Commenting on the review, Steve Thomas, director of market affairs at Keoghs, said: “By taking time out in the face of his lengthy job list to address this issue, David Cameron has signalled that a review of health and safety law is a key priority for the new government.

“The speed with which it will be carried out and the fact that Lord Young will report directly to the PM are further confirmation of this.

“Lord Young was first asked to look into the situation back in December and so is probably already advanced in his thinking.

“Whilst we expect that much of the emphasis will be on looking at the impact of health and safety regulation on groups such as volunteers, good Samaritans, public servants and voluntary organisations – the review will go wider than this, addressing health and safety laws across the board.

“Keoghs welcomes this review and we anticipate that it will be supported by insurers. Whilst employees must be protected in the workplace, it is a question of finding a common sense balance and also addressing the ills of our compensation system which have evolved over recent years.

“This culture of excessive health and safety regulation also stifles the activities of businesses, local authorities and schools. All too often, claimant solicitors are the beneficiaries as they have much to gain from the continuance of this culture.

“Keoghs will be working closely with insurers to engage fully in the process and ensure that their views are articulated and heard by Lord Young and his team. This is a crucial area for insurers and their customers and they must have a voice - doubtless the claimant lobby will be highly vocal in this arena over coming months.”

Keoghs 2010 Motor Fraud Index, builds upon similar studies published in 2008 and 2009 and highlights not only the areas of the UK where the highest numbers of suspicious motor claims are made, but also how the fraud ‘plague’ has spread in recent years.

James Heath, head of counter fraud strategy, commented: “The results clearly show that ‘crash for cash’ fraud now affects all of the most heavily populated regions of England and Wales. Across the board, every major town and city has seen an increase in the number of suspicious claimants.

“When the insurance industry first started investigating insurance fraud over a decade ago the problem was associated with a few areas in the north west of England. The new study shows emphatically that this is no longer the case.”

All of the ten worst affected areas, and 17 out of the top 20 are located within the conurbations of Greater London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Merseyside.
The worst affected is Birmingham, followed by Manchester, East London, Liverpool,  Bradford, Oldham, Blackburn, North London, Bolton and Leeds.

The most common form of motor fraud is a staged accident (‘crash-for-cash’), which typically involves a car breaking heavily and unexpectedly at a junction to cause the vehicle behind to crash into it. Claims are then filed – often for tens of thousands of pounds – for both damage to the car and injuries to the driver and passengers.

Suspicious claims handled by Keoghs – whose client base accounts for over two thirds of the UK motor insurance market – substantially increased in 2009, due to a number of factors.

James Heath explains: “The insurance industry is improving fraud detection processes all the time, and as such new scams are uncovered on a daily basis. These include acts of organised fraud by criminal gangs – involving substantial numbers of suspicious claimants. The recent economic environment has also had a direct impact on the number of suspect claims being presented and subsequently identified.

“With the ABI highlighting that £1.9bn of insurance fraud probably went undetected in 2009, the industry needs to continue to develop its counter-fraud capabilities.  There is no doubt that fraudsters are becoming increasingly sophisticated in devising new ways of perpetrating fraud and avoiding detection.”

Keoghs Motor Fraud Index 2010
1. Birmingham (+1)
2. Manchester (+4)
3. East London (+7)
4. Liverpool (0)
5. Bradford (-4)
6. Oldham (-1)
7. Blackburn (-4)
8. North London (+9)
9. Bolton (-2)
10. Leeds (+8)
11. Southall (-3)
12. North-West London (+2)
13. Huddersfield (-4)
14. Slough (+10)
15. Luton (+7)
16. Harrow (-5)
17. West London (-1)
18. Wakefield (+3)
19. Nottingham (+4)
20. Twickenham (-5)

(Figure in brackets represents change in position since 2009 analysis)

NOTE:
Anyone with any information related to insurance fraud should call the Insurance Fraud Bureau’s free and confidential Cheatline on 0800 3282550 or report online at www.insurancefraudbureau.org/report.

Please click here to view.

Click here to view our alert which highlights the major recommendations relevant to our insurer clients. Our more detailed analysis of the proposals will follow shortly.

The Diversity League Table is produced by the Black Solicitors Network (BSN) and looks at the diversity profiles of leading UK law firms.  Keoghs has been recognised in the rankings since the Table was first published 4 years ago.  This position of 5th is the highest place that the firm has achieved so far.

In addition to the overall rankings, separate tables highlight the level of representation of ethnic minority groups and women in each of the main occupational levels within participating firms.  This year Keoghs was ranked 2nd nationally for its proportion of female partners.  The firm was also noted as deserving particular praise for its ethnic diversity.

This is Keogh's second success at the Personal Injury Awards, following Andrew Underwood's recognition as 'Defendant Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year' in 2008.

Commenting on the success, Partner and Director of Fraud Rings Ruth Needham said:
"Keoghs' approach to fraud ring cases is unique within the industry and has delivered some outstanding results for our clients. This recognition from the industry is a welcome reward for all the hard work we've put into building a strong, skilled and highly client-focused team."

