Chubb Corp. will cover the potential malpractice risk from a law firm's blog publication, despite recent media reports to the contrary, the insurer said.
The Warren, N.J.-based insurer issued a statement Wednesday clarifying its position after a number of what it termed "confusing" media reports gave the wrong impression of its policies in this area.
Chubb spokeswoman Jodi Dorman said the misunderstanding started when a Chubb client told an online legal publication that the insurer refused to cover risk arising from blog postings.
"And then Computer World picked up the story and said basically that we don't cover blog risk at all, which is just not true," she said.
Chubb, which said it provides insurance coverage for 90 percent of the law firm's listed in The American Lawyer's AM Law 200, has divided blogs into two sectors.
The first kind is basically informational, which presents a discussion of issues in a neutral, unbiased way and does not provide advice to a specific individual on a unique matter.
"Typically, these blogs pose a minimal level of risk from Chubb's underwriting perspective," the statement said.
An advisory blog, on the other hand, increases the risk of a malpractice lawsuit if it offers specific legal advice.
"An advisory blog can potentially establish an attorney-client relationship, possibly bypassing such safeguards as determining the suitability of a potential client and checking possible conflicts of interest," the statement said.
In the end, Chubb said that its underwriters will evaluate each submission on its own merits.
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