash your hands frequently with soap and hot water; disinfect your homes and offices; avoid close contact with others, particularly anyone who is unwell; and consult a medical professional immediately if you become sick with a flu-like or upper respiratory illness. The following links include helpful information, guidelines and best practices for your consideration and for ease of reference: