An international loss adjuster is effectively taking claims handling work in-house by setting up a legal services arm.
Sedgwick Legal Services will be a separate entity within the Sedgwick group, initially handling first party property claims and recoveries but with plans to expand into motor and other specialist lines.
Bosses at the company say the new business will deliver a ‘step-change’ in the provision of claims services to national insurance and corporate markets.
The legal service will be led by partners John Hinton and Paul Squires, who between them have more than 35 years’ experience in the sector. Hinton was a solicitor and then partner for 14 years with DAC Beachcroft in Bristol and was previously with Lyons Davidson.
Squires has also spent time with DAC Beachcroft and has had spells with DWF, RPC and Greenwoods Solicitors, specialising in property insurance claims.
Sedgwick said Hinton and Squires are ‘seasoned litigators’ who have long served as trusted advisers to clients in the insurance sector.
‘Both will be actively involved throughout the claim lifecycle - from first notification of loss through to litigation,’ said Paul White, Sedgwick chief executive in the UK. ‘The addition of legal services to our robust claims-handling offerings will mean we can provide more efficient and cost-effective solutions for our clients and their customers. Bringing this specialty in-house considerably enhances our recovery proposition for property claims.’
Hinton said the new entity will directly take on the traditional legal services model through the scope and scale of the parent business.
He added: ‘Our team of lawyers and paralegals are able to leverage Sedgwick’s wider claims management expertise and digital capability to provide a high-quality, consistent and simpler service for our clients.’
Sedgwick, founded in 1969, has 31,000 staff in 80 countries. It primarily works as a loss adjuster but also operates in areas such as reputation management. The company has yet to confirm how many solicitors will be employed by the UK legal services business.
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