In 1991, the leadership of the statewide Florida Physicians Association formed a new legal defense insurance company designed to meet the many challenging legal needs of physicians as the practice of medicine in Florida became highly regulated and legally at risk.

In 2008, that same commitment to physicians – and, now all professionals in Florida – remains today for FPA Legal Defense Insurance Company as an independent, investor-owned company. FPA-LDIC offers a wide variety of legal defense insurance policies covering every professional in Florida licensed by any state governing board. Licensed entities and facilities in every industry in Florida also enjoy the same opportunities for legal defense insurance coverage previously and exclusively offered to physicians.

The leadership of FPA-LDIC includes Hale E. Hedley, J.D., M.D., and George K. Brew, Esq. Dr. Hedley is president of the firm, and Mr. Brew is vice president and legal counsel.

Dr. Hedley is the founder and Medical Director of the Aelan Cosmetic Centers in the Jacksonville area, and is an attending emergency medicine physician at the Baptist Hospitals of Northeast Florida. He was graduated cum laude from the Georgetown University School of Medicine in 2002, where he was the recipient of the William H. Horner Award for Excellence in the Department of Biochemistry and Cellular Biology.

Dr. Hedley was graduated cum laude from the George Washington University Law School in 1995 where he was a member of the George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics and a Dean’s Fellow legal research, writing, and an oral advocacy instructor. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1996 and practiced commercial law prior to entering the medical field. Dr. Hedley received his bachelor of science degree from the University of Maryland College of Business in 1990, where he was graduated magna cum laude with a degree in general business.

George K. Brew was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1990, and has been practicing law in the areas of insurance law, insurance defense, and commercial litigation.

Mr. Brew was graduated from the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law in 1990, and the University of Tampa in 1987 with a bachelor of arts degree.

Mr. Brew has been defending the interests of individual companies and physicians from plaintiffs and their attorneys for the past 17 years.

FPA Legal Defense Insurance Company’s policies are a true insurance policy, not pre-paid legal services.

When you license is challenged by the State of Florida, whether it’s the Board of Medicine, Agency for Health Care Administration, or any governing body of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, FPA-LDIC is there to help you from the first moment of the process.

Upon notification by you of a challenge, FPA-LDIC’s panel of attorneys swing into action, taking over the legal responsibility of answering the challenge. Your coverage includes legal fees, expert witnesses, and associated legal defense costs. Your assigned attorney is with you every step of the way, protecting your interests.

In many instances, early intervention by FPA-LDIC’s panel of attorneys can resolve a challenge quickly, before it gets out of hand.

In addition to license challenges, FPA Legal Defense Insurance Company also provides defense for federal OSHA violations, and federal Medicare and Medicaid civil fraud audits and investigations.

It is not unusual for legal defense fees for any of these challenges to exceed $20,000 or more, with attorneys usually requesting an initial retainer fee of $5,000. Your low annual premium for FPA-LDIC’s Physicians, Doctors and Dentists policy eliminates all of this financial exposure.