There is an increasing trend for solicitors and lawyers to offer their services for insurance claims. The question is why seek our help instead of a law firm.

As we work in the insurance industry we have strong relationships with insurance companies. We know intimately the insurance products a person seeks to claim against (so we don’t charge time to learn the intricacies of a specific policy). We understand insurance underwriting so we are aware of what information is required and our staff have also worked within the claims departments of several insurers, so we understand the processes. We are confident in knowing what needs to be provided and when something is able too be questioned. We can also pre-empt an issue and seek the information that is required in order to speed up the process.

Solicitors and Lawyers are adversarial in nature. Engaging a solicitor is in our opinion taking a wrong approach to a claim. We do not bill an hourly rate and as we know the policies which are being claimed against, so you are not paying for someone to review and learn about these policies. A claim is procedural and not a matter which (initially) needs to be litigated. As long as the claim is within the terms of the policy it should be paid.

When an insurer does not meet their obligation under the policy then their decision can be disputed. There are several approaches available before litigation can be considered. This includes internal review, seeking assistance with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and mediation.

When you seek to introduce litigation against an insurer they are obligated to obtain their own representation.

Litigation is but one approach which is timely and costly. It is always important to remember that however much you can afford to pay a solicitor the insurance company can afford to pay more.