Keoghs' Fraud Ring team was set up in 2006 and remains (to our knowledge) the only dedicated team of its type operating in the industry. Since its creation, the team has grown dramatically - and now employs 27 staff, handling files in connection with over 90 fraud rings with a combined reserve for damages and costs in excess of £150m. The team works closely with the police and industry bodies including the IFB to assist general insurers in the ongoing fight against organised insurance fraud.
 
For more information on Keoghs' Fraud Ring team, approach, capabilities and results, contact Ruth Needham on 01204 677283 or rneedham@keoghs.co.uk.
 
For more information on the Personal Injury Awards, go to www.personalinjuryawards.co.uk. 
 

CAPTION - Members of Keoghs' Fraud Rings Team collect their award from compere Sean Lock. Pictured are (l to r) Ruth Needham, James Stevens, Laura Barker, Oliver Bingle, Andrew Clarke.

To see the full press release on Operation Orion, click here.

The shortlisting is the third piece of awards success in the last two months for the firm, who are also finalists in the Insurance Times Awards and the Personal Injury Awards.

Commenting upon the success, Chief Executive John Whittle said "It is gratifying to know that our achievements as a practice are not only being recognised in the insurance industry in which we operate but also by our peers in the legal profession."

The winners of the awards will be announced in a dazzling awards ceremony at London's Old Billingsgate Market on Thursday 3rd December 2009.

The Legal 500 is one of the UK’s leading independent reviews of legal service providers.  During their research, feedback is sought from clients and peers, to gauge the performance of firms.  Firms are then ‘ranked’ in tiers by practice area.

In Keoghs’ main practice area listing (Personal Injury: Defendant), excellent quotes were received for both Bolton and Coventry, with the Coventry office moving up a tier in the West Midlands section. Commendations from clients include ‘Keoghs has “technical excellence” and the ability to “adapt to the ever-changing demands of the legal landscape and clients.” Personal recognition was also give to Andrew Underwood, who is described as “innovative and willing to challenge currently accepted ideas, and brings huge enthusiasm”.  Asim Butt, Nicola McLoughlin and David Tyson were also recommended for the North West, and Ken Young and Lis Shrimpton for the West Midlands, with the comment that they “build up good relations quickly with claimant lawyers to assist with the smooth running of the process.”

There was also welcome recognition for the Motor Crime and Regulatory team, who are listed in both the Crime and Health and Safety practice areas, for the West Midlands and North West.  The team moved up a tier in the West Midlands Crime listing, and received excellent comments, including for the “thorough, professional and personable” Suzanne Drinkwater.

The agreed fixed costs are:

£400 for Stage 1 (the claimant solicitor completes the claim notification form and sends it to the insurer who may admit/deny liability);

£800 for Stage 2 (where liability is admitted, the claimant obtains a medical report and the process continues with offers and negotiation of a settlement to a strict timetable); and

£250 paper hearing / £500 oral hearing for Stage 3 (where the parties cannot agree a settlement and the case goes to court).

The department has previously announced that:

• The new system will apply to road traffic accident personal injury claims valued between £1000 and £10,000.
• As well as speeding up claims, the new process will reduce unnecessary legal costs through setting a fixed legal cost for each stage of the process.
• It will involve the use of standardised electronic claim forms to enable key decisions to be made more quickly and reduce duplication.
• Challenging new timelines have been built into the process to ensure much quicker compensation payments.

Some points to note about the new process:

• It will only apply to RTA claims between £1,000 and £10,000
• Not applicable to higher value claims
• Other types of PI claim (EL, PL, etc) are not included; however, LJ Jackson's ongoing review of costs is considering ALL areas of civil litigation
• Where liability is denied or contributory negligence is alleged the case will leave the process and the normal costs rules will apply

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee sub-committee will work with officials to bring forward draft rules, practice directions and pre-actions protocols to implement the new process with a view to implementing in April 2010.

The Personal Injury Awards highlight and celebrate the excellence of individuals and organisations across the personal injury claims sector. They bridge the partisan 'claimant / defendant divide' by encompassing all professionals and key service providers working in this field. The objectives of the Awards are to identify high standards of practice and to inspire others to emulate the achievements demonstrated by those who have been shortlisted.

Commenting on the nomination, Ruth Needham - Partner and Director of the Fraud Rings unit said:

"This news caps off an excellent year for the fraud rings unit, which has continued to grow - both in terms of staff numbers and files handled. Our decision in 2006 to establish the first dedicated and specialist team handling fraud rings files in the industry has been validated by the substantial benefits we've delivered for our insurer clients since then."

"Through our strong working relationships with the IFB and the Police, we've not only delivered substantial fraud savings but have also played a role in securing criminal convictions for organised fraudsters."

The awards ceremony will take place in London on Tuesday 10th November. For more information on the awards, click here.

