Riley Bennett Egloff Magazine 2 | Page 11

COMMERCIAL LINES POLICY FOR YOUR BUSINESS With regard to the BOP, CGL, or other commercial lines policies which need to be tailored to provide for the unique liability and property coverages needed for your business, your insurance professional should be heavily relied upon for recommendations. By your insurance professional understanding the complexity of your business requirements and exposures, he or she can provide the needed and desired coverages for work vehicles, inventory, tools, trailers, workers compensation needs, etc. It is paramount for you to spend time with your insurance agent or professional to equip him or her to truly understand your business. 2 Given the added complexity and cost of most commercial lines policies, your insurance professional should also include (a minimum of) an annual checkup to make any needed additions, deletions, or adjustments in the level and types of coverages your business requires - and to meet more frequently if there is a material change in ownership or business exposures. Lastly, together with your attorney and accountant, your insurance agent should be relied upon to properly protect your personal assets and business protection needs from unexpected loss events to allow you to keep focused on profitably running and growing your business. If done properly, in the event of a loss occurs, the claim process and any negotiation should go smoothly and fairly, with no major unforeseen surprises. While we have an open court system to seek redress when it does not, the goal should always be to avoid litigation, which by its nature can be more expensive and time consuming than originally anticipated, and necessarily diverts your attention away from profitable business ownership. 2 In addition to a BOP or CGL Policy, your agent may also recommend separate policies for Business Auto Coverage and a Commercial Umbrella Policy. RBE Volunteers for the Ask A Lawyer Program O n Tuesday, April 11, RBE attorneys, John Egloff, Sarah MacGill Marr, Stephanie Chaudhary, Katie Cannon, Donald Smith, and Justin Sorrell volunteered for the Indianapolis Bar Association’s biannual Ask a Lawyer event. RBE attorneys staffed one of several locations throughout the city where individuals could call and be provided with free legal advice. RBELAW.com 11