West Virginia Implements Malpractice Reporting Requirement

According to this article, (8/16/2005), West Virginia attorneys must file a disclosure with the State Bar Association as to whether they have malpractice insurance.  Eventually, the information could be made public, allowing people who want to hire a lawyer the ability to know if they have insurance coverage.

Although for my first two years of practice, I boldly went without insurance (figuring that I’d simply leave the profession if anyone ever sued me), I quickly tired of worrying whether a mistake would put me out of business.  So I purchased malpractice insurance which was much cheaper than I ever imagined and worth every cent for the added peace of mind.   These days, I simply don’t understand the mindset of lawyers who practice uninsured but if they are, at the very least, their clients are entitled to know.