The nomination caps an excellent year for the CFS division, which has seen a 40% increase in instructions from clients, and delivered net savings of £48m against reserve on files settled in their last financial year. The division also undertook a number of lateral hires, including Ted Sheils from Weightmans and Anthony Dale from DWF.

The next stage of the awards process is the presentation to the judging panel on the 8th October in London. James Heath (Director of Counter Fraud Strategy) and Tony Barker (Business Development Director) will be presenting on behalf of the firm.

For more information on the awards, click on this link.

Partner Promotions

Counter-Fraud Services: Avrom Topperman, Billie Jean Whitaker, Amanda Nuttall and Andrew Auchterlounie have been promoted.

Avrom joined Keoghs five years ago, and has been involved in a number of areas within CFS, including the fraud ring team.  Avrom now works within the motor fraud team, and is also a member of the Fraud Technical Policy Group, which is responsible for identifying and responding to developments in the marketplace.

Billie-Jean is a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives (FILEX).  Billie-Jean is a very experienced fraud case handler with over 10 years experience in this field.  She has led a number of teams in Counter-Fraud Services, so has a broad experience of investigating and handling all manner of suspicious / potentially fraudulent claims.

Amanda has been a member of the CFS division for nine years.  Amanda is the deputy Director of Motor Fraud and leads a team of 17.  Amanda is also a key supervisor and mentor for junior members of the team. 

Andrew has also been a key member of the CFS division for a number of years.  He is the Business Unit Director for CFS, with responsibility for planning.

Complex Injury Claims: Ewen Gardiner and Neil Southern have been promoted to partner.

Ewen is a Chartered Insurer, with wide knowledge and understanding of the insurance industry, having spent more than 25 years in this sector.  Ewen has considerable experience of managing complex technical claims for commercial, public and private sector clients. 

Neil joined Keoghs in 2005 as a solicitor, dealing with catastrophic claims, and was promoted to Associate in 2006.   He worked as an assistant to Nicola McLoughlin until last year, when he became a lead fee earner within the Complex Injury Claims team.

Disease Team: Stephen Croston

Stephen has been with Keoghs for seven years, and has predominantly dealt with disease, EL and PL claims throughout his career.  He has an excellent record in cases of real importance to clients, in particular in potential ‘floodgate’ and ‘first claim’ situations. 

Above: Counter Fraud Services - New partners, Andrew Auchterlounie, Avrom Topperman, Amanda Nuttall, Billie-Jean Whitaker

To apply please click here and complete our on-line application form by no later than 31st July, 2009.

Why train with us?

We believe in encouraging our people to develop their full potential and strive for excellence.  Our training contracts are just one part of this philosophy.  At Keoghs, your training contract will give you hands on experience and responsibility whilst you develop within the different areas of our business.  The focus will be on insurance litigation, but your training supervisor will ensure you get access to a variety of work during your seats.

We value our trainees and wherever possible will work with you to find you the right role in our business at the end of your training contract.  We want trainees who will continue to develop their legal, business and client skills, with the possibility of ultimately becoming a Partner of the future.

What we are looking for?

Of course we expect an excellent academic record as we want you to develop into legal specialists in your chosen field.  However, we are also looking for well rounded individuals who will be able to work as part of a busy team and to take charge of their own development.

You will need to demonstrate the high level of communication skills required to work effectively with Clients and colleagues across the business.

We have an equal opportunities approach to all of our recruitment and apply the same guidelines to our Trainee Solicitor

For more information please click here.

She has extensive experience in handling liability matters including a wealth of knowledge regarding the particular issues of local authorities and housing associations. She headed up the local authority team in Manchester for her previous firm for seven years.

Rachel has dealt with a wide variety of liability claims ranging from routine slips/trips to more specific claims, such as a ‘failure to educate’ action brought by dyslexic pupils and claims pursued by teachers who have been assaulted.

Rachel commented “Keoghs has a first class reputation for insurance work and I am very excited to be joining them at a time when they are enjoying significant growth.”

Chief Executive John Whittle said “Rachel brings valuable experience to our liability team.  Her appointment demonstrates our commitment to providing insurers and major corporate organisations with the highest quality of service.  We have made a number of significant appointments in the last few months, and we will announce more in the coming months.”

Daryl joins from Cheshire Building Society and has previously held senior positions at Deloitte, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Barclays Bank.  In his new role, Daryl will take responsibility for Keoghs’ IT infrastructure and wider operational and change management functions.

John Whittle, CEO, commented “Keoghs is growing quickly – we now have nearly 600 employees – and we are rapidly expanding the scale and diversity of our services.  This, along with fundamental reforms in the legal system, means that having a strong operational and IT infrastructure is vital.”

Keoghs is increasingly recruiting excellent non-legally qualified, but highly experienced, management personnel from other sectors to undertake senior and middle management roles, including running teams of technical staff.  These individuals bring with them not only invaluable experience but best practice gained from beyond the legal sector, together with fresh perspectives on how we should run our business.  They are significantly strengthening our operational, man-management and leadership capabilities, and ensuring we get the best from our resources.

