Legal Insurance

[unifoxos]

We are being offered legal insurance cover as an extra every time we take out a car or house policy (and for all I know boat, aircraft, or anything else). I have always refused these but in our ever-increasingly litigous society I am wondering if these might be a worthwhile precaution.

So - has anybody had cause to use one of these - i.e. make a claim? Do the insurers refuse the claim by taking the position that everything is somehow excluded by a small print clause, do they just give you some small amount for you to pay a legal person, or are they a real help?

[OFSO]

When I lived in Germany, legal (costs) insurance was very common. I had recourse to it a couple of times. The HUK insurance reimbursed the full invoice.

[k3k3]

Same here, I used the HUK Rechtsschutz twice in Germany, a stiff letter from a lawyer stopped potential nastiness in its tracks.

I haven't bothered with it since we came back to the UK.

[Hydromet]

Haven't heard of it in Oz. I presume its insurance to cover your costs in case someone sues you?

[llondel]

Haven't heard of it in Oz. I presume its insurance to cover your costs in case someone sues you?

Sometimes you can use it to sue someone else, although I suspect that's based on how likely your insurance company's legal people think you are to win.