Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP (“Gowlings”), one of Canada’s largest national legal firms, is pleased to offer summary pro bono legal advice to all psychologists, psychological associates, and graduate students participating in the Professional Liability Insurance Program. To ensure members are provided with superior legal defence in the event of a claim or complaint, Gowlings has been retained as the preferred legal provider for claims made under the Professional Liability Insurance Program.
Members can take advantage of this complimentary program for practice-related questions involving such issues as:
- Privacy and confidentiality
- Conflicts of interest
- How to respond to requests for information from third parties
- Inquiries from your regulatory body
- How to respond to a subpoena
- Professional misconduct
- Ethical obligations
- Professional obligations
If you have a practice-related question and are participating in the Professional Liability Insurance Program, please contact Gowlings at 1-855-441-4424. When you make this call, you will be automatically prompted to leave a detailed message. Be prepared to provide the following information:
- Name, telephone number and address
- Certificate and policy numbers
- A brief summary of the issue
If you are calling from British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario or Quebec, someone from Gowlings will get in touch with you as soon as possible. If you are calling from another province or territory, then Gowlings will make the appropriate referral to a lawyer practising in that jurisdiction.
The lawyer who you speak with will provide you with free, confidential legal advice in order to try and avoid or reduce the probability of a claim or complaint. Each telephone consultation is limited to 30 minutes per inquiry. The lawyer may consider it appropriate to review the issues and jurisprudence, and then call you back. The advice given will rely upon the accuracy and completeness of the information you provide. In some cases, you may be asked to contact BMS Group directly as your issue may have already triggered coverage under your policy, in which case, legal counsel may be appointed to act on your behalf. If you have received a formal complaint or been served with a legal claim, please contact BMS Group or Maltman’s directly. If the event has triggered a claim, Gowlings will be appointed as legal counsel to work on your behalf. In the event you do not wish to use Gowlings, or if the case has a conflict you will be able to retain alternative legal counsel. The advantage of retaining Gowlings and the reason that the program has appointed them as a preferred provider, is due to their expertise as one of Canada’s leaders in the area of health practice and malpractice. Retaining counsel with specialized expertise is of paramount importance for members because it helps ensure excellent representation and protection in the event of a claim.
About Gowlings
As one of Canada’s top national legal firms, Gowlings has a long history of representing health care professionals on a variety of professional liability cases. The Gowlings professionals who provide services to members have significant experience in medical legal issues including, defending professionals in litigation arising from medical treatment and care; representing professionals in proceedings before provincial professional licensing bodies and providing advice to clients on other administrative and regulatory health law issues.
Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP
Suite 2600, 160 Elgin Street,
Ottawa, ON K1P 1C3
www.gowlings.com
Toll Free: 1-855-441-4424