Off the back of our recent webinar with Gary Horswell from Ntegrity, here is a practical, step-by-step way to prepare your solicitors PII proposal so you’re not firefighting in the week of renewal.
A theme of the session was that a large chunk of firms still renew around 1 October, which compresses the market. Starting early and presenting clear evidence can positively influence your experience with underwriters.
1) Put someone in charge
Name a single owner with authority and deadlines (often COO, finance lead, COLP or COFA). In larger firms, consider forming a small working group. Publish who drafts, who challenges, who approves, and who speaks to brokers/insurers. Set an update cadence, so nothing drifts.
2) Start about 16 weeks in advance
Why 16? It gives you time to gather data, shape the narrative, and avoid rushed answers that spook insurers. Back-plan the work e.g.: data capture at about 14 weeks; draft narrative by 12; internal challenge at 10; Board sign-off at 8; submit between 6 and 4 weeks, with early broker conversations to sense-check appetite and any red flags from last year.
3) Write a one-page renewal narrative
Explain who you are today, what has changed since last year, where your exposures sit, and the specific controls you’ve strengthened. Keep it to one page and get senior sign-off so the proposal form and attachments tell one consistent story. Cover your business model, work types by value and risk, lessons from incidents, and your plan for the next 12 months. Attach a short list of supporting information rather than a document dump.
4) Commission an independent risk review (when it helps)
If you’ve had claims, SRA issues, near-misses or past problems with insurers, an external review can surface fixes and demonstrate seriousness. Target hot areas like claims root causes, file opening/CMRA, supervision, conflicts, undertakings, cyber. Share only the executive summary with insurers; keep full detail internal.
5) Evidence real controls, not aspirations
Underwriters reward proof over prose. Attach evidence that show the control exists e.g. a cyber incident write-up; phishing-simulation results; MFA coverage; system access controls. Use a simple “before → action → after” format to evidence improvement.
6) Decide your D&O position for COLP/COFA protection
Clarify how directors’ and officers’ (or management liability) cover dovetails with renewal. Revisit limits, exclusions and regulatory investigation cover (including dawn raids and interviews under caution). Document how D&O interacts with PII and any contractual indemnities, and brief role-holders on what is and isn’t covered—particularly COLP/COFA.
Don’t forget cyber cover too.
7) Be clear about AI usage and supervision
If your teams use AI (drafting aids, review tools, document triage), set out the governance: where it’s permitted, human-in-the-loop checks, data-leakage prevention, your client-consent position, confidentiality guidance, and model/version control.
8) Tidy the proposal form – eliminate vagueness
Replace adjectives with specifics. If you say you do source-of-funds checks, show the standard; if you say “we trained everyone”, show dates, modules and completion rates. Avoid ranges and soft qualifiers (“usually”, “often”); use numbers and frequencies where possible. Where a question could be misread, pre-empt with a short factual line of context. Cross-check answers against last year’s submission, your website, engagement letters and policies.
9) Get Board sign-off before it leaves the building
Make it a formal governance item. Confirm accuracy and completeness, and agree negotiation parameters with the broker (target pricing, deductibles, alternative markets). Record the approved narrative, attachments and who will field queries.
10) After you submit, stay responsive (and consider a second opinion)
If the process is unsatisfactory e.g. radio silence, unattractive terms, or a mismatch to your profile – ask your broker to clarify the reasons and consider seeking a second broker’s view. Rapid, consistent replies to queries maintain momentum.
If you missed the session – or want the team to catch up – watch the recording and share it internally. It covers a solicitors PII market update and live scenarios that bring the above framework to life.
