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Motor
We are not your typical law firm. We know, and share, our client’s desire to give their customers a straightforward experience, treating them fairly, honestly and openly.
Typically, a legal service offering in this volume area is a low-cost claims handling service, often seen as a ‘bolt-on’ product. We believe that has a negative impact on claims handling quality, life cycles and customer journey.
We firmly believe that our clients’ customers are at the heart of their business and it’s essential that we take care of them. Our service is friendly and easy to understand. We let customers know what we’ll do, when we’ll do it, and manage their expectations throughout. Our goals is to avoid litigation and find the best possible outcome on every case.
Our collaborative approach helps reduce lifecycles from FNOL to trial as well as lowering indemnity spend and improving the experience for customers, through four key objectives:
Minimising Avoidable Litigation – Preventing cases needlessly litigating through handling errors or lack of proactivity
Robustly defending the right cases – Challenging poor behaviour (where we can see that this will have a significant impact and where the steps taken will not cost our client money!)
Efficient end-to-end processes across the claims lifecycle, pre-litigation to litigation – Good client and customer communication is paramount and we make this our main priority
Improving in-house capabilities and skills – We help our clients to help themselves – through a huge range of training programmes, online support and secondments aimed at improving the claims handling process, decision making and efficiency
A quick look at our collaborative approach:
Our expert lawyers advise our clients through pre-litigation liability discussions/reviews and tactical advice (with easy access via Ask HF), and our clients have access to a bank of relevant training material addressing liability, case law and changes to the Highway Code (via our award-winning HFTV). This collaborative approach to the pre-litigation process continues after the issuing of proceedings. Our MI capability identifies “bad” litigation where we believe something more could be done to avoid proceedings.
Helping our clients to identify unnecessary litigation as well as preparing bespoke training to improve client capability, and implementing measures to avoid recurrence, reduces their litigation rate and their indemnity spend.
Patrick
Mccarthy
Partner & Head Of Motor & Casualty Volume
We ensure our clients pay genuine ‘fault’ claims as quickly and as cheaply as possible, as well as making their customers’ experience as smooth as possible. We do that by addressing not just the post-litigation process, but also by examining in detail, and looking to improve, the way in which claims are handled pre-litigation.
Our expertise
Fleet management
We have extensive experience of fleet policies, representing companies direct as well as insurers who underwrite the risks involved. Our specialist motor team has worked for many years on specialist fleet policies including where companies use large vehicles to transport dangerous goods, appreciating the unique risks involved. We’ve also represented major bus companies, both insured and self-insured, supermarkets, supplier networks for high street retail stores, delivery and haulage companies and the emergency and prisoner transport services in Scotland.
TPPD
Often in small claims (‘bent metal’) cases, attack is the best form of defence. We work closely with our Recoveries Department for a number of clients and help develop litigation/defence strategies so that, if liability is disputed, the initiative is taken and proceedings issued (as opposed to waiting for proceedings from the third party).
MOJ Portal cases
We use technology to add value by reducing the time it takes to handle an individual file and minimise the physical touches needed on it.
OIC litigation
We significantly reduce our clients’ legal costs spend by using a heavily automated process to create a light touch, streamlined and efficient process.
We believe that the majority of litigation arising from the OIC is more akin to MOJ Stage 3 matters than SCT matters and our efficient handling model reflects that for the benefit of our clients.
Fast Track
We are routinely instructed to deal with liability and quantum disputes. Our handlers are adept at analysing all the available potential evidence to assess liability and they’re regularly briefed on changes in the law.
Where quantum is not agreed it’s vital that the correct strategies are applied and offers pitched at the right level to make sure the claimant is at risk regarding costs, something that our handlers are highly skilled at.
Multi Track
Our Multi Track team collaborates closely with our Fast Track Personal Injury team and LACIG team, facilitating seamless lines of escalation & referral.
That way we make sure cases always sit with the lawyer who is most appropriate to manage the claim, delivering best-in-class strategic case management, and ensuring appropriate reserves & strategies are constantly maintained.
Contact us
For expert legal advice from real people in our specialist teams, get in touch – we look forward to hearing from you.
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