Clauses to isolate
Trigger and prior facts
Find the insured event, cover period and rules for facts already known. The date of a complaint alone does not establish coverage.
Scope and restrictions
Record insured people, legal areas, territory, maximum amount, deductible, any dispute threshold and exclusions.
Handling and representative
Check when to notify, when approval is needed and how a representative is selected. Supervisory safeguards do not guarantee every lawyer or fee.
Duration and ending
Check the insurance year, renewal, notice and statutory termination rights in the current policy.
Audit the contract in four moves
Use the complete policy, endorsements and correct terms version rather than a marketing leaflet alone.
Collect every version
Order the proposal, policy, endorsements, terms, pre-contract information and correspondence by effective date.
Build the timeline
Record commencement, waiting period, first known facts, start of disagreement and notification without deciding coverage yourself.
Clarify cost rules in writing
Ask which spending requires approval, what limit and deductible apply, who may act and how a refusal can be challenged.
Protect every deadline
Keep dated documents and replies. A comparison request, complaint, mediation request or FINMA report does not automatically stop a statutory, court or contractual deadline.
What this review cannot decide
- A known dispute is not automatically labelled covered or excluded here.
- Freedom to choose a representative does not mean unlimited reimbursement of all fees.
- This page calculates no cancellation, limitation or procedural deadline.
- The statute, policy and applicable terms remain controlling.
Verified Swiss sources
FINMA and Ombudsman guidance is linked in English. The consolidated federal statutes are linked to the official French text; no authoritative English legal translation is asserted here. The law, policy, terms and competent decisions prevail. The Ombudsman is an independent foundation, not a regulator or court.
- Fedlex — Federal Act on Insurance Contracts (official French text)Official French legal text · Consolidated federal law governing pre-contract information and the rights and duties arising from an insurance contract.↗
- Fedlex — Insurance Supervision Act (official French text)Official French legal text · Supervisory framework for insurers and special safeguards against conflicts of interest in legal-expenses insurance.↗
- Fedlex — Insurance Supervision Ordinance (official French text)Official French legal text · Definition of legal protection, separate disclosure, claims handling and representative choice in the situations laid down by law.↗