Law Firm's Blog Makes It Uninsurable
from the what-are-these-crazy-things-called-blogs? dept
A New Jersey law firm has been told by its insurance carrier that publishing a blog on the firm's website makes it uninsurable. Basically, the concern is that anything posted on the blog could be construed as legal advice, and thus open up the firm to a lawsuit should a reader act on this "advice". Despite the possibility of something like this happening, the refusal to insure the company seems a bit odd. It's not clear why the carrier, Chubb, couldn't have just adjusted its model and charged the firm a higher price for the added risk. Also, as one person who sets up blogs for law firms points out, it doesn't make sense to view a blog as separate from other forms of public communications. Lawyers, for example, frequently give speeches to various groups, and one could imagine that that could be seen as advice as well. Furthermore, law blogs (of which there are many), typically have strong disclaimers, which can help inoculate the author against lawsuits. The only thing that makes sense is that Chubb just had no idea how to think of a blog, and so it decided to just give up on the whole deal. It's Chubb's loss, since the law firm should be able to find an insurance carrier that has underwritten policies at one of the many the other law firms that have blogs on their sites.
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Typo
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ha-ha!
as far as I'm concerned, this is the type of world the lawyers have been imposing on us for years...one where technicalities and stupid details prevent people form doing what makes sense. now, they get to feel the sting. chickens, home, roost.
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I can easily see the law firm being sued over what is stated in the blog. It's not the law firm or insurance carrier being stupid, it's just a fault in the system.
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Makes sense to me
I kind of side with the insurance company on this one. There are way to many stupid people in this country, I could see dozens of them following the advice on a blog and then suing the law firm when it doesn't work or they lose money by following that advice. It's a big risk, so I think the insurance company understands blogs more than you think.
Besides, lawyer blogging? Who would care to read that?
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Disclaimer
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Who reads lawyer blogging?
http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/
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How can you tell if a Lawyer is giving legal advic
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I wonder...
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Awwww..
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I find it hilarious.
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Re: Makes sense to me
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If someone can be charged by the bar for "practicing law without a license" even when they never claimed to be and clearly aren't (helping someone fill in the blanks of a will writing software program) then it should also cover legal advice whether there's a disclaimer or not.
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Re: Awwww..
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Fission
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s/Blog/Web-Content-Management-System/
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insurance
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travel insurance
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Chubb did a 'never mind'
It's only those blogs where lawyers give specific advice by replying to comments on their blog in such a way that an lawyer-client releationship could be construed where Chubb would not cover the firm. Not suprising that no one has been able to find of those blogs.
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Insurance
financial comparison web site, Credit world.
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sounds nice
Need them buddy !
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Manipulating Technorati Rankings
You might be interested in this series that examines how Technorati rankings can be manipulated:
On Getting Noticed -- Part I
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