David Pugh, who will be based at Keoghs’ Coventry office, joins from Halliwells, where he has successfully handled cases in the Court of Appeal and House of Lords – and advised wide-ranging clients from major composite insurers to the Ministry of Defence, local authorities, large multinational corporations and the NHS.

­David has also advised the only parties outside the Government and the Claimants' Group to successfully accede to the handling agreement in the coal mining respiratory disease litigation – the biggest public liability compensation scheme in the world – and sits on the Court of Appeal User’s committee.

Gary Fitzpatrick, head of disease at Keoghs, said: “As our reputation develops amongst insurers we are continuing to attract some of the most talented litigators in the disease field. David’s credentials in disease, clinical negligence and employers’ liability will be a huge asset to us.”

David Pugh said: “Keoghs now handles disease disputes across an extremely wide spectrum.  ­I am excited at the prospect of working with such a specialist, technically-minded team and I look forward to contributing to growing the firm’s services and client base.”  

For more information on Keoghs' Counter Fraud Services please contact:

Asim Butt
Director Counter Fraud Sales
T: 01204 677229
E: abutt@keoghs.co.uk

He joins from Halliwells and becomes part of a rapidly growing team of disease experts, where a number of other recruits will be announced over the next few months.

Chris has over 25 years of experience defending occupational disease claims including a number of notable House of Lords cases, most recently in the pleural plaques arena.

Gary Fitzpatrick, head of Keoghs’ Disease team, commented “We have spent a number of years establishing our team and our processes for handling disease related claims.  We are now starting to reap the benefits, and in order to service the influx of work we are receiving, we need to expand.  We have recruited a number of people to be announced in the coming months who will help expand and broaden our skills and capabilities for handling all kinds and value of claim.  Chris will be a fantastic asset to the team and we are looking forward to having a successful 2009.”

The team has seen a significant increase in the number of claims they are handling, from existing and new clients.  As recently reported in Post Magazine, Keoghs retained its position on Norwich Union’s long-tail disease panel.

Our 2009 Motor Fraud Index (an annual review of all suspicious motor insurance claims presented to the firm for resolution, grouped by the address of the claimant) has revealed that nine towns closest to the UK’s top ten motor fraud hotspots may be new “problem zones”, where the number of suspect motor fraud claims has increased steadily over the last year.
 
Topping the new zones is Huddersfield, followed by Sheffield, Chester, south east London, Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester, Stockport, Wolverhampton and Romford.

Experts in our Counter Fraud Services team are warning that this “leaching effect” is taking place because insurers and their legal teams are now successfully cracking down on fraudsters in the known hotspots.

Our Motor Fraud Index has confirmed again this year that Bradford is generating the highest number of suspicious claims in the UK, followed by Birmingham, Blackburn, Liverpool, Oldham, Manchester, Bolton, Southall, Huddersfield and south east London.

James Heath, head of counter fraud strategy, said: “Our Motor Fraud Index clearly shows that the regions with the highest levels of suspicious claims activity in the past are still plagued by the problem - with only one of the top ten worst affected towns changing in the past year.

While there is clearly still a hard core of motor fraud hot spots that continue to suffer from a high level of fraud, our latest study demonstrates that fraudsters may now be seeking softer targets in neighbouring towns.”

This development is not unexpected given the intense efforts by insurers and their legal teams over the last year - but nevertheless it is causing concern.

The enormous cost of fraud to the insurance industry is well known, and organised fraud now poses more of a problem than ever before.

The industry is fighting back with increasingly advanced fraud detection techniques - last year alone, Keoghs helped some of the UK’s leading insurers to avoid paying out over £40m on suspected fraudulent claims.”

The claim of Harris v Perry was brought on behalf of a boy who sustained serious brain injury whilst using a bouncy castle hired by Mr and Mrs Perry for a children's party. Having established liability at first instance, the Court of Appeal overturned that decision in favour of the Perrys.

The Appeals Committee of the House of Lords have now announced that they have refused the claimant leave to appeal the Court of Appeal's decision. In doing so they decided that the Court of Appeal did not "make" new law when reaching their decision to reject the claim for compensation on behalf of the injured boy.

This serves to reinforce the sensible line taken by the Court of Appeal and brings to an end this tragic case.

The Court of Appeal decision reflected the rising concern expressed in many quarters by the first instance decision about the onerous extent of the duty imposed on parents (and those in loco parentis) when supervising children's activities.

The Court of Appeal has stressed that the level of supervision to be expected of parents must match the level of risk associated with the activity in question; in this case the Perrys could not have foreseen the extremely severe level of injury sustained by Master Harris when using a bouncy castle.

The Perrys did everything that one might expect of reasonably prudent parents in the circumstances to guard against foreseeable risk of injury to their own children and others using the equipment.

Freak accidents can and will happen but there will not always be someone to blame.

