HAVE you ever been sued? Have you ever needed or wanted to sue someone else, or a company? Legal expenses insurance is something that only corporations have needed to bother with in the past, but our increasing litigious society suggests that there is a broader market for such insurance cover on the domestic front.
DAS Ireland is part of a German company, Deutcher Automobil Schutz which was set up in 1917 by the organisers of the Le Mans 24 hour race to provide motorists with legal expenses cover for traffic law and vehicle cover. Ireland is now the 12th European country in which DAS operates.
It offers two different policies - for motor legal protection and the other, a family legal policy. Some, but not all motor insurance policies already offer automatic legal expenses cover, but if yours does not, the two DAS policies (in addition to helpline services and emergency breakdown service) assist in pursuing uninsured drivers, the defence of motoring prosecutions, and/or cover for the pursuit or defence of motor related contract disputes, say, connected with the purchase, sale or servicing of your car. The cost is £15 a year for the basic motor legal expenses policy and £20 for the more extensive cover.
The family protection policy, which costs £15 a year, provides you with legal expenses cover where you find yourself in dispute with a builder or contractor who, for example, may have installed new equipment in the home or someone from whom you have purchased faulty goods (disputes must involve claims of at least £100). It will also give you legal expenses cover in the event, say, of a personal accident or injuries claim. A helpline is provided so that DAS can send out an emergency plumber, glazier, etc., and a Legal Advice Helpline is available for personal legal problems. Readers should note that a number of home insurance policies already automatically provide the sort of helpline assistance offered by DAS.
Insurance like this is relatively inexpensive, but you will need to buy DAS cover from an agent or broker as part of your motor or home/contents insurance contract.
