Wouldn’t you want the most experienced real estate attorney to represent you if you are named as a defendant in a lawsuit?
Professional liability insurance in the real-estate world—known as errors and omissions coverage or E&O—is akin to medical malpractice insurance for doctors. Helping a client sell a home may not require the precision of brain surgery, but even simple property deals come with pitfalls that can land the most scrupulous real-estate professional in court. When a claim is submitted to your E&O Insurance Carrier, they will generally assign the case to one of their “panel counsel.” These counsel may not regularly represent real estate agents. They may not be familiar with all of the defenses available when a plaintiff institutes a lawsuit against a licensee for violations of NRS 645, negligence and fraud. However, you should be aware that certain policies permit the licensee to request the insurance carrier to appoint an attorney of their own choosing.
Drizin Law has extensive experience representing licensees:
- Lee A. Drizin serves as panel counsel for Traveler’s Insurance and has been retained frequently by various other insurance companies to represent their Insureds. As a result, he has appeared before the Nevada Real Estate Division and state and federal courts throughout Nevada representing licensees in their time of need.
- In 2000, Attorney Lee Drizin developed a Mold Disclosure Form for real estate agents and has been providing in-house training to licensees regarding its use since the inception of the form in response to the growing concerns regarding mold litigation cases asserted against real estate licensees. The Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS© subsequently approved a Mold Disclosure Form similar to that developed by Attorney Drizin and shortly thereafter the Nevada Real Estate Division revised the Seller’s Real Property Disclosure Form to incorporate several of the inquiries from his form.
- Attorney Drizin is also a frequent lecturer in the real estate industry. He is the author and instructor of “30 Ways to Lose Your License” and “What Every Licensee Should Know about Sales in Probate and Guardianship”. Both continuing education courses are approved for three hours general credit by the Nevada Real Estate Commission.