The Perrys were represented by Keoghs' head of large loss, Andrew Underwood and Associate, Helen Cooper.

This is the sixth year that Keoghs have produced the calendar, which is sent to staff and clients.  The calendar has proved a popular hit, with many people requesting further copies.

Children at various schools and of Keoghs’ staff were asked to draw a picture for the chosen theme of ‘My Perfect Day’.  Keoghs received a record number of entries totalling over 400, making the choosing of winners a difficult but enjoyable task!

The winning designs included playing with friends, a day in the park, playing football and visiting space!  The winning children were presented with ToysRUs vouchers in their school assemblies.
       
Head of Marketing Heather Dare said:

”The response from the schools has been fantastic. We would like to say thank you to everyone who took part and we look forward to working with the schools again next year.

* The schools that took part were: 
Templars Primary School in Coventry,  Bolton School, St Mary & St Benedict C.P.School in Coventry, Bury Church of England High in Bury,  Lostock Primary School in Bolton , St Mary’s R.C. Primary School in Horwich,  St Peter’s Smithills Dean C.E. Primary in Bolton, Plodder Lane school in Bolton and St Francis Primary School in Blackburn.

Press enquires to: Heather Dare, Head of Marketing at Keoghs  on 01204 677210

Photo: Joanne Wootton (Marketing Executive) with Suzanne Carr (left, age 5) and Ella Clarke (right, age 9) from St Mary’s RC Primary School in Horwich.  Suzanne’s picture is on the front cover of the calendar and Ella’s is April.

For full details please view our Client Briefing by clicking here.

This influential directory provides an objective and thoroughly researched snapshot of the legal market based on hundreds of interviews with businesses and legal professionals.

Keoghs was once again ranked in several categories for the north west and midlands, including Personal Injury (Defendant), Insurance Volume Claims. The firm was also recognised as having “a solid reputation for carrying out specialist fraud work”.

There was particularly good news for the Motor Crime and Regulatory team, who were ranked in Chambers for the first time, in the Health and Safety (Best of the UK) category.   They received great feedback, including “glowing reports from clients” with one client saying “I have very high expectations and Keoghs regularly exceeds them.”  

Commenting on the rankings, David Walton head of the Motor Crime & Regulatory team said “Chambers’ rankings provide an independent illustration of Keoghs’ standing in the market and we are all delighted that the firm has done so well this year.  Clearly I’m thrilled that my team has been recognised in this prestigious directory and received such favourable comments.  Health & Safety is a national category so to achieve a ranking as one of the best firms in the UK for this type of work is a real acknowledgment of the achievements of the team – we’re all really proud.”

Andrew was one of the principal lawyers involved in establishing the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) in 1993.  He sat on the Executive Committee for 12 years and was national president in 2004/5.  In his current role as chair of the Rules and Process Special Interest Group, Andrew is responsible for coordinating and drafting consultation responses and work on the ongoing Ministry of Justice process reforms.

More than 300 legal professionals attended the ceremony last night at the Café Royal in London, hosted by Joshua Rozenberg.

John Whittle, CEO of Keoghs said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Andrew and the whole of his team. The award reflects in particular the market work Andrew has been involved in over the last five years including the development of the Multi Track Code – a process for handling higher value claims in a less adversarial way, benefitting both claimants and insurers.”

Andrew and his team (pictured from left to right - Helen Cooper, Andrew Underwood, Sharon Lomas and Kate Scholefield) are currently handling catastrophic injury cases with a combined value of over £150million. 

Commenting on the award, Andrew said: “I was very surprised when I was nominated in the first place - to be included on the shortlist amongst such talented lawyers was very flattering.  I really didn’t expect that I would win, but obviously I’m delighted.”

The new three year contract, which commenced on 1 October, will see Keoghs providing the full range of legal services to AXA including motor, liability, catastrophic and property claims.

Commenting on the new arrangements, Matthew Scott, head of liability claims and professional services at AXA says:  “The firms we have chosen offer strength and depth through their highly skilled people and processes. They have demonstrated exemplary commitment to the provision of market leading legal services and will be key to our continued enhancement of claims customer service.”

John Whittle, CEO of Keoghs adds: “I am delighted that Keoghs has been retained on the panel.  We have been working with AXA and its predecessor companies for over 30 years and have developed a great working relationship over this time.  What became clear during this panel review process is just how much our businesses are aligned - we share many of the same values, goals and aspirations.  I am certainly very excited about the future and assisting AXA in achieving its strategic ambitions.”

Keoghs has prepared a client briefing with full details of these changes.  To view the briefing please click here.

The awards, which are supported by the Bodily Injury Claims Management Association (BICMA), feature 13 categories.  They aim to raise standards and recognise excellence within the personal injury sector.

Entrants have been judged by a panel of leading experts from across the insurance, legal, medical and rehabilitation sectors.

