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Legal protection for companies

Commercial legal protection insurance

Modular and flexibly adaptable to your needs
Individual advice on legal issues
Personal support and assistance for legal disputes
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Key points at a glance

  • Prevention and individual protection:  We advise you so that conflicts do not arise in the first place and, in the event of an emergency, we take care of your legal concerns, tailored to the individual needs of your company.
  • Professional advice: Our specialized lawyers and legal experts provide professional support, advice, and guidance on your legal issues – so that you know your rights.
  • Securing your livelihood: We assume the financial risk if you become involved in disputes. At the same time, our legal protection insurance allows you to keep the costs of legal matters under control.
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Purchase advice: 052 269 21 60

What is commercial legal protection insurance?

Commercial legal protection insurance covers the financial risks of legal disputes in everyday business life for companies and self-employed persons. In insured cases, it covers the costs of lawyers, courts, proceedings, expert opinions, out-of-court settlements, mediation, and legal fees paid to the opposing party.

It is particularly useful in disputes arising from contracts with customers or suppliers, as well as in labor law conflicts with employees, and can be expanded with additional modules such as traffic legal protection, depending on the offer.

In these situations, AXA-ARAG covers both the cost risk and provides expert advice on labor, contract, and criminal law protection for companies. It guides you individually through the entire process and gives you the freedom you need to focus on what moves your business forward. Just as your own legal department would do.

Why is commercial legal protection insurance a good idea?

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Commercial legal protection insurance makes sense because it protects against the high costs and risks of legal disputes with employees, business partners, or authorities. This applies, for example, to procedural and court costs. This is because anyone who takes legal action in Switzerland must pay these costs in advance – in addition to their own legal fees. A financial challenge for any company – from sole proprietorships to corporations.

Even if the suit is won, the plaintiff is responsible for claiming reimbursement of all costs incurred as well as any benefits awarded. If the losing party cannot pay, the plaintiff must bear the default risk themselves. Due to this arrangement, many companies and self-employed persons forgo pursuing their claims in court, even when the legal situation is clear. Here, the only thing that can help is legal protection insurance, which covers the risk of costs and services in the event of legal cases against payment of a comparably low premium.

What does AXA-ARAG commercial legal protection insure?

AXA-ARAG’s business legal protection is modular in structure and based on the basic “Everyday Operations” module. It covers legal issues and disputes relating to your business activities and thus forms the basis of your legal protection. Depending on your needs, additional modules for specific risk areas can be added. This allows the scope of your insurance coverage to be flexibly tailored to your individual situation and structure of your company.

Insured benefits and costs in the basic “Everyday Operations” module

  • Properties: Legal issues and conflicts relating to your insured properties in Switzerland, for example as a tenant or lessee
  • Equipment and infrastructure: Legal issues and conflicts relating to your equipment and infrastructure, for example disputes over business assets
  • Intellectual property: Disputes concerning rights to intangible assets, including patent law, trademark law, and copyright law
  • Consumer protection and competition: Legal protection for competition law disputes, for example defense against and enforcement of claims arising from unfair competition
  • Data protection and cyber security: Legal disputes concerning data protection violations, credit card and identity fraud, and attacks on personal rights in online and offline media.
  • Everyday business: Legal issues and disputes in everyday business, such as damages, negligence, permits, insurance, directors’ and officers’ liability, commercial registers, taxes, and business travel.
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Which additional modules does our insurance offer?

Good commercial legal protection offers individual options to expand coverage. After all, no two companies are alike – regardless of the sector, size, or risks. With additional modules and supplementary coverage, you can expand your legal protection according to your needs.

Employees

The “Employees” module offers legal support for questions regarding work permits, employment references, and termination. It helps you reduce uncertainty in dealing with your team.

Which cases are insured?

  • Labor law: Disputes with employees, for example regarding termination, vacation entitlements, permits, or wage claims – including temporary staff and temporary employment agencies.
  • Employment law liability: In cases of violations of minimum working and wage conditions or liability issues with subcontractors.
  • Authorities and administration: Disputes with professional commissions, insurance companies, and criminal or administrative proceedings.

Service: If needed, you will receive neutral, non-legal prevention coaching for conflicts with employees through AXA WeCare.

