Professional indemnity
Required by law under § 51 BRAO and a condition of admission; covers your clients' financial losses from deadlines and advice.
Insurance broker / Business types / Professional services
Insurance for lawyers, law firms and notaries in Germany
A missed appeal deadline, an overlooked limitation date, an email to the wrong recipient: in a law firm the damage is not caused by heat or water but at the desk. That is why professional indemnity is a condition of admission to the German bar. This page explains the sums the law requires, what they cost and what makes sense beyond them.
The question almost everyone asks first
Is the statutory minimum of 250,000 euros enough?
For admission, yes; in practice, often not. If you handle company law, property transactions, inheritance disputes or construction litigation, the amounts at stake regularly go far beyond it. A single mistake can then cost you the difference out of your private assets. Many firms therefore choose 1 million euros per claim or more; the extra premium is much smaller than the extra cover.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Deadlines
Appeal, filing and limitation deadlines are the classic lawyer's claim. One wrongly entered date in the diary is enough and the client's claim is lost.
- 02
Wrong advice
Outdated case law, an overlooked contract clause or incomplete advice on risks: the client then claims the loss this caused.
- 03
Client accounts
Settlement sums and purchase prices pass through client trust accounts (Anderkonten). A transfer to a fake recipient or a typo in the IBAN quickly reaches six figures.
- 04
Client data
Pleadings, expert reports and health data sit in the practice software and the special electronic lawyers' mailbox (beA). A ransomware attack shuts the firm down and triggers reporting duties.
- 05
Fidelity losses
If an employee embezzles client money or manipulates transfers, that is not an advice error. It needs separate cover for losses caused by trusted staff.
- 06
Disputes in-house
Dismissing a paralegal, a row over profit sharing in the partnership or trouble with the landlord of your offices: lawyers sometimes need a lawyer too, and someone has to pay.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Strongly advised
Business liability
Covers injury and property damage in the office, for example if a client falls in the corridor; professional indemnity alone does not pay for that.
Cyber insurance
Pays for forensics, data recovery and reporting duties if your practice software or mailbox is attacked.
Business contents
Replaces office furniture and computers and pays to restore files after fire, escape of water or burglary.
Occupational disability
In a sole practice your whole income depends on your ability to work; the pension from the lawyers' pension scheme (Versorgungswerk) only pays for total disability.
Depends on the business
D&O insurance
Useful for managing directors of a law firm GmbH or AG, who are personally liable to the company.
Business legal expenses
For employment disputes with staff and disputes over the office premises, when you cannot or do not want to represent yourself.
What it costs: example prices
The professional indemnity premium depends on annual fees, the chosen sum insured, the deductible and the legal form. Specialist lawyer titles (Fachanwalt) lower the premium with some insurers.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Professional indemnity | Sole practice, compulsory cover of 250,000 euros, annual fees up to 75,000 euros | around 250 to 600 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | Sole practice with 1 million euros per claim, annual fees about 100,000 euros | around 1,000 to 1,700 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | PartG mbB with five lawyers, compulsory cover of 1 million euros per claim | around 4,000 to 10,000 euros a year |
| Cyber insurance | Law firm with five workstations and beA | around 500 to 1,500 euros a year |
| Business contents | Office furniture and equipment worth 50,000 euros | around 120 to 350 euros a year |
For comparison: The compulsory cover of a small sole practice costs about as much a year as two or three first consultations for private clients.
Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026, from published tariff examples and rate sheets; the PartG mbB example is a guide value from our own quoting experience. Your premium depends on your areas of law, fees and insurer, and we obtain the exact quote for you.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Admission
For: Newly admitted lawyer, sole practitioner, in-house counsel with a few private mandates
- Professional indemnity
Together around 250 to 600 euros a year
Request this package02
Law firm
For: Sole practice or small partnership with staff and its own offices
- Professional indemnity
- Business liability
- Business contents
- Cyber insurance
Together around 1,500 to 3,500 euros a year
Request this package03
Partnership
For: PartG mbB or law firm GmbH with several lawyers
- Professional indemnity
- Business liability
- Business contents
- Cyber insurance
- D&O insurance
- Business legal expenses
Together around 6,000 to 15,000 euros a year
Request this packageThe worst day in a law firm
Six things that really happen in law firms, all on a single Thursday. Tap through the day and see who pays.
Damage so far€178,000
-
Sorting the post, you notice that the grounds of appeal in a construction case were due yesterday. The client loses 60,000 euros.
-
A client trips over the projector cable in the meeting room and breaks her arm.
-
A warranty clause is missing from the purchase contract for a commercial property. The buyer is left with a damaged roof.
-
A forged letter from a client changes the bank details, and the settlement sum from the client account goes to fraudsters.
-
The practice software is encrypted. Forensics, recovery and a report to the data protection authority.
-
A water pipe in the ceiling bursts. Computers, printers and the case files in the archive are soaked.
Which package would you have had?
Illustrative amounts before any excess. Whether and how much is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
- Choose your sum insured to match your largest mandates, not the legal minimum: 1 million euros per claim often costs less than twice the compulsory cover.
- Check that client accounts, trustee work and roles as insolvency administrator, executor or mediator are explicitly included.
- Ask about the exclusion for knowing breach of duty and how the insurer interprets it, for example when deadlines were deliberately postponed.
- When moving into a PartG mbB or GmbH, note the higher compulsory sums under § 59o BRAO and make sure prior acts cover is seamless.
- Add fidelity insurance if staff have access to client money; professional indemnity does not pay for embezzlement.
- Sort out run-off cover before you close the firm or retire: mistakes often only come to light years later.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We read the terms, not just the price
As a broker we compare several insurers and show you where exclusions, sublimits for client accounts and serial loss clauses differ.
Claims practice from the inside
In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. We know how claims departments argue and support you if the insurer raises objections over a missed deadline.
Firm and private matters in one place
Professional indemnity, offices, staff pensions and your own cover are kept together in one file with us.
Family owned since 1989
Free of charge for you, as the insurer pays our commission. You reach people who know your firm.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I need my own cover as an employed lawyer?
Yes. § 51 BRAO applies to every admitted lawyer, including employees. The firm often pays the premium or includes you in its policy, but proving cover to the bar association (Rechtsanwaltskammer) remains your duty.
What does professional indemnity for lawyers cost?
Compulsory cover for a small sole practice usually costs between 250 and 600 euros a year. With 1 million euros per claim it is more like 1,000 to 1,700 euros, and firms pay considerably more.
Which sums apply to a PartG mbB or GmbH?
Under § 59o BRAO 2.5 million euros per claim, or 1 million euros for firms with no more than ten lawyers. Firms without limited liability need 500,000 euros.
What applies to notaries?
Under § 19a BNotO notaries must insure at least 500,000 euros per claim. On top come group contracts through the chambers of notaries, for example for fidelity losses. Lawyer notaries (Anwaltsnotare) need both kinds of cover.
Does professional indemnity pay if an employee embezzles client money?
No, that is a fidelity loss. It needs separate insurance; for notaries the chambers arrange this, while law firms have to take care of it themselves.
Does the bar association need to know if I change insurer?
The insurer reports the start, end and any changes of the compulsory cover to the bar association. Change without any gap, otherwise your admission may be revoked.
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Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 69.10 Rechtsberatung
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
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