After-the-Event Legal Expenses Insurance
Coverage for the cost risk of a specific legal dispute, taken out after it's already started.
This is an estimate, not a bound policy — a licensed VAB producer confirms final terms before coverage starts. Sgt. Savings can answer questions but can't quote, bind, or guarantee coverage.
After-the-Event Legal Expenses Insurance protects against the cost risk of a specific, already-existing dispute — the fees you'd owe the other side if you lose, your own expert and filing costs, and your own attorney fees, all scheduled to one named proceeding. Unlike most insurance, it's bought after a dispute has already arisen, once you and your attorney have a real read on the case, and it's scoped narrowly to the litigation cost risk of that one matter rather than to the merits of who's right.
Who This Is Really For
The ideal buyer.
The ideal buyer is a business that already has, or is about to have, a specific legal dispute worth pursuing — a contract breach, a vendor dispute, a construction-defect claim — and whose attorney believes it's more likely than not to succeed. The trigger is the moment the business has to decide whether the potential upside of pursuing the claim is worth the very real downside of paying the other side's costs if it loses. This buyer has usually weighed simply absorbing the loss and moving on against pursuing the claim with an open-ended cost exposure, and finds neither option appealing. What fits them here is coverage scoped narrowly to that one proceeding's litigation cost risk — put in place after counsel has given a reasoned opinion on the merits, so the business can pursue a claim it believes in with a defined ceiling on what losing actually costs.
- Businesses already in, or about to enter, a specific litigation matter
- Companies whose attorney has given a reasoned opinion the case is more likely than not to succeed
- Businesses concerned about being ordered to pay the other side's costs if the case is lost
- Companies weighing whether litigation cost risk is worth taking on for a specific claim
- Businesses that want cost-risk protection without giving up any control over settlement or appeal decisions
What It Covers
Coverage, broken down.
Adverse costs
Covers costs the insured is ordered to pay the other side if the case is lost.
Own disbursements
Covers the insured's own out-of-pocket litigation costs — experts, filing fees, and depositions — if the case is lost.
Own attorney fees
Covers the insured's own attorney fees if the case is lost.
Illustrative Scenario — How This Coverage Responds
Illustrative scenario — weighing a contract dispute worth pursuing
A business believes a vendor breached a contract and wants to pursue the claim, but is wary of the cost exposure if the case doesn't go its way. After counsel provides an opinion that the claim is more likely than not to succeed, After-the-Event coverage is put in place for that specific proceeding — scheduled with its own insured amount, insured percentage, and waiting period — so the business can pursue the claim with a defined ceiling on its litigation cost exposure if it ultimately loses.
Illustrative example for education only — not a claim outcome or a promise of payment. Every claim depends on the actual policy issued and its terms.
More Than One Way In
More scenarios.
Real coverage doesn't fit one story. Here's who else this shows up for.
The intellectual-property dispute
A business believes a former partner is misusing its intellectual property and wants to pursue a claim, but is hesitant given the cost of complex IP litigation if the case doesn't succeed. Cost-risk coverage lets the business commit to pursuing the claim with a known ceiling on the downside.
The construction-defect claim
A contractor discovers defective work performed by a subcontractor on a completed project and weighs whether pursuing a claim against that subcontractor is worth the litigation cost risk, especially with the subcontractor disputing responsibility.
The partnership dispute
A business partnership disagreement reaches the point where one partner believes litigation is the only path forward. Before filing, that partner wants a defined litigation cost exposure rather than an open-ended one.
Know The Gaps
What this doesn't cover.
Every policy has limits. Knowing them before you buy is how you avoid a denied claim later.
The judgment or damages themselves
This only covers costs and fees tied to the litigation — not the underlying damages or judgment on the merits of the case.
Frivolous or fraudulently conducted claims
Coverage depends on the claim being genuine and properly conducted — this isn't protection for a bad-faith or meritless case.
