Skip to the main content.
APPLY NOW RENEW
APPLY NOW RENEW
Law Firm Insurance
What Size Law Firm Are You?

We've crafted solutions tailored to your firm

Insurance Glossary

The world of insurance for law firms can be confusing, and difficult to navigate. We've created this glossary because these common insurance terms should be easy to understand.

Free Resources
Continuing Legal Education

Relevant. Affordable. Actionable.

Your Time is Too Valuable To Struggle Finding Quality CLE

FIND YOUR CLE COURSE

ALPS Legal Blog

ASSESS YOUR FIRM'S RISK​

VIRTUAL ETHICS RISK ASSESSMENT FOR ATTORNEYS & LAW FIRMS​

ASSESS YOUR RISK WATCH A VIDEO

Use Our Free Ethics Risk Assessment Tool for Attorneys

The ALPS Virtual Ethics Risk Assessment, more affectionately known as Vera, was created to serve as your guide to quickly and effectively help you understand where you fall in terms of risk management within your firm.  We also hope you have a little fun along the way.  The full assessment shouldn’t take any longer than 20 minutes to complete. Don't have 20 minutes? You can tackle each subject one at a time too! Whichever approach works best for you, you'll receive your customized Vera report upon submittal.

Getting Your Free VERA Report Is Easy:

1. Take The Quiz: Choose from any of the seven sections below, or take the full assessment. Select the answers that you feel best describe your firm. Keep in mind that this process is meant to be fun, which means the available answers to some questions may not perfectly describe your firm.

2. Get Your Results: Once you have completed the process, Vera will assign a point value to each answer, tally the results, and provide a link via email that will allow you to download your detailed summary report. Note that any answer left blank will be scored as a zero.

3. Start Decreasing Your Risk: With your firm's recommendations in hand, take steps to reduce your firm's ethics risk.

What Seven Subjects Are Covered by VERA?

Start with one or take them all. Customize your risk assessment with the following sections.

Illustration of llama dressed as Sherlock Holmes

Section 1: Client Intake

Client Intake

Missteps insurers categorize as client relations problems continue to represent a significant malpractice risk. One way to effectively manage such risks is with an effective client intake process.

TAKE SECTION 1

Illustration of llama hiding in library

Section 2: File Documentation

File Documentation

Word against word disputes are commonplace, which can mean that whenever you fail to document something along the way, you increase the risk of having a serious problem down the road.

TAKE SECTION 2

Illustration of llama holding 3 calendars

Section 3: Calendaring

Calendaring

According to the ABA’s Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Professional Liability Profile of Legal Malpractice Claims 2016 – 2019 Report, over 16% of all claims during the reporting period were a result of a calendaring misstep.

TAKE SECTION 3

Illustration of llama dressed in banker outfit

Section 4: The Trust Account

The Trust Account

Trust account problems aren’t just about rogue lawyers. The real problem is that far too often a lawyer was less than diligent about maintaining proper and appropriate financial practices.

TAKE SECTION 4

Illustration of llama holding a yield sign

Section 5: General Risk Management

General Risk Management

What do the topics of housekeeping, client communication, file review, fee suits, and wellness have to do with managing risk in a law firm? More than many lawyers realize.

TAKE SECTION 5

Illustration of llama dressed as hacker

Section 6: Cyber Security

Cyber Security 

There are two types of companies: those that have been hacked, and those who don't know they have been hacked. (John T. Chambers, Former Cisco CEO)

TAKE SECTION 6

Illustration of llama dressed as professor with chalkboard

Section 7: Firm Policies & Plans

Firm Policies & Plans

Truth be told, the failure to plan is a de facto plan to fail.

TAKE SECTION 7

Illustration of smiling white llama

Full Assessment (All 7 Sections)

Full Assessment 

Complete the full assessment covering all seven sections: Client Intake, File Documentation, Calendaring, The Trust Account, General Risk Management, Cyber Security, and Firm Policies & Plans.

TAKE FULL ASSESSMENT

 

Disclaimer

ALPS has developed and made available at no cost to all-comers this Virtual Ethics Risk Assessment (Vera).  The driving motivation behind this project was to find a new way to share the intellectual capital of our past and current risk managers in a fun and engaging way with as broad an audience as possible.  Vera will be most effective if all questions are answered as honestly and completely as possible.  To help you to feel comfortable in doing so, please know that Vera is exclusively an educational tool.  While we will collect answer data for the sole purpose of identifying areas where the development of additional risk management resources might be of value to future Vera participants, rest assured in knowing that no information shared during the assessment process will ever be revealed to or used by our underwriting department in quoting a policy or otherwise.  Quite simply, that’s just not how we do business.  One final note: because Vera is only able to deliver her summary report via an email autogenerated at the conclusion of the assessment, a valid email address is required for participation.