Protection structured for you

As a profession, engineering is as varied as it is specialist.

Individual disciplines can cover anything from calculating a building's stress points to designing software; aircraft testing to chemical production process consultancy.

Despite the different focus of each branch, there's a shared need for protection. The specific professional risks you face will differ, of course, but the consequences of an allegation of negligence against you will not.

Whatever it is you do, if a client alleges that you're to blame for all or part of a contract not going to plan, and you get drawn into a lawsuit, you'll need to defend yourself. That's time-consuming and expensive and, ultimately, could leave you with nothing but a damaged reputation.

If you do find yourself in the firing line, we'd recommend having the protection of a professional indemnity insurance policy.

The cover it provides helps you in three significant ways:

• you get the expertise of a specialist legal team to defend you,
• cover for the legal costs of your defence (whether it's successful or not) and
• cover for the costs of any compensation or damages awarded to your client.

Most of all, it means you're free to keep on doing what you do best: running your business.

Evaluating whether you need it should be one of the most straightforward calculations you've ever done...