Christopher F. Lyon – a partner in the firm’s Management and Professional Liability practice group – co-authored an article in ABA’s The Brief on the transition to remote work pre- and post-pandemic, and the new E&O risks associated with remote work in professional services.
The article examines the shift to remote work for professionals including lawyers, insurance brokers, and financial-service providers.
While the swift and growing transition, paired with advances in technology, provides increased flexibility and a cut in costs on expenses such as travel and office space, the article also notes the concerns and risks associated with remote work in professional services — ranging from a breakdown of workplace culture to the lack of supervision leading to improper, illegal, or unethical activities by employees.
There are also unique E&O risks presented for different types of professional services in the remote environment which “… presents substantial new and ever-evolving challenges for people who underwrite these risks, and the insurance claim professionals who are tasked with monitoring and overseeing the defense of these claims.”
“Given the virtually certain increased provision of remote professional services, coupled with the ever-evolving technology relevant to the provision of those services, either very generally or quite specifically,” the article notes, “everyone involved in risk management, insurance, and defense of professional liability E&O claims will be struggling to understand, manage, and ride with these challenges now and in the years to come.”
Editor’s Note — Chris co-authored this article with Scott Barabash, a senior vice president of professional and financial liability claims at Aspen Insurance.
MORE ABOUT GOLDBERG SEGALLA’S CHRISTOPHER F. LYON:
Christopher F. Lyon litigates complex commercial and professional liability matters. In addition to providing counsel and representation to businesses, including Directors & Officers, with actual or anticipated legal issues, Chris focuses on the representation of accounting firms of all sizes and individual accountants in professional liability matters. Chris also represents and defends lawyers, architects, engineers, and agents and brokers in various professional liability cases.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE:
“Remote Provision of Professional Services and E&O Risks,” The Brief, Fall 2022