Apex Insurance Brokers is a UK-wide Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance broker. Our office is in Bristol, but a meaningful share of our clients are professional firms based in Manchester and the wider North West — solicitors in Spinningfields, accountants and consultants across the city centre, media and production companies clustered around MediaCityUK in Salford Quays, software houses in the Northern Quarter, and small chartered practices in Didsbury, Altrincham and out towards Stockport and Bolton.
We do not run a Manchester office, and we are direct about that on this page because we think it matters more to be straightforward than to be marketed. Manchester firms work with us by video meeting, telephone and secure document exchange. We travel north when there is a genuine reason to do so. The savings on overhead go back into broking work and claims support for each client.
Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA firm reference 724952). The same FCA permissions and the same access to the United Kingdom insurance market apply whether a client is in M3, BS1 or anywhere else in the country.
Manchester's professional services sector
Manchester is, by most established measures, the largest professional and financial services centre outside London. Greater Manchester's professional services workforce numbers in the hundreds of thousands, and the city has been one of the focal points of the Northern Powerhouse policy framework that successive governments have used to channel infrastructure and inward investment north of Watford.
The Spinningfields district, built out over the last two decades on the western edge of the city centre, is the visible heart of Manchester's legal sector. Most of the national law firms with a Northern presence — and a substantial number of well-known Manchester-headquartered firms — operate from offices around Hardman Square, Hardman Boulevard and Quay Street. The city has the largest concentration of solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority outside London, supported by a long-established commercial bar at Kings Chambers, Deans Court Chambers, 9 St John Street and others.
Financial services is the other anchor. The Big Four accountancy networks all have substantial Manchester offices. Mid-tier and regional accountancy firms have a strong presence. The city houses major banking operations and a growing fintech cluster, with the Bank of England's North West agent based in Manchester reflecting the scale of activity.
MediaCityUK at Salford Quays, home to the BBC's relocated departments, ITV studios and a large supporting ecosystem of independent production companies, post-production houses, software vendors and marketing agencies, has become a defining feature of the city's professional landscape. It changed the mix of PI work we see from the North West, bringing more enquiries from production companies, creative consultancies and IT firms supporting the media sector.
The technology sector — sometimes grouped as Manchester Digital — has expanded from its Northern Quarter origins into a wider cluster across the city centre and out towards MediaCity, supported by Manchester's two large research universities and a long pipeline of computer science and engineering graduates. Software consultancies, data analytics firms, cyber security specialists and product agencies all feature.
Architectural and engineering consultancy is also strong, with several internationally known practices headquartered or with major offices in the city, supported by ongoing regeneration of the centre, the Mayfield district and the wider city region.
PI insurance for Manchester-based professional firms
The breadth of professional activity in Manchester means PI requirements differ by sector.
Manchester law firms regulated by the SRA must comply with the SRA Minimum Terms and Conditions and the qualifying insurers' agreement. Mid-sized commercial firms in Spinningfields and around the city centre typically carry limits well above the £2 million or £3 million regulatory minimum, particularly where they act for institutional clients, lenders or commercial property investors. Manchester's commercial litigation work, in particular, tends to push contractual PI requirements upward.
Accountancy practices regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) or the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) calculate minimum PI limits by reference to fee income. Manchester firms that combine traditional compliance work with corporate finance, tax advisory or insolvency work often need wording that handles those exposures cleanly, particularly the boundary between regulated audit work and other advisory services.
Chartered surveyors regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) must comply with the RICS minimum policy wording. Manchester's commercial property values and the volume of city-centre development mean that surveying practices undertaking valuation and building survey work often need limits and wordings calibrated to claim quantum well above what the schedule baseline anticipates.
For technology consultancies, software houses, marketing agencies and production companies, PI is largely contractually driven — broadcasters, public sector clients and large corporates routinely impose PI minimums as a condition of engagement. The key issues are usually limit, aggregation language, sub-contractor cover, intellectual property infringement, and how media liability or technology errors and omissions cover sits alongside the core PI wording.
Architects registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and members of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) practising in Manchester face the same considerations as anywhere — design and build novation, contractor relationships, fire safety considerations after the Building Safety Act 2022, and the run-off position for retiring sole practitioners.
How Apex serves Manchester firms
We are an independent broker. We are not tied to a single insurer or panel. For each Manchester client we approach the relevant section of the UK Professional Indemnity market — Lloyd's of London syndicates, company markets, and specialist managing general agents — and put together cover and a price that reflects the actual risk, not a templated proposition.
Day to day, we work with Manchester clients in the same way as any other client. Initial scoping is by video call on Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Google Meet. Documents move by secure email or our document portal. Renewal is run on a structured timeline with a written report rather than a last-minute scramble. Telephone access is direct on 0117 325 0027 during business hours.
Claims advocacy is where the broker's role matters most. We notify insurers on the client's behalf, sit on the client's side of the table in discussions with insurer claims handlers and panel solicitors, and make sure the firm's commercial position is properly represented. None of that depends on being a short walk down John Dalton Street — it depends on availability, sector knowledge and persistence.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have an office in Manchester?
No. Apex Insurance Brokers is based in Bristol. We serve Manchester-based professional firms remotely, by video meeting, telephone and secure document exchange, and travel north when there is a particular reason to do so.
Can you really broke a complex Manchester PI risk from Bristol?
Yes. PI broking is about understanding the firm's work, presenting it properly to the right underwriters, and negotiating wording and price. Insurers we deal with are themselves spread across London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Bristol. The work is done by phone, email and video — geography is rarely the binding constraint.
Do you understand Manchester's media and production sector?
The PI and media liability requirements imposed on production companies, post-production houses and independent producers — particularly those working for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and the major streaming commissioners — are an established part of our caseload. We are happy to talk through specific contractual requirements.
What PI limits do Manchester firms typically need?
It depends on regulator, fee income, the nature of the work and what clients require. Commercial law firms, surveyors handling city-centre property and consultancies serving large corporates frequently carry limits substantially above their regulatory minimum.
How are claims handled if we are based in Manchester?
By telephone, email and video meeting in the first instance. Where attending a meeting in Manchester is genuinely useful, we travel. The substantive work of presenting a claim to insurers is not location-dependent.
Are you authorised to advise Manchester firms?
Yes. Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference 724952, with permissions to distribute insurance across the United Kingdom.
How quickly can you get cover in place?
It depends on the risk and the insurers required. Straightforward placements for established firms can sometimes be completed within a few days. Larger or more complex placements take longer because the broking work itself takes longer. We are happy to discuss realistic timelines on a first call.
Speak to Apex about your PI cover
If you run a professional firm in Manchester and would like to discuss Professional Indemnity insurance — whether you are reviewing existing cover, approaching renewal, responding to a client contract requirement, or notifying a circumstance — please get in touch.
Telephone: 0117 325 0027 Email: info@apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk
About Apex Insurance Brokers — Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA firm reference 724952. Registered in England and Wales, Companies House 07014570. Last reviewed: May 2026.