Alliance Risk vs Heffernan Insurance Brokers Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Alliance Risk places EPLI as a broker and describes itself as specializing in management liability for businesses operating in employment-litigation-heavy states such as California and New York. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page; Alliance Risk does not underwrite the policy itself.

Heffernan places employment practices liability (EPL) coverage as part of its corporate and executive-protection lineup within its general business-insurance brokerage. It shops and places the policy with insurers rather than underwriting it. ⁷Company-reported. Business Insurance Brokerage page listing; no policy form or dedicated EPL product page was found.

The reviewed EPLI page does not name the insurer that would issue a policy; coverage terms, conditions and availability are described as varying by carrier, state and individual circumstances. ³Not publicly disclosed. EPLI product page as read on 2026-09-23.

The reviewed pages do not name the insurer or insurers that issue EPL policies Heffernan places. ⁷Not publicly disclosed. Business Insurance Brokerage page as read on 2026-09-23.

Alliance Risk targets EPLI at small businesses under 50 employees, high-risk industries such as healthcare, staffing, retail and hospitality, multi-state employers, and companies with complex workforces including contractors and foreign nationals. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page; eligibility for a particular company depends on underwriting.

Alliance Risk says a company should add EPLI coverage as it crosses into double-digit headcount, since employment claims rise with every new hire. ⁴Company-reported. Management liability page's program-staging guidance, describing EPLI specifically among the three bundled lines.

EPL appears in three separate parts of Heffernan's site: the general business-insurance page, the home-care agency practice, and the family-office/financial-firm practice, indicating it is offered to a range of business types rather than one narrow niche. ^7,8,9Company-reported. Direct practice-page listings; the pages do not publish a minimum size or industry restriction for EPL specifically.

Alliance Risk lists wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation and failure to promote as typically covered EPLI claim types, with wage-and-hour violations often covered subject to a sublimit; it says claims under the National Labor Relations Act, criminal misconduct and benefit-plan ERISA breaches are excluded and routed to fiduciary liability coverage instead. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page; coverage table and exclusions; actual policy wording and sublimits vary by carrier.

In a 2016 article, Heffernan advisor Tanner Fornesi says EPL policies are modular and recommends buyers specifically request wage-and-hour coverage, a 100% hammer clause (so the insurer, not the policyholder, bears settlement costs above an offer the policyholder declines), and an immigration claim endorsement. ¹¹Company-reported. 2016 educational article about EPL coverage generally, not a current Heffernan product specification; endorsement availability depends on the carrier and current market terms.

Alliance Risk recommends EPLI limits by profile: $500,000-$1M for companies under 20 employees with strong HR and no prior claims, $1M for most small businesses, $2M-$5M for 50-plus employees or multi-state operations, and a $2M-plus minimum for California or New York employers. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page's recommended-limit table; illustrative guidance, not a quote for any particular company.

Alliance Risk says entry-level management-liability packages that bundle EPLI with D&O and fiduciary often share a single aggregate limit, so a large D&O or fiduciary claim earlier in the policy year can reduce what is left for an EPLI claim; it says a specialist broker structures shared versus separate limits to manage that risk. ⁴Company-reported. Management liability page's discussion of bundled D&O, EPLI and fiduciary programs.

The same 2016 article says wage-and-hour EPL sublimits were then commonly $100,000, with some carriers offering $150,000 to $250,000 for additional premium. ¹¹Company-reported. Market commentary in a 2016 article, not a current quote or a limit Heffernan guarantees today.

Alliance Risk's EPLI risk review evaluates a company's HR practices, such as its handbook, anti-harassment training and termination procedures, and markets the risk to EPLI carriers, saying it typically delivers proposals within a few business days. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page, Get your EPLI risk review section; timing is a company estimate, not a guarantee.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

For an EPLI quote, Alliance Risk asks for employee count and locations, industry and states of operation, the types of employment decisions at issue, HR practices in place, existing coverage and limits, and a five-year claims history of EEOC charges, lawsuits and settlements. ³Company-reported. EPLI product page, Get your EPLI risk review section.

The reviewed pages describe no EPL-specific application or online quote process; buyers reach the coverage through Heffernan's general business-insurance brokerage contact route. ⁷Not found in reviewed sources. Business Insurance Brokerage page as read on 2026-09-23.

The reviewed EPLI page does not describe an Alliance Risk claims-handling or claims-advocacy process; it discusses what an EPLI policy covers rather than how Alliance Risk itself supports a claim. ³Not found in reviewed sources. EPLI product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Heffernan's published claims-advocacy services cover workers' compensation, general liability, auto, and property claims; the page does not list employment-related claims handling as part of that service. ¹⁰Not found in reviewed sources. Claims Advocacy page as read on 2026-09-23; does not establish that EPL claims receive no support, only that this page does not describe it.