CourtRecord WA / Professional indemnity / Claim workbench

Tell Law Mutual what went wrong. Track what happens next.

Identify the professional mistake, compare what the lawyer should have done, organise evidence and possible loss, prepare a written claim, and record Law Mutual's response.

No court judgment is needed to make the initial written demand. The 2026–27 Master Policy defines a Claim to include a demand or statement of intention to claim compensation against the insured law practice. Email your law practice and copy Law Mutual. This website prepares and tracks information on your device; it is not connected to Law Mutual and cannot send or lodge the claim for you.

1. Start your case

The example is a draft based on a document comparison, not a publicly filed complaint or a finding of negligence. It has no private client name, property address or damages figure.

Law practice Practice email Claimant's name Legal services period Approximate date of main alleged error Own reference

2. What should the lawyer have done?

Choose any relevant issues. Use your agreement, emails and instructions as evidence. These are potential claim categories, not findings of breach.

Client identity, joint-client authority or conflicts Incomplete engagement or costs-disclosure documents Incorrect scope, missed instructions or changes without informed consent Wrong legal advice or failure to warn about significant risks Ignored written warnings, evidence or client instructions Delay, missed deadline or procedural error Lost, withheld or inadequately maintained client documents Other alleged professional error

Contemporaneous instructions and warnings What you say the firm did, or failed to do What reasonable steps should have occurred? Documentary evidence already held

Insurer evidence request: Ask Law Mutual to obtain the firm's complete engagement and advice records, relevant internal client-identification and supervisory sign-offs, written disclosures, risk-management procedures applicable on the engagement date, relevant communications, and explanations for any claimed departures. The insurer's policy empowers it to request assistance and information from its insured. It does not mean the claimant has an automatic right to see all privileged or internal insurer records.

3. What loss followed?

You can record separate loss heads without guessing a payout figure. The insurer can ask the firm for documents and assess the legal basis and causal link. An alleged retainer defect alone does not set the amount payable.

Direct financial loss and how causedAdditional costs / mitigation stepsProperty valuation at relevant event, with sourceLater property value or sale evidence, with sourceCounterfactual: what probably would have happened without the error?Uncertainties / potential double-counting

Property values in year one versus year two: neither an automatic discount nor an automatic addition applies. Record each value at its date and why it matters. Liability, the applicable valuation date, causation, mitigation and market movement are evaluated in the particular claim. Do not treat an insurer's financial reserve or an annual appreciation rate as the claimant's award.

Policy check: the Master Policy generally covers civil liabilities connected with legal practice, subject to exclusions. Certain liabilities measured by reference to a law firm's own fees are excluded. Keep fee refunds separate from other financial losses. See the coverage explanation →

4. Actual claim progress — no invented settlement promise

Enter the real dates and correspondence. We have not verified a published Law Mutual average number of days to settle. These are tracking stages, not contractual time limits or assurances that a particular event must occur.

Stage	Date	Progress	Evidence / response

Your preferred follow-up date

Elapsed time: Enter claim-notice dates to calculate.

A claim is made against the insured within the policy definition. Copy Law Mutual to seek claims handling, but do not assume an email to Law Mutual alone fulfils the insured's own policy notice obligations. An insurer-appointed panel solicitor represents the insured, not you. Keep proof of delivery, and keep independent limitation dates under review.

5. Generate the written claim and insurer information request

Write to the law practice, copying claims@lawmutualwa.com.au. Ask Law Mutual to confirm the appropriate claimant route and the person handling communications. The client should not have to reconstruct the firm's internal records.

Open email app

Editable draft

Nothing has been submitted. Check the firm's correct email before sending; save your sent message and delivery evidence.

6. Keep your claim privately and track responses

Save an encrypted or otherwise securely stored copy of your claim file yourself. The prototype does not upload information, run analytics, create public firm allegations or retain fields in browser storage. Export a JSON snapshot to your own device and import it later.

Import saved case file

The exported file contains whatever personal information you entered. Keep it secure. Public claim analytics would require a separate consent-based secure service, independent evidence verification and privacy controls.

Published Law Mutual risk and claims examples

These are documented examples of the kinds of problems Law Mutual addresses, not a complete claims register or proof that Law Mutual paid the amounts described.

Client settlement funds diverted — finalised matter described February 2026

Law Mutual General Counsel described a solicitor's genuine email account being compromised and a client being directed to transfer settlement funds to a fraudster-controlled account. A substantial amount was withdrawn before detection. The public article does not identify a paid negligence settlement, claims timeline or full facts. Read the published example →

$650,000 at risk — 2026 alert

Another Law Mutual General Counsel article describes a family-law solicitor's compromised email account and a $650,000 payment to a fraudster. The funds were secured for return before withdrawal. This is not a $650,000 insurer payout. Read the risk alert →

Professional error and candour: In a September 2026 article, Law Mutual's General Counsel and a Williams & Hughes litigation counsel describe lawyers' duties to disclose material professional errors, address conflicts and mitigate loss. Read the published professional guidance →. That advice helps identify what records the insurer should investigate; it does not prove any individual practitioner attended training or committed an error.

7. What Law Mutual still needs to publish

A public guide and anonymised reporting should distinguish notification received, investigation opened, claim accepted or disputed, settlement offered and resolved. For historical averages, we'd need denominators, claim mix, reporting period and median time measured from first notification to final closure. None has been established from the accessible Law Mutual documents.

Request the Claims Protocol: the 2026–27 Master Policy, clause 7 and definition of Claims Protocol, says the Law Society conducts claims in accordance with a separate protocol agreed with insurers. A public copy and any claimant communication targets have not been verified. Ask Law Mutual whether it can provide the protocol or a public summary, its response standards, median settlement duration and escalation process.

Editable enquiry to Law Mutual

A separate evidence request only. No email has been sent.

Core sources: Claims Management Policy · 2026–27 Master Policy, especially cls 5, 7, 9 and definition of Claim · 2022 client-engagement template comparison · Risk-management records and actual seminar material.