Personal injury (PI)
Q&A: Forum of Insurance Lawyers CEO Laurence Besemer
In 2009 Laurence Besemer became the first CEO of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers, the UK trade body for defendant law firms. A decade into the role he spoke to Jonathan Swift about its commitment to its members, a successful 2019 and why it is definitely…
Analysis: Little leeway from five month delay to whiplash portal
The Ministry of Justice has addressed a “loophole” meaning children and vulnerable adults will be able to recoup representation costs when the delayed whiplash portal rolls out, but questions linger over its start date, pressure on courts and claimants…
Government delays whiplash portal implementation
The government has decided that it would not be “practical” to implement the whiplash portal as planned and has delayed it until August.
MIB urges government to act after Supreme Court rejects Lewis appeal
The Motor Insurers' Bureau has been tipped to challenge the government into amending the Road Traffic Act or change its own Articles following this week's Supreme Court ruling in the case of MIB v Lewis.
Government delay to claims portal expected within days
Industry experts have predicted that the government is ready to delay the upcoming launch of the claims portal with an announcement expected “very soon”.
Analysis: Insuring care for the elderly – is the insurance sector up to the challenge?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be the Brexiteers’ main man, but can he also deliver the goods when it comes to caring for the UK’s growing elderly population?
Insurers accused of profiting from limitation law in child abuse cases as review concludes
In the closing statements of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse proceedings insurers were accused of profiting from limitation law and withholding payments even when convictions were made, as survivors urged for changes to the law and a…
MIB uninsured drivers scheme mooted as template for child abuse compensation payouts
A model similar to the Motor Insurers' Bureau's untraced and uninsured drivers payout scheme has been suggested as one way survivors of institutional child sexual abuse could be compensated.
Ecclesiastical faces fresh allegations of unethical treatment as case of ‘suicide watch’ claimant comes to light
Exclusive: Ecclesiastical’s CEO Mark Hews is being called upon to ‘put his house in order’ after experts have been left shocked and appalled at the ‘unethical’ practice of desktopping an abuse victim on suicide watch labelling it ‘shameful’ and ‘very…
Aviva's Colm Holmes warns distracted driving is causing claims inflation
Aviva general insurance CEO Colm Holmes has said that claims inflation is far exceeding expectations, pinning the blame on poor driving.
Decisions on ADR and children still to be made by MOJ before whiplash portal's April launch
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau is waiting on a number of government decisions in order to meet the slated 6 April launch date for its whiplash portal.
MIB chases agreements with France, Poland and Romania as it builds Brexit contingencies
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau is continuing efforts to secure agreements with France, Poland and Romania to preserve so-called ‘protection of visitors’ rules that would otherwise fall away if the UK is unable to strike a deal with the European Union by 31…
Hastings sees claims costs jump in Q4
Rising claims costs in quarter four are expected to put a slight dent in Hastings’ 2019 dividend payout.
Government to plough on with Thomas Cook Compensation Bill
The government has outlined plans for a capped compensation scheme for Thomas Cook customers suffering “the most serious hardship” from injuries or illness.
Insurance Monitor: Reflections on the 2019 general election
In the first of a regular column, David Worsfold reflects on the fall out of the conclusive Conservative Party victory in the 2019 general election.
Government still missing the point on child compensation whiplash qualms, campaigners say
The Ministry of Justice continues to face criticism for "missing the point" in its response to allegations of a “loophole” in whiplash legislation that affects children and vulnerable road users.
Blog: The opportunity for legal expenses insurance in a post-reform world
The Civil Liability Act has created some unintended circumstances and Minster Law's CEO Shirley Woolham asks how legal expenses insurance can help in the post-reform world.
Editor's comment: Driving the message home
At 11-years-old my son is getting to the stage where I’m an embarrassment to him. A kiss goodbye at the playground is not cool, in fact he’d prefer to be dropped off out of sight of the school, if possible, and he can’t wait until he is allowed to walk…
Driving Out Distraction Pledge – Why is IAM Road Smart supporting this campaign?
Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM Road Smart, explains why multi-tasking at the wheel is a myth and urges employers to keep their staff safe on the road.
Changes to limitation law must be carefully considered, child abuse inquiry hears
Defendant and claimant lawyers testifying in front of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse yesterday agreed that the current system is not working for victims and survivors, but warned clarity is needed on the consequences of altering…
Driving out Distraction: Public would rather work for and deal with companies that ban distracted drivers
Of the two-thirds (69%) of UK adults who make hands free calls while driving, many of them (40%) continue to do it despite admitting it negatively impacts their driving ability, research from Consumer Intelligence, in support of Post’s Driving Out…
MoJ secrecy on small claims portal under fire
The Ministry of Justice faced criticism on secrecy around the development of the small claims portal at Post’s Insurance Claims and Fraud Summit in London yesterday.
Huge data breach claims necessitate cyber insurance rethink, warns Kennedys
Data subject claims are on the rise and will be “the next in a long line of mass litigations” producing “exposures in the tens of millions”, according to Kennedys.
Driving out Distraction: Is mobile phone use an addiction insurers should worry about?
On 10 August 2016 Tomasz Kroker was driving a truck on the A34 – ahead of him was a very visible long queue of traffic travelling uphill. The truck was travelling at 50mph, and Kroker made no attempt to reduce speed when he hit the first vehicle driven…