Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is a Bristol-based insurance broker that arranges professional indemnity (PI) insurance for professional services firms across the United Kingdom, including a broad range of firms based in and around Nottingham. We do not operate an office in Nottingham. Our team works from a single base at 53 Queen Charlotte Street, Bristol, and serves East Midlands clients through a remote model that combines video meetings, telephone discussions and secure document exchange.
That model has been chosen deliberately. Most clients tell us they would rather have an experienced broker on a scheduled video call than an unscheduled visitor in their reception. By keeping our footprint to one office, we are able to focus resources on technical underwriting work, claims advocacy and ongoing service rather than on satellite premises.
Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), firm reference 724952. We can advise Nottingham firms in the same way we advise clients in Bristol, London, Manchester or anywhere else in the UK.
Nottingham's professional services sector
Nottingham is one of the principal commercial centres of the East Midlands and home to an unusually dense professional services market for a city of its size. The defining feature, from a professional indemnity perspective, is the legal sector. Several national and large regional law firms are headquartered in the city. Browne Jacobson has its head office in Nottingham. Shoosmiths and Freeths both have long-standing Nottingham roots. Eversheds Sutherland, Gateley and Nelsons are also part of the local legal landscape. Together they make Nottingham one of the busier legal centres outside London.
Alongside law, Nottingham hosts the UK headquarters of Experian plc and the UK base of Capital One. The Boots brand — part of Walgreens Boots Alliance — runs a substantial support office at Beeston on the edge of the city. MHR International, the HR and payroll software group, is based at Ruddington nearby. Pendragon, the motor retail group, has historic Nottingham links. Bioscience activity centres on BioCity Nottingham, an incubator that has supported a long pipeline of life sciences companies. Two universities — the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University — supply graduates and research capacity into the local economy, particularly into life sciences, engineering and digital sectors.
The professional firms that grow up around these anchors tend to fall into recognisable groups. Solicitors and barristers chambers operate at scale. Accountancy practices range from sole practitioners regulated by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) through to mid-tier firms regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). Surveyors regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) work across the city's commercial and residential markets. Management consultancies, financial services consultancies — many with clients in the Capital One and Experian supplier ecosystem — and bioscience consultancies clustered around BioCity make up the wider mix.
PI insurance for Nottingham-based professional firms
Professional indemnity insurance responds to claims alleging that a professional service caused financial loss. For Nottingham firms, the cover required is shaped heavily by the regulator that supervises the firm and by the nature of the client base.
Solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) must hold qualifying insurance that complies with the SRA's Minimum Terms and Conditions. Most firms purchase a primary layer of £2 million or £3 million each and every claim and then place excess layers above it. For larger Nottingham law firms with corporate, real estate or financial services work, total programmes commonly run into the tens of millions of pounds. Underwriters look closely at claims history, work split, supervision arrangements, conveyancing exposure and any past dealings with high-risk areas such as stamp duty schemes or investment-backed property work.
Accountants regulated by the ICAEW or ACCA also operate under minimum PI requirements set by their professional body. Cover needs to be sized against fee income, the nature of audit and assurance work, and exposure to insolvency or tax advisory matters.
For surveyors, RICS requires PI cover that meets its minimum policy wording and limits, with valuation work — particularly residential valuation — typically attracting closer underwriting scrutiny. Management and financial services consultancies, technology consultancies and bioscience consultancies will normally arrange PI on a "civil liability" basis to capture the broadest possible range of allegations against the advice they have given. Many of these firms also need to consider cyber insurance, public liability and management liability alongside PI.
How Apex serves Nottingham firms
We work remotely with Nottingham clients through video conferencing platforms, telephone, email and a secure document portal for the exchange of proposal forms, accounts and policy documents. A typical engagement begins with a structured discovery call to understand the firm, its regulator, its claims history, its current cover and the issues it is concerned about. We then approach the market, present terms in writing with a clear explanation of the differences between options, and remain available throughout the policy year to assist with mid-term changes, claims notifications and renewal planning.
Claims are notified to insurers through us. We act as the firm's advocate in the claims process and stay involved through to resolution. Distance does not change that — claims work is by nature a documentary and telephone-based discipline.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have an office in Nottingham?
No. Apex Insurance Brokers Limited operates from a single office at 53 Queen Charlotte Street, Bristol, BS1 4HQ. We do not have premises in Nottingham. We serve Nottingham firms remotely.
Are you authorised to advise Nottingham firms?
Yes. Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference 724952. That authorisation covers the whole of the United Kingdom, including Nottingham and the wider East Midlands.
Do you understand solicitors' PI insurance in Nottingham?
Yes. We arrange solicitors' professional indemnity insurance written on the SRA Minimum Terms and Conditions, including primary and excess layers. We are familiar with the work-type mix typical of Nottingham firms, including corporate, commercial property, residential conveyancing, private client and dispute resolution.
Can you place cover for Nottingham law firms?
Yes. We approach a range of qualifying insurers for solicitors' PI and can structure programmes from sole practitioners through to larger partnerships. We do not guarantee that every insurer will quote on every risk — terms depend on claims history, work split and underwriter appetite at the time of renewal.
How are claims handled if we are in Nottingham?
Claims are notified by you to us, and by us to insurers, in accordance with the policy wording. We then act as your point of contact through the claims process. The process is conducted by telephone, email and secure document exchange. Geography does not affect how a PI claim is handled.
Can you arrange cover for accountants and surveyors based in Nottingham as well as solicitors?
Yes. We arrange PI for ICAEW- and ACCA-regulated accountants and for RICS-regulated surveyors, alongside cover for consultancies, IT firms and architects. Many Nottingham firms hold a combined package of PI, cyber, management liability and office insurance, which we can also assist with.
Can you advise BioCity-linked or Experian-supplier consultancies on PI?
Yes. We work with technology, scientific and financial services consultancies whose engagements often involve large corporate clients or research-driven work. The PI policy needs to be matched carefully to the contract terms those clients impose, and we will review contract wording where required.
Speak to Apex about your PI cover
To discuss professional indemnity insurance for your Nottingham firm, please contact Apex Insurance Brokers Limited on 0117 325 0027 or by email at info@apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk. We will arrange a video or telephone call at a time that suits you.
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. Registered office: 53 Queen Charlotte Street, Bristol, BS1 4HQ. Last reviewed: May 2026.