Criminal, regulatory, or family law matters
This is scoped to civil litigation cost risk specifically — those other categories of proceeding fall outside its scope entirely.
Settlements or appeals entered into without the insurer's consent
Because the insurer is carrying the cost risk, a settlement or appeal decision made without their input can jeopardize coverage — this isn't full control over your own case without any coordination.
Coverage of 100% of any insured amount
The policy always carries an Insured Percentage below 100%, meaning some portion of the cost risk stays with the insured even on a covered loss — know that percentage before deciding to pursue a claim.
Any guarantee of the case's outcome
This is not a litigation funding agreement and doesn't guarantee you'll win — it manages the cost risk of the proceeding, not the legal merits.
Behind The Quote
What goes into the decision.
What actually moves your price and your approval — no black box.
The attorney's opinion on likelihood of success
A reasoned Opinion of Counsel that the claim is more likely than not to succeed is a condition of the coverage being issued at all — this isn't a policy for a long-shot case, and the opinion needs to be genuine, not a formality.
Nature and complexity of the dispute
Coverage is scoped to civil litigation cost risk specifically — the type of proceeding and its expected duration and complexity shape both the insured amount and the waiting period scheduled to it.
Estimated litigation cost exposure
The realistic scale of adverse costs, own disbursements, and own attorney fees for the specific proceeding is what the insured amount is sized against — an accurate early cost estimate from counsel matters here.
The Insured Percentage negotiated
Coverage never reaches 100% of the litigation cost risk — the specific percentage retained by the business is a real factor in deciding whether the coverage makes the decision to pursue the claim worthwhile.
Let's get you covered.
Tell us what you need on After-the-Event Legal Expenses Insurance — a licensed VAB advisor follows up personally. No bots, no runaround.
Looking for a session that's already scheduled? Browse upcoming webinars.
Availability
Available nationwide, with policy terms adjusted to each state's requirements.
Questions, answered straight
No jargon on after-the-event legal expenses insurance — just what you're actually asking.
No — this is specifically for a dispute that has already arisen. It's scheduled to one specific, named proceeding, not a general standing policy for future disputes.
No — it isn't a litigation funding agreement or an outcome guarantee. It manages your litigation cost exposure if the case doesn't go your way, and requires an attorney opinion that the case is more likely than not to succeed before it's issued.
It's the share of your litigation cost risk this policy actually covers — never 100% — meaning some portion of the exposure stays with you even on a covered loss. Ask your VAB agent for the specific percentage on your scheduled proceeding.
Settling or appealing without the insurer's consent can affect your coverage, since the insurer is carrying real cost risk on the matter — coordinate with your VAB agent before making that call.
The Opinion of Counsel that the claim is more likely than not to succeed is a condition of the coverage being issued in the first place — talk to your VAB agent about how a materially changed opinion affects an in-force policy.
No — regulatory matters are excluded, along with criminal and family law proceedings. This is scoped to civil litigation cost risk.
Beyond This Coverage
What people in your situation also need.
Related Coverage
Coverage people pair with this.
Trade Receivables Protection
Protects your entire receivables book when a customer can't pay.
Learn moreUnemployment Benefit Cost Protection
Caps your exposure when you self-fund unemployment benefits instead of paying state contributions.
Learn moreTuition Refund Protection
Reimburses a school for tuition when a student has to withdraw mid-term.
Learn moreReady to talk it through?
Get a quote in minutes, or ask Sgt. Savings a straight question first — no pressure, no runaround.
Insurance products described on this page are marketed by The Veteran Alliance, a licensed insurance producer, and underwritten by one or more separately licensed insurance companies, which may include Corgi Insurance Company and its affiliates. The insurer that actually underwrites your policy, its licensing status in your state, and any state-required notices will be identified in your quote and policy documents. Coverage, limits, eligibility, and pricing are determined by the underwriting insurer, may vary by state, and may change. Nothing on this page is a quote, an offer of insurance, a binder, or a guarantee of coverage — coverage takes effect only when a policy is issued.