A campaign to promote personal injury (PI) mediation was launched by City firm DLA last week.

The firm says mediation saves costs, includes remedies not available through litigation, and is under-used.

The campaign - led by DLA partners Matthew Hirst and Alan Jacobs - will include conducting a study next year into the use of mediation in PI disputes, the results of which will be analysed and published.

The firm will also award an annual prize to the insurer that it deems does most to encourage the development of PI mediation.

Around 15 insurance brokers and loss adjusters - not all clients of the firm - have agreed to participate in the study, by referring about five cases to mediation next year, then sharing the management information with DLA.

Mr Hirst said: 'There is no justifiable reason why PI mediation has not been embraced by lawyers and insurers.

We believe the insurance market can take the lead and our campaign is intended to achieve just that.

A survey benchmarking and analysing over 50 cases will be something that the insurance market will pay attention to.'

Jeremy Fleming