Forum of Insurance Lawyers (Foil)
Referral fees: End of the affair?
Despite recent calls for a ban on referral fees, the government must weigh up the wider considerations and consequences of its actions, explains Leigh Jackson.
Tackling fraud - Roundtable: The time for action is now
With new counter-fraud tools coming onstream, Post gathered a group of experts to assess whether these will be enough to outweigh expected reductions in police resource when fighting this crime. Chinwe Akomah reports.
Foil calls for fixed fees to be slashed
The Forum of Insurance Lawyers has urged the government to extend the road traffic accident claims portal to £25 000 and to reduce fixed fees in the regime.
Alternative business structures: I bought the law
With the arrival of alternative business structures imminent, Amy Ellis looks at the pros and cons of the ability for those outside the legal sphere to invest in services.
SRA to stick to timetable despite licence concerns
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has pledged to stick to its timeframe for introducing licences for alternative business structures, despite concerns that the new set of regulations will not be ready in time.
Rehabilitation: Fast-track frustrations
The potential increase in the fast-track claims limit presents both opportunities and challenges for the personal injury industry. Andrew Pemberton examines potential unwanted developments and implications for claimants, insurers and claimant solicitors.
LSB referral fee advice slammed as 'mistaken'
The Ministry of Justice has been urged to disregard the "mistaken" advice of the Legal Services Board and ban referral fees, as lawyers and insurers joined forces to criticise the decision.
Editor's comment: Passing the hot potato
And so the buck gets passed once more. Another week, another non-decision on referral fees. This week it was the turn of the Legal Services Board to fight shy of a ban, deferring future responsibility for dealing with this questionable practice to…
Coalition government: State of the nation: one year on
Last week's overwhelming 'no' vote in the referendum on the UK's voting system has only served to deepen divisions and highlight political polar positions within government, but how does the insurance industry rate the coalition's first 12 months in…
Lawyers welcome joint RTA Portal funding proposals
Lawyers on both sides of the personal injury fence have welcomed proposals for the financial upkeep of the Ministry of Justice-supported road traffic accident portal to be shared.
Year-long minimum wait for asbestos claimants
More than 1000 Scottish pleural plaques claimants will have to wait until at least mid-2012 before any decision is made on whether they can be compensated for their condition.
Law Commission rejects fraud law appeal
The Law Commission has rejected insurance industry proposals to review the law so people who commit third-party insurance fraud lose the right to recover genuine claims, after it was not deemed to have "sufficient support" by the Ministry of Justice.
Lawyers have their say on civil justice reform
Lawyers have spoken out about the impact of Lord Justice Jackson's reforms of the civil justice system as the consultation for responses comes to a close on Monday.
Scottish courts see tenfold rise in pleural plaque cases
New pleural plaques cases brought in front of the Scottish courts increased almost tenfold last year, government statistics have shown.
Claims Club news: Claimant community blamed for shelving of meso protocol
The insurer and defendant legal community has lost its battle to get a specific pre-action protocol introduced for mesothelioma claims — largely due to the self- interest of claimant solicitors and the unions.
Interview - Tim Oliver: The capacity for flux
Incoming president of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers Tim Oliver tells Mairi MacDonald how the organisation plans to adapt to a changing legal environment over the coming 12 months.
Law firms must become user-friendly claims Parabis boss
Law firms will have to become more user-friendly following the implementation of major legal reforms, according to Tim Oliver, chief executive of Parabis Group and incoming president of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers.
Foil forms sector focus teams
The Forum of Insurance Lawyers has revised its special interest groups in a bid to strengthen its areas of sector focus and engage more effectively with members, insurers and self-insurers.
Lord Young reaction: Foil welcomes simplified risk assessments
The Forum of Insurance Lawyers has welcomed a simplified risk assessment process as recommended in Lord Young's report.
Claims Club News: Cutts: PI industry is at odds with access to justice
A conflict between access to justice and the so-called personal injury industry has sprung up according to Forum of Insurance Lawyers president Dan Cutts.
Editor's comment: Stop the text pests
Over the last fortnight it would appear that several people in the market, including myself, have been sent the same text message.
Third Parties Bill gets royal assent
The legislation governing the relationship between insurers and claimants is to be amended after the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Bill was given royal assent.
£3m pledged by ABI to help research asbestos
Insurers have pledged £3m to support research by the Ministry of Justice into asbestos- related diseases.
Foil: Jackson report represents a “new era” in civil litagtion
Lawyer body calls on stakeholders to fully consider implications of final report