Indemnity insurance for pro bono work

It has been suggested that the Hong Kong government could purchase a ‘Master Professional Indemnity Insurance Policy’ to cover NGOs or government departments wanting to benefit from pro bono legal services from volunteer solicitors.  The current system requires any solicitor offering pro bono services in a private capacity (i.e. outside of their law firm) to seek exemption from the compulsory ‘Indemnity Rules’, however, the organisation which engages the volunteer is required to have in place professional indemnity insurance ‘in a manner and to an extent similar to that provided in the Indemnity Rules’.  This is proving to be a barrier to NGOs wishing to engage solicitors pro bono.

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