Retirement

  1. Coverage
  2. Retirement

Retiring From Practice

Retiring from the private practice of law is a significant milestone and an important transition. Whether you are retiring from private practice while maintaining active Oregon State Bar (OSB) status or changing your OSB status to retired, you should keep several items and pieces of information on your checklist during this process.

Primary Coverage Requirements

Whether you retire mid-year or at the end of the year, maintain active OSB status while retired or leave active OSB status, you must notify the PLF and submit the appropriate exemption form based on your retirement date.
 
    • Plan-year exemptions take effect January 1. If you’ll be retired at the start of the calendar year, you must file a plan-year exemption. A Request for Exemption form is attached to your annual assessment notice. You can also file a request for exemption online.
    • Mid-year exemptions are for covered parties who have coverage and retire after January 1, even if retirement occurs as early as January 31. See the Coverage > Midyear Changes page for additional information.

You can email plfaccounting@osbplf.org or call 503.924.1771 to notify the PLF of the change and ensure that the appropriate exemption is on file and your assessment balance is clear.
Absolutely – you will just need to submit an exemption request instead of completing payment to remain in compliance. You can select the “retired” (not engaged in the private practice of law) category on your exemption form.

Note: Selecting "retired" or filing an exemption with the PLF does not change your OSB status. You must change your licensee status directly with the OSB.
 
If you begin practicing again after filing an exemption, you must notify the PLF and activate prorated coverage. You can request to activate coverage on the PLF’s website, or call the Accounting Department at 503.924.1771.
The PLF only bills active OSB licensees for upcoming plan years. If you are active for even 1 day in the calendar year, you will need to respond to your assessment notice to remain in compliance. Your status on December 31 determines your requirement to respond to your PLF assessment notice for the upcoming plan year.

Limited Legal Work Scenarios

If you maintain active or active pro bono status with the OSB in your retirement, you may want to engage in some limited legal work. Pro bono work requires appropriate coverage. See this inBrief article by PLF General Counsel Heather Bowman discussing malpractice coverage for pro bono work. 
PLF Policy 3.150 G(5) allows active OSB licensees to represent family members without PLF coverage. Family members are defined as that person’s spouse, parent, adoptive parent, parent-in-law, step-parent, grandparent, child, adopted child, step-child, grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, sibling, adopted sibling, half sibling, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, or any member of the OSB licensee’s household and, if the household member is a spousal equivalent of the Covered Party, the Family Members of any such person. An exempt OSB licensee also may represent a business entity owned or controlled by one or more of these listed family members if the representation is excluded under the terms of the PLF Primary Coverage Plan.
PLF Policy 3.150 G(8) allows active OSB licensees to act as a mediator or arbitrator without PLF coverage provided the OSB licensee’s services are limited to serving as an arbitrator and do not include representing any of the parties in the arbitration. See the Mediation / Arbitration exemption category under Do I Need Coverage? for additional information.


Primary Tail Coverage

When you leave private practice and file an exemption, your PLF Primary Coverage automatically includes Extended Reporting Coverage (ERC or “tail” coverage) at no cost. This coverage is available for any claims made after you retire. Your ERC limits are the remaining coverage limits from your last year of active practice (for 2026, that’s $300,000/$75,000). These remaining limits are available until expended on your defense and indemnity. ERC limits do not renew each year.

For more details, see Section XIII of the PLF Primary Coverage Plan. You can also read this inBrief article by PLF General Counsel Heather Bowman discussing ERC coverage for malpractice claims after retiring from private practice.

Excess Coverage

Excess firms are required to notify the PLF Excess Program of changes to their firm profile after the start of the coverage period under the following circumstances (PLF Policy 7.600 H (1-2), and will be subject to re-underwriting and a pro-rated assessment:
 
  • If the total number of current attorneys increases by more than 50% compared to the number at the start of the Coverage Period;
  • There is a firm merger;
  • There is a firm split;
  • An attorney joins or leaves an existing branch of the firm outside of Oregon;
  • The firm establishes a new office outside of Oregon;
  • The firm enters into an “of counsel” relationship with another firm;
  • An attorney continuing to practice law with, or maintaining an affiliation with, a Law Entity other than the Law Entity listed on the Excess Declaration Page;
  • A non-Oregon attorney joins or leaves the firm;
  • An attorney practicing in areas that present risk of claims (including aiding and abetting) under the Oregon Securities Law joins or leaves the firm.

Excess firms are encouraged to contact the PLF Excess Program at excess@osbplf.org  for any firm changes, even if those notifications are not required under the Policy. Changes such as attorney departures, new firm names, and contact information updates will all be added to the excess record but will not trigger the re-underwriting requirement. See Excess > Midyear Changes for additional information on notifying the PLF of midyear changes.
 
If you are a sole practitioner who is retiring from practice, please notify the Excess Department at excess@osbplf.org or 503.639.6911.
 
  • An underwriter will contact you to discuss the coverage termination date and to advise whether this will trigger a refund.
  • If you have carried PLF Excess Coverage for two full years, you may be eligible for Excess Tail Coverage. Please review the Excess Tail Coverage section below for additional information.

If you are retiring midyear, but the practice will continue to operate, it is not necessary to notify the PLF Excess Department unless otherwise required as noted above in Notifying the PLF of Changes in the Firm.
 
  • At renewal, the retired firm member should be moved to the “Former Attorney” section of the application.
  • The former attorney will have automatic tail coverage at no additional cost, so long as the firm’s excess coverage remains in effect.
Pursuant to PLF Policy 7.600 J(1-2), firms that have carried PLF Excess for two full years may be eligible to purchase Extended Reporting Coverage (ERC) at the following prices (stated as a percentage of the firms’ annual excess assessment for the last full or partial year of coverage):
Extended Reporting Coverage Period                           ERC Premium
12 months                                                                         100%
24 months                                                                         160%
36 months                                                                         200%
60 months                                                                         250%

A firm must exercise its right to purchase ERC and pay for this coverage within 30 days of termination, expiration, or cancellation of its PLF Excess Coverage. While there is not a specific application, firms can inquire about ERC at excess@osbplf.org or 503.639.6911.  

ERC is underwritten and subject to meeting the underwriting guidelines in effect when coverage is requested.