Claims Handler - Professional Indemnity

Job Introduction

Please include grades obtained from GCSE level (or equivalent) onwards within your CV.

Our Professional and Commercial Risks Team advises insurers and professional organisations when they are faced with the threat of a professional negligence claim. They act on numerous high value and sensitive claims for clients throughout the UK including solicitors, surveyors, accountants, brokers, engineers, architects and their insurers. The team are particularly experienced in the deployment of alternative dispute resolution techniques, including mediation and arbitration.

The Bristol team includes commercial litigation (with a particular emphasis on financial services) and is in the top tier rankings for professional negligence in both the Legal 500 and Chambers directories, with a number of recognised leading individuals within the team. The team also includes a market leading claims handling team, DAC Beachcroft Specialist Claims Services, handling several thousand professional indemnity claims on an outsourced basis on behalf of London Market Insurers.

Main Responsibilities

The overall purpose of this role is to provide a timely, professional and high-quality service to clients in the management of professional indemnity cases. Claims Handlers will typically work on professional indemnity cases up to a value of £250k and/or more straightforward cases without complex coverage issues (e.g. surveyor and estate agent claims)

• Manage a varied professional indemnity caseload under supervision. This will include developing a knowledge of legal issues in respect of a variety of professions as well as building an understanding of each profession’s own rules, procedures and regulatory framework
• Conduct review of new cases, completing case checklist to identify coverage issues
• Assess liability and quantum and establish strategy for the case
• Draft correspondence to brokers/insureds requesting additional information as required
• Resolve claims through negotiation of settlement, rebuttal of claim and/or declining of cover
• Review panel reports and obtain instructions when appropriate
• Maintain ongoing contact with the client throughout the process to report on progress and take further instructions
• Play a key role in developing and maintaining client relationships
• Ensure that the client’s brand and methodology are promoted effectively in all dealings with third parties
• Instruct experts and external counsel where appropriate
• Ensure that case management system and hard copy files are updated with diary dates as required by the case
• Assume responsibility for quality control and client protocol compliance on own caseload, including accuracy and timeliness of record keeping, file management and management reporting and information
• Ensure that the DAC Beachcroft brand and standards are maintained in managing the outputs of other panel firms
• Handle confidential information in line with the firms data security protocols.

The Ideal Candidate

• Graduate calibre with an excellent academic record and/or previous experience of working as a claims paralegal or similar within the field of professional indemnity is desirable
• IT literate with working knowledge of Word and Excel
• Knowledge/previous experience of case management systems would be an advantage but training will be provided

Please ensure that you include grades obtained from GCSE level (or equivalent) onwards within your CV.

Personal Skills

• Client focused with an ability to build strong relationships with client and third party contacts at all levels
• Able to work to deadlines, prioritise own workload effectively under pressure and manage conflicting priorities
• Proactive and energetic with a tenacious approach to identifying issues and solving problems
• Quality and customer service oriented with a concern for accuracy and an eye for detail
• Team oriented. A collegiate approach to sharing knowledge and working with colleagues across locations is essential
• Able to progress tasks using own initiative, seeking guidance and input from others where appropriate
• Committed and enthusiastic with a mature attitude to work and a desire to commit long term to a career in this field
• Confident oral and written communication skills

About The Company

We are a leading international legal business with over 2,500 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Malaysia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Central America, the USA, Australia and Germany.

We are a broad-based commercial firm with a strong heritage in insurance, health and real estate. This is complemented by a fast-growing Business Advisory capability. We represent a wide range of clients, ranging from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for all of the UK’s top-ten insurers, we are market leaders in the provision of strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to providers and commissioners in the health sector, and in real estate we advise all of the UK’s top-12 housebuilders.

We have an impressive legal pedigree, with 142 Chambers UK 2021 practice area and individual lawyer rankings. In Legal 500 UK 2021, the firm received a top tier ranking for 37 of its practice areas, and 58 DACB lawyers were singled out in the ‘Leading Individual' rankings.

Our successes have been recognised by the legal industry and the markets in which we operate. These accolades include two top prizes in the ‘Excellence in Business Development’ and ‘Excellence in Technology & Innovation’ categories of the 2020 Law Society Excellence Awards – the highest accolade for law firms in England & Wales. Our health sector team won the ‘Crisis Management Team of the Year’ award at the 2020 British Legal Awards for its support to the NHS at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our Cyber & Data Risk team received the ‘Business Development Innovation Award’ at the 2020 Legal Innovation Awards, as well as ‘Cyber Law Firm of the Year’ at the prestigious Insurance Insider Cyber Rankings Awards, for its market-leading suite of digital tools to help our clients prepare for and respond to cyber and data risk crises.

Our vision is to be leading business advisers, recognised for our insight and our outstanding commitment to clients, and for being the place where talented people want to work. For further details on our work and our culture, please visit www.dacbeachcroft.com.

Application Details

At DAC Beachcroft, we don’t just accept your differences we celebrate them. From bespoke solutions for our clients, to treating you like an individual. Our strength comes from your diverse ideas and bringing the whole you to work. So if you’re good at what you do, come as you are. We welcome direct applications and are happy to talk flexible working.

We also want you to be at your very best. Please feel free to let us know of any changes we can make at any point in the recruitment process that will help support your application. If this opportunity sounds of interest to you, please make an application and submit your CV. Your application will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.