Andrew is one of three lawyers to be shortlisted in the “Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year – Defendant” category.  Commenting on his achievement, he said:

“I was bowled over when I found out that I’d been shortlisted for this award.  I’m delighted that someone took the time to nominate me.  There are so many high calibre practitioners in this field and to be recognised in this way is very gratifying.”

The winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony and dinner at the Café Royal in London on 4 November.  We are all keeping our fingers crossed for Andy!

The Personal Injury Awards have been launched by Barker Brooks Media, the company behind Legal & Medical and Claims Management magazines.  For further information, contact Kate McKittrick at Barker Brooks (01423) 851150 or kate.mckittrick@barkerbrooks.co.uk

Legal 500 provides an independent view of the standing of law firms in the market. Its rankings are based on comments and opinions given during interviews with thousands of clients, barristers, professionals and other law firms.  

This year, Keoghs has again been recommended in several practice areas in the North West and the West Midlands.  Once again, we are recognised as a top tier firm for Personal Injury (Defendant) work in the North West and are highly commended in this category in the West Midlands.  Legal 500 reports that Keoghs is “very competent” and “advises on the full gamut of PI”.  Head of large loss Andrew Underwood is noted as being “very proactive” and head of litigation, David Tyson is “very impressive" - showing that Keoghs is firmly established as one of the leading players in this sector.

Our Crime & Regulatory team achieves a place in the rankings for both Crime and Health & Safety work for the North West and West Midlands.

In addition, our Commercial Litigation team is also recognised in the North West.

“Peter’s wealth of experience makes him a real asset to the team and we are delighted to welcome him on board.

We have dealt with disease claims for many years, but we decided in 2007 that the volume had reached a level that justified a dedicated team. Since then the disease team has gone from strength to strength”.

Peter’s appointment follows that of another partner, David Wynn, at the beginning of the year.


Issued on behalf of Keoghs by Citypress.
For further information, contact John Bowes or Ruth Grundy on 0161 235 0303, or john.bowes@citypress.co.uk

The conference brings together a number of high profile experts who will discuss the issues facing the insurance industry with the continuing rise in fraud.

Keoghs' Director of Counter-Fraud Strategy James Heath will be speaking at this event.

For more details please click here to be directed to the Post Magazine website.

The Sentencing Guidelines Council has issued new guidelines detailing the penalties that will apply to anyone found guilty of driving offences that result in death on or after 4 August 2008.

The guidelines make recommendations on sentencing for four offences:
1. Causing Death by Dangerous Driving
2. Causing Death by Careless Driving when under the influence of alcohol or drugs 
3. Causing Death by Driving: unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured drivers 
4. Causing Death by Careless or Inconsiderate Driving

Offences (3) and (4) were introduced by the Road Safety Act 2006, but have yet to come into force.  However, the fact that the sentencing guidelines are now published implies that their implementation is likely to be imminent. 

"Causing Death by Careless or Inconsiderate Driving", as the title suggests, recognises that a death has resulted as a direct consequence of careless or inconsiderate driving.   Under this new offence a custodial sentence may follow in a number of cases, depending on the level of culpability. 

Keoghs' has issued a client briefing outlining the sentencing guidelines in full along with details of how insurers can assist insureds facing potential prosecution under this new offence.  To view the briefing, please click here.

Plans to reform the coroner system were set out in the draft Coroners Bill, first published in June 2006.  One of the aspects the bill sought to address was to make sure that investigations and inquests are more effective.  To assist with this, elements of the Coroners Rules have now been amended giving coroners more powers to make reports to prevent future deaths.  Coroners already had some authority in this area but their powers have now been strengthened considerably.

What specifically has changed?

The Coroners (Amendment) Rules 2008 has amended Rule 43 of the Coroners Rules 1984, and these changes came into force on 17 July 2008.  

The new Rule 43 provides unequivocal statutory authority for coroners to share reports and responses with interested parties and organisations.  The Lord Chancellor will collate details of all reports made and all responses received in order to identify trends, monitor deaths and share the results so that lessons can be learned.

Keoghs has issued a client briefing outlining the new Rule 43 and its implications.  To view the briefing, please click here.

There are now rising concerns that the UK’s gloomy economic outlook could lead to a similar situation here – but property fraud committed by arson is one of the most difficult crimes to prove.

Peter Unsworth, partner in the commercial litigation team at Keoghs, explains why fraudulent arson is causing a headache for insurers, and advises on the best way of responding to suspicious claims.

Click here to view Peter’s article which has recently appeared in Post Magazine.

The main conclusions are as follows:

• No change to the small claims track limit
  
• The fast track limit will increase from £15,000 to £25,000
  
• A new claims process will be introduced to cover RTA claims with value up to £10,000 (this will not apply to EL/PL claims)
  
• Fixed recoverable costs will apply to the new claims process ATE premiums are to remain recoverable
  
• Insurers will have just 15 days to respond on liability with no extensions possible
  
• Binding admissions of liability (except in fraud cases) should be made within this time limit but issues of causation can be raised after the medical report has been obtained
  
• Where an insurer alleges contributory negligence the claim will no longer follow the new procedure and fixed recoverable costs will not apply from that point

Keoghs has issued a client alert summarising the main changes - click here to view.

