BLM
Analysis: Should the FCA impose fee caps on CMCs?
The Financial Conduct Authority is working to limit charges for claims management companies’ services, but will new regulation actually be a double-edged sword for consumers?
Analysis: Discount rate decision casts a shadow over personal injury settlements
The personal injury discount rate will be set at minus 0.25% from 5 August providing certainty for insurers and claimants alike, but uncertainty created by the Ministry of Justice review behind the new rate could have left claimants – as well as insurers…
This week: Rolling in it
Thursday seemed an appropriate day for insurtech Hippo to announce the outcome of its latest funding round – with temperatures reaching 38°C in places, the urge to emulate the mud-wallowing tendencies of its namesake animal became more and more tempting.
BLM wins fundamental dishonesty case against opportunistic fraudster
BLM has won a fundamental dishonesty case against a fraudster who claimed for whiplash from an accident where she was not in the vehicle.
Blog: Fires and cars - spontaneous combustion is 'use'
The legal definition of when a car is in use and how it affects an insurance claim has long been contentious. Alistair Kinley, director of policy and government affairs at BLM, takes a look at the latest ruling and its likely impact on the insurance…
Analysis: Industry faces financial blow from discount rate revision
Insurers that have been pricing and reserving using a discount rate of between 0 to 1% may face a short term financial hit, analysts have warned.
Landmark court ruling could lead to surge in motor premiums
Exclusive: Motor insurance policyholders could see their premiums increase as a result of a six year landmark case against Motor Insurers’ Bureau.
Insurers can 'breathe easier' as Supreme Court clarifies the use of compulsory motor insurance
Supreme Court has ruled against Axa in a landmark dispute between a property damage insurer and a motor insurer over £2m fire claim.
Analysis: Bad data - A risky business for insurers?
Data is everywhere: good data, partial data, valuable data, bad data. Insurers need data to measure and price risks but do they take enough care in assessing the quality and provenance of the data they are using and are their processes sufficiently…
Court ruling swerves ‘new category of professional negligence claims’
Lawyers have welcomed a ruling by the Supreme Court in favour of a law firm, after a claimant argued he had lost out on his chance for more compensation due to his solicitor’s negligence.
Analysis: Insuring for Brexit
How can insurers help customers facing Brexit uncertainly when they themselves face taking a blind bet on whether the UK will face a hard or soft deal when leaving the European Union? David Worsfold investigates.
Q&A: BLM's Matthew Harrington and Alistair Kinley
Against a backdrop of changing client demands, political uncertainty and new legislation, Jonathan Swift caught up with BLM senior partner Matthew Harrington and director of policy and government affairs Alistair Kinley to discuss how the law firm is…
Travel sickness CMC activity 'should be regulated by the FCA'
Claims management companies who deal with travel sickness should be included in upcoming Financial Conduct Authority regulation of the sector, warn experts.
Eateries warned they could face negligence claims following Pret allergy deaths
Coffee chains and similar outlets may face negligence claims following Pret allergy deaths, warn experts.
Insurance Fraud Awards 2018 - full list of winners
Keoghs partner James Heath, pictured, was handed the achievement prize at the Fraud Awards last night in what proved to be a fruitful night for the law firm.
This Week in Post: Surprises and savings
Getting a nasty surprise when the bill arrives is a feeling many of us have experienced. Some insured losses are no different.
CMCs look elsewhere as industry calls time on travel claims 'epidemic'
The epidemic of holiday sickness claims might be over, but insurers have been warned claims management companies are already moving into new areas to make up for the shortfall in revenue.
Farm safety: Fatal farms
Farming is the most lethal of all industries. The sector and its main insurer are trying to change rules and mentalities to make it safer
Analysis: Gig economy: The big gig ruling
The Supreme Court ruling in Pimlico Plumbers, granting employment rights to a gig worker, might lead to an increase or a shift in liability claims. But it also opens up a door for new products as gig economy platforms will want to cover their new…
BLM targets EC3 push with new London market and reinsurance heads
BLM has named Damian Cleary as head of London market and Gavin Coull as head of reinsurance as the law firm targets growth in Lloyd’s.
Analysis: Sport injury: Hitting hard
As professional sportspeople complain about their insufficient cover for career-ending injuries, insurers fear a surge in claims from contact sports
Blog: Rise of the robo-diagnosis
BLM partner Greg McEwen considers the liability implications of using artificial intelligence for medical diagnostics.
This Week in Post: Training, trust and tech
This week in Post, the majority of the team managed to continue putting off doing any substantial exercise for our upcoming Tough Mudder course.
Blog: What Cambridge Analytica means for AI in claims
Insurers and lawyers trying to automate claims through artificial intelligence must be careful not to violate ethical boundaries, explains Andrew Dunkley, head of analytics at BLM, pointing to the Cambridge Analytica scandal as a warning sign.