Legal
Rivals set to vie for Halliwells business
Law firm Hill Dickinson is understood to be considering buying the assets of rival Halliwells.
Brokers concerned over Quinn duty of care legal action
Insurance brokers are worried they may not be able to rely on disclaimers given to clients who placed business with Quinn Insurance, according to reports.
Interview - Stephanie Watkins: From speeding tickets to cricket wickets
Leigh Jackson talks to HSB UK's American chief executive officer and managing director of engineering insurance Stephanie Watkins about her past as a police officer in the US and her curious love for cricket.
Law firm criticises government plans
Law firm CMS Cameron McKenna has said that the government’s plan to split supervision and enforcement of the financial services industry will “dissipate responsibility”.
View from the top: Keeping the team onside
Compensating those who suffer injury at work and returning them to employment as fast and as safely possible is not only the morally right thing to do, but it is also in the best interest of the insured and their insurer. Nevertheless, average claims…
ABI: no bias against NI
There is no fundamental bias against the Northern Irish motor and property markets — and higher costs in the legal system are the reason personal injury claims tend to be steeper.
Tory Lord to consider PI ad ban
The Conservative Lord appointed to lead a review to put the “commonsense back into health and safety” rules has said he will look at banning personal injury firms from advertising their services.
Brokers unite in call for new code of conduct for covenant breaches
A British Insurance Brokers’ Association regional head has called for a new code of conduct to help reduce the legal bill and inconvenience faced by intermediaries defending themselves against former staff who break their restrictive covenants.
Beazley names new head of professionals’ E&O
Specialist insurer Beazley has appointed Jerry Sullivan as its new head of professionals E&O.
QLP launches risk management tool
Insurance broker QLP and law firm Davies Arnold Cooper have joined forces to launch a risk management tool aimed at helping law firms reduce their exposure to professional indemnity insurance price and provision volatility.
Charity trustee warning
While it may appear that working for a charitable cause poses no threat to an individual or their personal wealth, charity trustees do in fact put their own financial security on the line when taking on such positions, RSA has warned.
Beachcroft sees turnover and profits increase
Beachcroft LLP today announced turnover figures for the year 2009/10 of approximately £131m, up from £121m last year, an increase of almost 8%.
FSA damaging UK insurance market by dragging heels over authorisation, claims RPC
The length of time that financial services firms are having to wait to get authorisation from the Financial Services Authority continues to climb according to law firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC).
HMRC admits defeat in aggregator VAT battle
HM Revenue & Customs has decided against appealing its long-running aggregator VAT battle to the Supreme Court.
Employment tribunals - cost recovery: Getting your money back
When claimants take their employer to a tribunal and lose, costs are rarely awarded. Andrew McDonald explores why this recovery is becoming increasingly important.
Energy - Deepwater Horizon impact: In deep water?
Stephanie Denton reports on the fallout for the energy market from the recent Deepwater Horizon drilling platform explosion.
North of the Border: opening the floodgates
In the case of Maureen Flood v University Court of the University of Glasgow, Ms Flood, a university lecturer, claimed damages from her employer for depression caused by workplace stress.
Capita swoops for £60m Premier Medical
The Capita Group has acquired Premier Medical Group for a cash consideration of £60m on a cash-free, debt-free basis.
Liberty Mutual and General Re settle dispute
Liberty Mutual has resolved a dispute in which it accused the General Re, the reinsurance unit of Berkshire Hathaway of fraud, according to a court filing.
SFO drops AIG case
The Serious Fraud Office has dropped an investigation into the UK operations of AIG Financial Products.
Law report: Injunction granted pending compliance with an earlier judgment
Mentmore Towers and others v Packman Lucas (Queen's Bench Division — Technology and Construction Court — 16 March 2010)
Legal update - Mandatory mediation: Working together
With Italy making mediation mandatory before a civil or commercial dispute can go to court, Michael Dawson looks at whether the UK will follow suit.
Legal update - referral fees: Simple complexity
Lord Justice Jackson views referral fees as "offensive and wrong in principle" but Helen Withers argues that an outright ban may generate more losers than winners.
Aviva trains sights on specialty lines
Aviva's new chief underwriting officer Axel Schmidt has revealed a wide-ranging plan to broaden its risk appetite by concentrating on areas it is currently under strength in, including local authority insurance.