Turien & Co · compared independently · advice from Finass
Agency workers, interns & volunteers through Turien & Co
With a legal expenses policy written under a binding authority, three parties are at the table: the risk carrier, the authorised agent that administers the policy and the legal services provider that actually handles your case.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
A legal expenses insurer may not keep the handling of cases in house. The law requires insurers to place that legal handling with an organisation that is independent in it, so that the lawyer assessing your case has no interest in limiting the payment. With a binding authority policy that separation is even more visible: the application and administration run through the authorised agent, the case itself through the provider.
For you that mainly means knowing where to report a case. A report made to the wrong party is left lying, and with legal expenses cover time is almost always the pinch point. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report without unnecessary delay. The policy schedule states which number or address to use.
The cover is modular: traffic, consumer and home, work and income, and sometimes tax and assets. Not covered are disputes from before the start date, cases within the waiting period, conflicts between insured parties and cases with no reasonable prospect of success.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the essentials. We show what Turien & Co and other insurers offer here.
Debt collection on unpaid invoices
Contract & delivery disputes
Legal advice
Disputes with suppliers
Extended cover
As well as debt collection and contracts, also employment law, disputes about your business premises and disputes with public authorities.
Employment law & staff
Business premises (rented or owned)
Public authorities & permits
Recovery of traffic damage
Complete package
The most complete cover. We compare Turien & Co's extended versions with the market.
Free choice of lawyer in legal proceedings
Tax law & tax disputes
Administrative law
Higher allowance for external costs
What is covered
Situation
Basic
Extended
Dispute with a contractor about work on your home
Yes
Yes
Recovering damages for personal injury after a collision
Yes
Yes
Employment dispute or dismissal
Provided that
Yes
Dispute about a purchase or a delivery
Yes
Yes
Tax dispute or dispute about assets
No
Provided that
A dispute that was already running before the start date
No
No
Legal expenses insurance has a waiting period after the policy starts and a threshold: a case is not taken on below a certain financial interest. If the case goes to court, you have a free choice of lawyer. A dispute whose cause already existed when you took out the insurance is excluded.
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with Turien & Co
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether Turien & Co is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Who actually handles your case
With a binding authority policy the authorised agent arranges acceptance, policy administration and premium collection on behalf of the risk carrier. The legal handling goes to a specialist provider with its own lawyers. That is not a detour but a separation required by law. The practical consequence: your policy questions and your case questions go to two different addresses. Look up the address for reporting before you need it, not on the day the deadline expires.
The disputes procedure when your case is called hopeless
The provider assesses whether your case has a reasonable prospect of success. If the opinion is negative, you do not have to accept it: every legal expenses policy has a disputes procedure under which an independent lawyer gives a binding opinion. If it goes in your favour, the case is taken on after all or you may instruct a lawyer yourself at the insurer's expense. Ask for it explicitly.
You are only covered for what you ticked
Modular policies cause most disappointment through the area of law that is missing. Traffic is often in the core, employment and income almost never. Anyone who is dismissed and does not have the work module is on their own. At every life event, such as a change of job, buying a home or starting a business, check whether your modules still fit. Adding a module also only takes effect after the waiting period.
Minimum interest, external costs and the amount you bear yourself
Below the minimum interest the provider will not take a case on. That filters out small consumer matters. If it comes to proceedings, a maximum applies to external costs of a lawyer, an expert and court fees. If you lose, the court can order you to pay the other party's costs; whether those costs are reimbursed is set out separately in the conditions and is not a given.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Modules chosen. Every area of law added, from traffic to work and income, has its own loading.
Composition of the household. Family cover includes more insured persons and therefore statistically more claims than single-person cover.
Minimum interest per case. The threshold below which a dispute is not taken on reduces the number of files and therefore the premium.
Maximum for external costs. The higher the ceiling for lawyers' and experts' fees in proceedings, the higher the rate.
Area of cover. The Netherlands, Europe or worldwide. For traffic cases across the border an extension is needed.
Waiting period and policy term. A longer waiting period and a longer contract term reduce the risk of immediate claims.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
To the legal services provider named on your policy schedule, not to the party that collects your premium. Questions about cover, premium or changes do go to the authorised agent. That separation is required by law. If in doubt, call your adviser; a report left lying at the wrong desk costs days you do not have in a case with a deadline.
What if the lawyer thinks my case is hopeless?
You can then invoke the disputes procedure in your conditions. An independent lawyer assesses the prospects and gives a binding opinion. If it goes your way, the case is taken on after all or you may choose a lawyer yourself at the insurer's expense. If you still disagree after that, the route to the complaints institute is open.
Why is traffic in a separate module?
Traffic legal expenses cover involves a kind of case of its own: recovering your loss from the other party and assistance after a collision or a traffic offence. Many packages include that cover as standard, others add it separately. If you do not have it, you have to run a recovery case yourself or through the legal expenses section of your motor policy.
Does anything change if the binding authority moves to another party?
Your cover stays the same in principle. What may change is who you report to and who administers your policy. You will be notified and receive a new policy schedule. Check then whether the modules, the area of cover and the address for reporting are still the same. Files under way are finished by the provider handling them and do not simply transfer.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