Gary Fitzpatrick has been promoted to equity partner. Gary heads the firm’s Disease Team and has over 10 years experience dealing with disease claims.  He specialises in asbestos-related conditions, work related upper limb disorders, noise induced hearing loss, hand arm vibration syndrome and repetitive back injury, including chronic pain syndrome cases and is well used to complex causation disputes.

Melanie Mooney has become a junior equity partner (JEP).  Melanie is a multi-track team leader in the Liability Team.  She deals with personal injury claims with a value up to £250k and in addition is the firm’s credit hire expert. 

The firm has also appointed Helen McGovern as its first senior associate, a newly created role for non-solicitors equivalent to JEP.  Helen is team leader of the Motor/Household Team and has wide experience of RTA, EL and PL matters.

Risk and Quality Manager Ian May has been promoted to associate support level; a role introduced last year.  Ian has responsibility for all areas of risk across the business and manages this in conjunction with the Risk, Quality and Compliance Team.

The new associates include:

Gareth Berry, Elise Bell, Nina Dayal and David Green who are all members of Counter Fraud Services (CFS) which deals with suspected fraudulent insurance claims.  Karen Berry,   (also a member of CFS) deals with enforcement of costs orders that have been made against claimants and third parties whilst Nichola Ashworth and Andria Moorcroft are members of the firm’s fraud ring team.

Kay Ollerton is a member of the Commercial Litigation team. She deals with a wide variety of commercial litigation matters including construction, policy disputes and subsidence.
Maeve Spillane is the team leader of the Motor Crime & Regulatory team and assists them with their work and marketing activities whilst maintaining an EL/PL caseload.

Sharon Lomas and Melanie Letchford are members of the Large Loss team dealing with catastrophic and high value claims.  Sharon deals with complex motor, employment and public liability cases whilst Melanie has experience of dealing with a wide range of personal injury matters ranging from RTA claims to complex accident at work, public liability and household claims.

Tracy Clark is a Senior Costs Draftsman and team leader in the Costs Department.  She has worked on various types of files including RTA, EL, PL, disease, housing disrepair cases and also large medical negligence claims.

John Whittle, chief executive at Keoghs said “We believe strongly in growing the business by promoting talented employees within the business. I would like to congratulate all the new partners and associates and thank them for all their hard work.”

Neena’s article has been well received by the media and has, to date appeared in Post Magazine and on the the Communitycare.co.uk website (a specialist website dedicated to the social care profession).

Firstly he is addressing the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Claims Forum 2008 in his capacity as secretary of IFIG (Insurance Fraud Investigators Group).  The Claims Forum is a prestigious conference which "brings together top-level speakers to analyse and debate strategies for future success in claims".  James will be discussing "Developments in fraud: online deception and data sharing".

This evening he is speaking at a personal injury seminar organised by barristers’ chambers - Seven Bedford Row.  This is the first in a series of three seminars organised by the chamber under the banner of "The Road Ahead for Personal Injury Claims".  This initial seminar focuses on fraud and James will be talking about "How to Identify Fraudulent Claims".

In a previous announcement in May, we mentioned that James was addressing the National Vehicle Crime Conference, the annual conference of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (IAATI).  Feedback from this event has been excellent earning James a glowing reference from David Ryan, a director of IAATI who organised the conference.  David said "James is a skilled orator, able to reach his target audience and get his point across ... he achieved and he did it well". 

Compiled by our Intelligence team, the index has been released to trade media alongside an article which includes top tips to combat motor fraud.  The article entitled "'Crash for Cash' Protecting your Fleet" has been written by James Heath, Director of Counter Fraud Strategy at Keoghs.

The Index has gone down really well - particularly with the motor trade press.  Fleet News (the market leading publication in the motor fleet sector) has interviewed James as a result and have carried this story as the leading feature on their website.  It has also appeared in Commercial Motor and Post Magazine.

Click here to view James' article

Keoghs has welcomed three partners back into the fold in recent months.  Suzanne Drinkwater returned in July last year, joining the highly regarded motor crime and regulatory team.

David has many years industry experience dealing with complex multi-track employers' liability and public liability matters and disease cases. For the past 4 years he has specialised in disease litigation dealing primarily with chemical poisoning and asbestos cases.

"Great clients, excellent colleagues and a great place to work" attracted him back to the firm, together with the opportunity to build on the success of the recently formed dedicated disease team led by Gary Fitzpatrick.

David, a true Lancastrian, is a keen Wigan Rugby Club fan and will be based at the Bolton office.

Peter specialises in the handling of commercial litigation matters in the insurance field with particular emphasis on policy disputes, fraud, professional indemnity and property insurance claims.  Peter particularly specialises in fire, subsidence and engineering disputes and also deals with subrogated recoveries in those areas.