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Customers & Suppliers

The “Customers & Suppliers” module offers legal support with conflicts and questions relating to dealings with customers, suppliers, and other service providers.

Which cases are insured?

  • Contracts: Corporate contract legal protection covers legal questions and disputes arising from contracts with customers, suppliers and service providers that are not already covered by the “Everyday Operations” module.
  • Service: This module covers the collection of three receivables per insurance year.

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Supplementary coverage:

  • Debt Collection PLUS: Debt collection legal protection extends the module to an unlimited number of due, undisputed claims.
  • Customs law: Disputes and questions concerning rulings by the Swiss customs authorities.
  • Public tenders: Support with legal questions regarding submissions.

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Vehicles

The “Vehicles” module offers legal support in disputes involving road, rail, maritime, and air traffic. It covers questions and cases related to vehicles, business travel, and traffic offenses, reducing legal uncertainties in these areas.

Which cases are insured?

  • Participation in road traffic: Disputes and legal issues in criminal and administrative proceedings, as well as regarding damages, redress, and insurance benefits after an accident.
  • Vehicles: Legal questions concerning possession, ownership, contracts, taxes, and duties of your insured vehicles.
  • Business trips and travel (not including commutes to and from work): Additional protection regarding legal issues related to transportation and accommodation.

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Additional Properties

The “Additional Properties” module offers legal support in disputes related to properties, land, storage facilities, and garage spaces that are not used for business purposes. It helps reduce uncertainties in the management of these properties and includes advice and support on legal issues and cases.

Which cases are insured?

  • Properties: Legal questions and disputes as a tenant or lessee regarding purchase, sale, and reservation
  • Construction owners: Disputes as a building owner, for example due to new construction, extensions, and conversions of properties or due to building maintenance.
  • Arguments with neighbors: Disputes with neighbors, for example due to noise, odors, or other emissions
  • Ownership and property law: Disputes arising from ownership or property, for example commercially-used real estate
  • Expropriation: Disputes due to expropriation of property and equivalent restrictions on ownership by the state

Supplementary coverage: Rental of properties

If you rent or lease real estate, you are also protected in the event of legal issues and disputes with tenants or lessees.

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Law PLUS

The “Law PLUS” module extends your legal expenses insurance to include additional areas of law not covered by the other modules. It offers more comprehensive legal support and covers additional issues and cases.

Legal Advice PLUS

  • Legal advice on legal areas not covered by the other modules
  • Review of contracts with Swiss jurisdiction and Swiss law

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Legal Protection PLUS

  • Legal advice on legal areas not covered by the other modules
  • Review of contracts with Swiss jurisdiction and Swiss law
  • Comprehensive legal protection in connection with legal areas not covered by the other modules

Request a consultation

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What advantages does AXA-ARAG commercial legal protection insurance offer?

  • Modular commercial legal protection insurance with effective legal services and high financial security
  • Individual selection of insurance modules to suit your company
  • Coverage of costs in insured cases for advice, representation, and proceedings up to CHF 1,500,000 per policy year
  • Access to legal services and MyRight, practical legal tips, checklists, and templates
  • Free employment reference generator via MyRight
  • Extensive network of lawyers that complements the comprehensive solution and minimizes legal risks in everyday business

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Frequently asked questions

Is commercial legal protection insurance mandatory?

No, commercial legal protection insurance isn’t mandatory, but it is highly recommended. With a company, unexpected conflicts can often occur, for example if a neighbor officially objects to the conversion of your office building, an insurance company refuses to pay indemnity, or you have trouble with the authorities in connection with a permit.

Do small businesses also need commercial legal protection insurance?

Problems with customers, questions about tenancy law, trouble with a web domain: Even small businesses are not immune to legal disputes, which can quickly become a threat to their existence. Thanks to modular legal protection insurance, you can tailor your legal protection to your company’s needs and only pay for what you require.

Is there a waiting or qualifying period?

No, we don’t impose a waiting period. With our legal protection insurance for companies, you’re covered from day one.

What can I do if I need help with an ongoing legal case but don’t yet have legal protection insurance for my company?

Opt for our one-time legal phone consultation  for companies for CHF 99 on MyRight. Our legal experts will be happy to advise you over the phone on the next steps to take.

