Business Insurance / Professional & Office Based Businesses
Insurance for Businesses That Run on Expertise & Trust.
When your business delivers professional services, your biggest liability isn't a job site accident — it's a client who says your advice, your work, or your judgment cost them money. We help professional and office-based businesses across Texas build coverage programs that protect what's actually at risk.
Why Professional Businesses Choose McKnight
Your biggest exposure isn't physical — and a standard GL policy doesn't cover it.
Most business insurance conversations start with general liability — and for good reason, it's foundational. But for a professional services business, the most significant liability you carry isn't a slip and fall in your office. It's a client who claims your advice was wrong, your work was negligent, or your services didn't deliver what was promised. General liability doesn't cover that. Professional liability does — and a surprising number of professional businesses don't have it.
We work with consultants, accountants, marketing agencies, real estate professionals, insurance professionals, financial advisors, HR firms, IT service providers, and a wide range of office-based businesses across Texas. The specific coverages vary by profession, but the common thread is the same: your reputation and your expertise are your product, and when a client believes that product failed them — even if you disagree — you need coverage that responds.
"In a professional services business, the most expensive claims often have nothing to do with property damage. They start with a client who feels let down."
We also take the time to understand the full picture — your office space and contents, your employees, your data, and how your business has grown. A lot of professional firms outgrow their original policy without realizing it. We make sure your coverage keeps pace with where your business actually is today.
Professional liability expertise
E&O coverage isn't one-size-fits-all. We help you find the right policy for your profession and make sure the coverage language actually matches how you work.
Talk to a specialist →Cyber coverage for your client data
If your business stores client information — and most professional firms do — Texas law requires you to report data breaches. Cyber liability covers the costs when that happens.
Learn about cyber coverage →Real people — actually reachable
When a client threatens a claim or a situation comes up that might affect your coverage, you need to reach someone fast. When you call McKnight, a person picks up.
Meet our team →Real Risks. Real Scenarios.
The situations that catch professional business owners off guard.
These aren't hypotheticals. These are the calls we get from professional and office-based businesses across Texas.
A client claims your advice cost them money
A consulting engagement goes sideways. A client believes your recommendations led to a financial loss and files a claim. Even if you did everything right, defending yourself costs money — and a finding against you can cost significantly more. General liability won't respond. Professional liability exists exactly for this.
A data breach exposes client information
Your firm stores client data — contracts, financial records, personal information. A cyberattack or breach exposes it. Texas law requires you to notify affected individuals. The cost of notification, credit monitoring, legal fees, and regulatory fines adds up fast. Without cyber liability coverage, that cost is entirely yours.
An employee makes an HR-related claim
A current or former employee files a claim for wrongful termination, discrimination, or harassment. These claims have become increasingly common for businesses of all sizes and don't require proof of wrongdoing to be costly. EPLI covers the legal defense and any resulting damages — general liability does not.
A client slips in your office
Someone visiting your office trips, falls, and is injured. Your general liability covers this — but a lot of professional businesses don't carry adequate GL limits or have gaps in how their policy is written. Any business that has clients or visitors on premises needs solid general liability in place.
A key decision maker is sued personally
Owners, directors, and officers of a business can be personally named in lawsuits related to decisions they made on behalf of the company. Management liability coverage protects the individuals making business decisions, not just the company itself — and it's something most small professional firms don't think about until they need it.
Your coverage doesn't match how your business has grown
You started with a basic policy when you had two employees and a small client list. You now have eight people, significant client revenue, and real professional exposure. A policy that was appropriate three years ago may have limits, exclusions, and coverage structures that no longer fit where your business actually is today.
Coverage Recommendations
A complete insurance program for professional & office-based businesses.
Professional businesses have a unique mix of exposures — liability for your work and advice, data and cyber risk, employment risk, and the standard property and liability needs of any business with a physical location. Here's how we build a program that covers all of it.
Professional Liability / E&O
Covers claims arising from errors, omissions, negligence, or failure to perform in your professional services. The most critical coverage for any business that provides advice, consulting, or specialized services to clients. Also called errors and omissions insurance.
Learn more →EPLI
Employment Practices Liability covers claims from employees related to wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. These claims are costly to defend even when unfounded. Any business with employees has this exposure — and most small professional firms don't have this coverage in place.
Learn more →Cyber Liability
Covers the costs of a data breach or cyberattack — notification to affected parties, credit monitoring, legal defense, regulatory fines, and business interruption from a cyber event. Texas requires businesses to report data breaches. The costs without coverage can be significant.
Learn more →Management Liability
Protects business owners, directors, and officers from personal liability for decisions made on behalf of the company. When a business decision leads to a lawsuit, the individuals who made that decision can be named personally. Management liability covers them as well as the business.
Learn more →General Liability
Covers third-party claims for bodily injury and property damage that happen in the course of your business operations — a client injured in your office, damage to a client's property, advertising injury. Required by most commercial leases and many client contracts.
Learn more →Property / BOP
Covers your office space, equipment, computers, and furniture. A Business Owner's Policy bundles property and general liability into one discounted policy — ideal for professional offices. Protects both building owners and tenants from property losses.
Learn more →Common Mistakes We See
What your current coverage might be missing.
Having general liability but no professional liability
GL covers physical incidents — a client falls, property gets damaged. It does not cover claims that your professional services, advice, or judgment caused a financial loss. For any business that sells expertise, E&O is not optional — it's the coverage that addresses your biggest real exposure.
No cyber coverage despite storing client data
If your business collects, stores, or processes client information — contact details, financial data, personal records — you have a cyber exposure. Texas law requires breach notification. The costs of a breach without coverage include legal fees, notification costs, credit monitoring, and potential regulatory fines.
No EPLI despite having employees
Any business with employees can face an employment-related claim. These suits are expensive to defend even when the claim is unfounded. EPLI is something most small professional firms don't think about until they're staring at a demand letter. By then it's too late to add it retroactively.
E&O coverage that doesn't match how the business works
Not all professional liability policies are written the same way. Some have exclusions for specific types of services, prior acts limitations, or claims-made provisions with no tail coverage. A policy that looks right on paper can have gaps that only show up when you need it. We read the language before we place the policy.
Coverage limits that haven't kept pace with revenue growth
Your E&O and liability limits should reflect your current revenue, client base, and the size of engagements you take on. A firm billing $500K today has significantly more exposure than it did billing $150K three years ago. Limits that made sense then may leave you dangerously underinsured now.
No protection for the owners personally
Owners, partners, and executives can be personally named in business litigation — employment claims, professional disputes, regulatory actions. Management liability coverage extends protection to the individuals running the business, not just the entity itself. Most small professional firms don't have it.
FAQ
Questions professional business owners ask us.
Get Started
Let's build a program that protects your business and your reputation.
Whether you're a solo consultant, a growing professional firm, or an established office-based business — we'll take the time to understand your specific exposures and build coverage that actually fits. No pressure. No jargon. Just straight answers.
Serving professional businesses across Texas · In-person appointments welcome · No obligation
Professional Liability Insurance Insights
Risk management and coverage guidance for Texas consultants, advisors, and service firms.
