An exclusion found in lawyers professional liability insurance policy forms.
The exclusion eliminates coverage for claims made against attorneys who are
not insureds under lawyers professional liability insurance policies yet
who share office premises with attorneys who are insureds under such
policies. For example, attorneys A and B share office space yet are not
partners; nor do they collaborate on any cases.
The exclusion is necessary because attorneys who share office premises with
insured lawyers have, in the past, made claims under these insured lawyers'
professional liability insurance policies. Such lawyers assert theories such as
"apparent partnership" or "apparent" or
"ostensible" agency or make the argument that, because they share the
same office space, the insured lawyer is vicariously liable for the acts of any
lawyers who also occupy the same office premises.