Every good legal expenses policy starts with a conversation – for me, that's the 20-minute, free needs assessment. So it isn't a leap in the dark, here I set out exactly what happens in it: what I ask, why, and how it ends. Spoiler: it isn't a product pitch.
- The purpose of the needs assessment is an exposure map: where a dispute could reach you or your business, and how much weight each area carries.
- The questions cover: your life situation or business operations, transport, housing, contracts, existing cover, and budget.
- The result is a suggested set of modules and a checklist of points to weigh – with no obligation to request a quote.
What do I ask – if you're a private individual?
The conversation follows the logic of module choice. Life situation: employment, running a business, family. Transport: how much you drive, what you drive, who's with you. Housing: your own home, a rental, or a property you let out. Contracts: larger purchases, service providers, online habits. Past friction: not to secure cover for something already brewing – that typically can't be covered anyway – but because the past is a good guide to future exposure. And budget: how much the household budget can take without it becoming a burden.
What do I ask – if you're a business?
The same thing in business terms: what you do and which industry you're in; the structure of your customer and supplier base; headcount and employer-side exposure; rented premises, vehicles; contact with authorities; existing legal resources – in-house lawyer, legal counsel – and existing insurance. For businesses, the portfolio approach gets particular emphasis: legal protection forms a system together with your other covers, and overlaps need to be screened out too.
What I don't ask
I don't ask for health data, I don't ask for documents in the first round, and I don't probe the details of an ongoing dispute for advisory purposes – I don't give legal advice, that's a lawyer's territory. If you have a case already under way, we talk about it honestly: what insurance can't solve for you, and what's still worth putting in order looking forward.
What's the result?
By the end of the conversation, an exposure ranking and a suggested set of modules take shape – with limits, a steer on the deductible, and the list of open questions. If you'd like, this is where the competitive comparison starts: quotes from several insurers, in a single comparison table. If you decide it isn't the right time yet, you still come out ahead: your own risk map has value even if it doesn't turn into a policy right now. I don't charge a fee for the advice – and the decision is yours at every point.
Good to know: what should you bring – and what don't you need?
You don't need to prepare for the needs assessment – but if you'd like to, three things help. First, a list of your existing policies (from memory is fine): the overall picture is needed to screen out overlaps. Second, your own question list – your questions matter more than mine. Third, a rough sense of budget: what annual amount wouldn't hurt – this keeps the suggestion realistic, not a catalogue. What you do NOT need to bring: documents, data, or commitment. The first conversation is about mapping, not signing up – at the end, you decide whether to request quotes, and it's completely fine if the answer is "I'm still thinking about it". The 20 minutes pays off either way: you leave with your own exposure map, which is the basis for every later decision – whether you eventually sign up with me or anywhere else.
And if, after the 20 minutes, you decide not to take it further? You still win: the exposure map keeps working even sitting in a drawer – you can pull it out at your next change in life situation, update it, and pick up where you left off. The assessment doesn't expire: the method stays the same, only life changes underneath it.
A question tailored to your own situation? Book a free 20-minute consultation →