I have commercial third-party liability insurance. Isn’t that enough to cover legal disputes?

It’s great that you have personal liability insurance. It protects you in cases where you’re at fault, for example if you have caused damage to another vehicle. However, if someone else has damaged your car, and you want to claim compensation, that’s when you need legal protection insurance. Liability and legal protection insurance complement each other perfectly and offer all-round coverage.

In what cases does a company need legal protection?

A neighbor officially objects to the conversion of your office building, an insurance company refuses to pay indemnity, or you have trouble with the authorities because of a permit. Legal cases like these are common in business – that’s why they are covered by AXA-ARAG commercial legal protection insurance.

  • Labor law: An employee gives notice. After leaving, she makes substantial salary and overtime claims.
  • Tenancy and leasehold law: You rented a copy machine that has now been defective for the past three days. Despite numerous notifications, Office Supplies Ltd. hasn’t responded.
  • Neighbor law: A neighbor constantly complains about noise – and is now suing you.
  • Criminal and administrative law: Welding work starts a fire in your workshop. Even though the fire department puts it out quickly, you and your staff still face a criminal investigation.
  • Criminal and administrative legal protection: Welding work starts a fire in a workshop’s machinery. Firefighters put it out quickly. Nevertheless, the owner subsequently receives a penalty order for negligently causing a fire.
  • Legal protection of personality rights: A hotel has received a terrible review from a guest on a comparison site it is not associated with. In particular, he claims that the rooms are crawling with cockroaches. The comparison site’s based in England, and the guest is from Germany.
  • Contract legal protection: An SME redesigned its website and enhanced it with images from the Internet. A stock photo agency contacted the company and demanded that it remove the photos and pay damages.
Would a legal case that’s already ongoing be covered if I take out new legal protection insurance today?

No, ongoing cases cannot be insured. Legal protection insurance for companies or small businesses is taken out on a preventive basis. A legal case is covered if the triggering event and the need for legal protection occur during the insurance period and the case is reported within this period. With the Law PLUS module, you have the option of receiving telephone advice for pre-contractual legal matters.

Who is covered by the commercial legal protection insurance?

You as the policyholder and all companies and subsidiaries named in the policy. Partners, owners, trustees and members of executive boards and boards of directors (including associations), members of committees composed of communal executives, as well as other members of authorities and administration employees are also insured. There is also legal protection for employees, voluntary helpers, volunteer workers, temporary personnel, and members of the insured organizations.

I am self-employed. Does my personal legal protection insurance also cover my company’s legal disputes?

No, as a rule, business matters are not covered by personal legal protection. However, the Work module of our legal protection insurance for private individuals offers protection for a secondary occupation on a self-employed basis up to annual revenues of CHF 36,000.

That said, commercial legal protection is also worthwhile for small companies, thanks to modular legal protection insurance. You can also choose legal advice only when needed – with the individual and unbureaucratic MyRight legal advice over the phone and the MyRight legal tips regarding frequently asked questions.

What does legal protection insurance for companies cost?

The premium amount of your legal protection insurance is based on several factors: Annual sales, payroll amount, and operating activity. To ensure no coverage gaps occur, you must regularly report updated figures to us.

How do I report a legal case?

Contact us as soon as you need legal support.

  • Have your policy number ready, together with all documents that are relevant to the case (e.g. contracts, correspondence, fine notices, summonses and rulings).
  • Check any documents and rulings for deadlines that may apply (e.g. for appeals).
  • Describe the events and the loss you suffered briefly and fully.
  • Upload any relevant documents such as contracts, correspondence and rulings using the online form or send them to us by post.

Online:

Reporting a legal case online couldn’t be simpler, and you can do it 24/7.

By phone:

Report your case directly to our legal experts: 0848 11 11 00 (Mon. – Fri., 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., subject to a fee) 

By mail:

AXA-ARAG Legal Protection Ltd
Ernst-Nobs-Platz 7
8004 Zurich

Is legal advice for companies available online?

Yes, you’ll find a large selection of free templates and documents on a wide range of topics as well as a reference generator at MyRight Business. You can also opt for a one-time phone consultation and pay for it conveniently online. 

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