Because you work too hard not to protect your income
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Years of late-night study sessions, thousands of dollars in tuition, a job that doesn’t allow you to be anything but your best. You’ve already invested so much in your career. Protect your income with an insurance plan that works for you when you can’t.
What is disability insurance?
Disability insurance provides you with regular monthly income if you’re unable to work due to an illness or accident. Think of it as income protection for the rest of your working life. Your disability insurance plan replaces part of your paycheque and keeps a steady flow of income coming in if a disability leaves you unable to do your job.
Protect up to $16,000 of income per month
Subject to age and proof of income, you could be eligible for income replacement benefits of up to $16,000 per month.
High-income earners may be eligible for additional benefits of up to $4,000 per month for the first three years of disability.
Available exclusively to Canada’s legal community
This plan is available to lawyers, judges, and Québec notaries. You must be under 65 years old and a resident of Canada when you apply for coverage. Lawyers and Québec notaries must be in good standing with a provincial law society or the Chambre des notaires du Québec. Law students and articling students may also be eligible.
Not-for-profit means superior value
The disability insurance sponsored by Lawyers Financial is designed to deliver essential benefits and superior value. Price is one of the ways we define value. Being a not-for-profit allows us to price this product to be among the five most affordable options in the Canadian market in nearly every age category. Ask your Lawyers Financial advisor for a quote to see how our rates compare.
Two pricing options
We offer two types of rates to meet your needs:
- Stepped rates are premiums that increase gradually every five years. The initial costs are lower than level rates and increase as you age.
- Level rates are fixed premiums that will not increase over time. The initial cost is higher than stepped rates but could provide significant savings over the long term.
Choose your own retirement age
Law is more than a profession, it’s a passion. And since so many lawyers choose to work beyond the traditional retirement age, we offer coverage up to your choice of age 65 or 71.
- BUILT-IN BENEFITS
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Benefits for total disability
This plan entitles you to receive monthly benefits if you have a total disability that keeps you from working.
What is “total disability”? As with any worst-case scenario, the possibilities are more wide-ranging than you might think. Mental illness and chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or cancer, are among the most common disabilities that sideline working Canadians.
For our purposes, total disability refers to anything that keeps you from performing the duties of your regular occupation (as a trial lawyer, for example) and prevents you from working anywhere else (as a university lecturer, for example). This definition can be enhanced by adding an Own Occupation Rider, one of the optional benefits listed below.
Benefits for partial disabilities
Not every disability will sideline you indefinitely. If a disability leaves you able to work only part-time—or full-time but on a significantly reduced income—you may still qualify to receive all or a portion of your monthly disability benefits.
Guaranteed coverage
CBIA/Lawyers Financial has been insuring Canada’s legal community for more than 40 years. In the unlikely event that the Lawyers Financial master policy is terminated, your coverage is guaranteed to continue with Manulife at reasonable rates without having to provide proof of good health. Additionally, your coverage won’t be cancelled if you leave the legal profession.
- OPTIONAL BENEFITS
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A plan that keeps up with inflation
Imagine working for the next 20 years without ever getting a raise to reflect the cost of living. This plan offers stability, not precarity. That’s made possible with a Cost of Living Adjustment rider, which adjusts your income replacement payments annually to offset inflation for as long as you receive disability benefits.
A plan that keeps up with your career
Salaries often increase with experience. You might be signing up for disability insurance today as an associate, but the same plan has to meet your needs when you make partner. The Future Increase Option allows you to increase your coverage once a year without having to prove again that you’re healthy enough to be insured. Certain limitations apply and proof of income may be required.
Protect your ability to earn as a lawyer
Some disabilities may make it impossible for you to practice law but may not prevent you from doing other meaningful work. The Own Occupation rider extends the standard definition of total disability to allow you to take a job in a different field, while still receiving full disability benefits for being unable to work in your own occupation—the law.
Rewards for continuous good health
You might be thinking, but I’m healthy, why do I need this type of plan? Well, we’ve taken that into account. The optional Return of Premium rider rewards you for your continued good health by providing a cash payment equal to 50% of paid premiums at the end of every ten continuous years in which you remain claim-free.
You’ve invested in your career. Protect your investment with disability insurance sponsored by Lawyers Financial.
The information on this page is meant to give you an overview of the Lawyers Financial disability insurance plan and should not be considered part of any contract. Certain benefits and conditions may have changed since this page was published and other conditions may apply. Benefits may be subject to proof of income, evidence of good health and approval by our insurer. Please talk to your Lawyers Financial advisor about the exact terms and conditions of your plan.
Disability insurance is underwritten by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife) P.O. Box 670, Stn Waterloo, Waterloo ON N2J 4B8.
