Unlike other areas of the law, there are not many good collected guides for insurance law on the Internet. One of the reasons for this is that insurance law is bound up in so many different areas of the law. For example, you may be looking for medical insurance coverage issues, issues dealing with real property insurance, life insurance, or alternately, for automobile insurance law. Thus, finding web sites that cover all these aspects of insurance law is difficult.

There are a few good beginning resources; however, remember to look for your more specific issue when you are dealing with insurance law.

We will start with the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section. They have a portal on their web site. Although it is rather poorly organized and difficult to use, it does have many good links to insurance associations, companies, news resources and more. You have to click through a request to become a TIPS member before you can use it.

A second web site is the Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute. While its page of links for insurance law is not as complete as is its many other legal links, it is another good place to start. The site covers the major federal laws governing insurance, plus it is one of the few places where you can link to each state’s insurance codes. It also includes a good link for finding insurance companies with a presence on the Internet.
You may also wish to look at some of the other subject guides Cornell has on its site, such as its guide to torts and personal injury.

The Insurance Industry Internet Network (IIIN) offers several resources of interest to insurance and legal professionals. It has directories for law firms representing insurance companies, insurance agents and brokers, insurance-related news and journal articles, and the Directory of Insurance Company Corporate Counsel.

A good place to start in Washington State is at the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. This site includes information for the public, for brokers, agents and insurers, plus links to the laws and regulations governing our state. It also includes Technical Assistance Advisories and OIC Bulletins. Press releases and current hearing information is displayed prominently on the opening page of the web site. It includes some fact sheets on credit scoring, which are of particular interest to the consumer.

When you are looking at employment insurance issues for Washington, you may want to start at the Department of Labor and Industries web site. Check out the tab on Claims and Insurance. This web site includes the claims and insurance rules, coverage and rate appeals, forms and publications and much more.

Start your insurance research at one of these web sites. If you need more information you may contact the library at 206-296-0940 or send us a question via email or chat.

(Revised 10/19/2009)