LegalWise delayed my case for months then refused legal cover

I am extremely disappointed with how LegalWise handled my matter.

I first contacted LegalWise for assistance on 23 September regarding a building contractor dispute. From the outset, I was open and transparent about the facts and timelines. At no point was I informed that my matter might not be covered due to a waiting-period clause. Instead, I was allowed to proceed under the impression that everything was in order.

What followed was over three months of delays, repeated phone calls, emails, and chasing for feedback. LegalWise only drafted and served a letter of demand towards the end of October, despite me following up constantly. After the letter of demand expired with no response from the contractor, I again contacted LegalWise repeatedly asking what the next step would be and when an attorney would be appointed to issue summons.

Crucially, LegalWise never proactively contacted me with updates. Every single update came only after I phoned or emailed first. Calls were not returned. Emails went unanswered for days or weeks at a time.

Now, after all this time has passed, I am suddenly told that LegalWise will not cover my legal fees due to a waiting-period clause in my policy. This information could and should have been communicated to me at the very beginning, not after allowing me to rely on their assistance for three months.

As a result:

I have lost more than three critical months in a time-sensitive legal matter

I am now forced to appoint attorneys in my personal capacity, funding litigation out of pocket with money I do not have

I am back at square one, but in a worse financial and emotional position

What makes this even worse is the complete lack of accountability. Once I was told I was “not covered”, there was no attempt to meaningfully assist, guide, or mitigate the damage caused by the delay. The message felt very much like: you’re not covered, goodbye, you’re on your own despite me still being a paying client.

This experience has caused enormous stress and has completely eroded my trust in LegalWise. I am actively seeking alternative legal cover and would not recommend LegalWise to anyone based on how this matter was handled.