Can I get legal expenses cover?

Legal protection means that your insurance can cover part of your costs for a lawyer or solicitor. Usually the insurance company will cover around 75-80% of the costs up to a certain limit. The limit varies but is usually between 75,000 SEK and 300,000 SEK. Any costs above this limit must be paid by yourself.

Legal protection is included in most insurance policies, but the conditions may vary between different policies and insurance companies. A common factor for most policies and insurance companies is that the policyholder must have had the policy for a continuous period of two years to be able to benefit from legal protection. It does not matter if the person has changed insurance companies during this period, as long as the insurance policyholder has been completely insured during the two-year period. It is also a pre-requisite that the case is a civil case, and not a criminal case, and that the case is heard by a public court and not, for example, by the Enforcement Authority, an administrative court or another body.

Legal protection only applies after a dispute has arisen. A dispute is considered to have arisen when one party makes a claim against another and the counter part disputes the claim. However, legal protection does not cover disputes involving small amounts. For 2024, this means that the amount in dispute must exceed 28 650 SEK (half of a price base amount) to be covered by legal protection.

Legal expenses cover necessary and reasonable costs related to the dispute. This includes the costs of legal representation and the legal costs of the other party. If the dispute relates to issues such as liability for damages, these are not covered by legal protection if they are awarded. In addition, own costs incurred in connection with the dispute, such as travel and hotel expenses and loss of earnings, are not covered. The hourly cost of a legal representative is limited to the hourly cost standard applicable to legal aid. Most agents charge more per hour than the hourly cost standard rate. The difference between the set cost standard and what the legal representative actually charges must be paid by the policyholder.