Let’s say you volunteer to serve on the board of your New York co-op apartment, and conflicts arise. Legal threats follow.

Just how much personal risk have you taken on?

While most boards carry liability insurance for the directors and officers, would it protect you in the event of legal action? Or could you be forced to pay legal fees and suffer damages?

No one seems to be keeping track of the total number of lawsuits filed against the boards and individual directors of the roughly 6,000 cooperative apartment buildings in New York City. But lawyers say it is extremely common for angry co-op members to file lawsuits and name individual directors — often as a bullying tactic.

At the same time, court awards against individual directors are so rare that many co-op lawyers cannot name a single recent example.