The contraction of the defendant legal market has continued with the possible loss of 30 jobs from an international firm.

Top-40 practice Hill Dickinson cited a ‘considerable market change’ for placing members of its insurance team at risk of redundancy as part of an operational restructure.

The cuts will affect members of the insurance teams working in the Liverpool, Manchester and London offices. The consultation will last for 30 days from today.

In a statement, the firm said: ‘We have a strong reputation for insurance and will continue to innovate to meet client and market requirements.

‘We appreciate this is a difficult time for our colleagues and are providing support and assistance to those affected.’

Civil litigation reforms, notably under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act from 2013, appear to have reduced the number of claims being made and in turn the number of lawyers needed to defend them. Insurers have also begun to take more work in-house.

The likes of DWF, Keoghs and DAC Beachcroft have all made changes to their staff numbers since April 2013. Hill Dickinson has already made cuts to its counter-fraud unit, announced last summer.