Having kept in touch with several colleagues from Keoghs over the years, his desire to relocate back to the North West together with a great opportunity to build on the success of the Commercial Litigation department, brought him back to Keoghs.

Peter, originally from Wigan, is a keen Everton supporter.  He will also be based at the Bolton office.

John Whittle, CEO of Keoghs said

"These appointments are significant on many levels - firstly as a sign of our continued growth across all the sectors in which we work, secondly as an endorsement of Keoghs as a great place to work, and finally because we are welcoming back three practitioners at the top of their careers that will be a real asset to the firm."

To celebrate our achievements in 2007, we have produced our first ever Annual Review.  And with concern for the environment at the forefront of our mind, we decided to produce this as an e-book - a green, distinctive and highly cost effective alternative to printed copies.
 
Click here to view the publication

Students from the College pampered and preened members of staff from the Bolton based company with Indian head massages, reflexology and aromatherapy sessions as part of a new year initiative.

Keoghs approached Bolton Community College to suggest some diverse treats after a new year survey revealed that staff aspired to feel better about themselves.  Out of the staff who took part, getting fit, saving money, eating right/losing weight, reducing general stress levels and learning something new were favourites.

Melina Brothers, Business Liaison Officer at the College has been instrumental in the forging of this partnership and recommending certain departments to deliver some well being facilities and topics for the lunch and learn programme.

Valda Lax, HR Director at Keoghs, said:  "The well being and development of our staff is of the utmost importance and we wanted to engage with the College as they offered a wide range of facilities that fitted around the themes of the programme.

Everyone who enjoyed some kind of relaxation technique said it was a fantastic idea and we will definitely be running them again in the near future.  Feedback about the programme in general has also been very positive."

The therapy session took place on Friday 8th February.  Other classes planned for Keoghs include learning to wallpaper, learning to salsa, nutritional advice and Spanish lessons.

Keoghs’ Chronic Pain team is joined by 3 leading medical experts to present this full-day seminar on chronic pain claims.  We are delighted to once again welcome Professor Jayson, Consultant Rheumatologist and Dr McDowell, Consultant Pain Specialist.  In addition, Dr Holden, Consultant Psychiatrist will be joining our panel of experts for this event.

The seminar will provide a wealth of information on current issues and recent developments in this field, including:
 
• The changing role of medical experts
• Pain clinics and treatment options
• Current law relating to chronic pain 
• Tactics for defending claims
• Dealing with malingering and exaggeration

The venue
The seminar is taking place at The Energy Clinic, a unique meetings space in the city of London. A world leading Feng Shui expert worked with a cutting edge, western architect to rethink the concept of meetings space. The result is a chic series of environments designed to inspire creativity, aid communication and to motivate, energise and relax people. What better venue to host a seminar about chronic pain!

For further details please contact Julie Taylor, email: jtaylor@keoghs.co.uk or telephone 01204 677210.

Retention of our Investors in People accreditation and being a finalist in the Quality of Life Award in the Law Society Excellence Awards in 2007 are all independent evidence that we are doing things right to ensure we make Keoghs a great place to work.”

The schools that took part were: 

Templars Primary School in Coventry,  Bolton School, St Mary & St Benedict C.P.School in Coventry, Bury Church of England High in Bury,  Lostock Primary School in Bolton , St Mary’s R.C. Primary School in Bolton,  St Peter’s Smithills Dean C.E. Primary in Bolton and St Francis Primary School in Blackburn.

In Legal 500, the firm is the only Bolton practice listed within the crime, health and safety, defendant personal injury and professional negligence categories. Keoghs is also the only firm within the town to register within Chambers and Partners’ general insurance, defendant personal injury, employment and litigation / dispute resolution categories.

Both directories provide an in-depth survey of the national legal market and are based on thousands of interviews to assess the reputation and expertise of business lawyers in the UK.
In addition to contacting clients, the organisations benchmark their finding against a detailed representative sample of UK leading companies.

John Whittle, chief executive at Keoghs, said: “The books are a valuable reference tool for buyers of legal services as they provide independent opinion about the standing of law firms in the market. The results in the latest Chambers and Legal 500 guides not only illustrate the high level of expertise we have as a firm, but how fast we continue to develop.”

For more information on legal 500 and Chambers and Partners visit their websites:
www.legal500.com
www.chambersandpartners.com

The seminar provided information on key developments in the field and examined tactics for defending claims and dealing with malingering and exaggeration by accident victims.

There was a great turnout from a variety of insurers.  Attendees gave the seminar a very favourable review, with comments including "first class,"  "interesting, useful and well presented" and "very informative and well organised."

Following the seminar Nicola McLoughlin has written an article on this topic which was published in Post Magazine today.  Entitled "When pain becomes a chronic problem," the article details how to effectively deal with these claims including how to diagnose chronic pain and how to take a forensic approach. 

Following the success of this seminar, we are planning to repeat it in London on 4th March 2008.  For more information or to register your interest contact Joanne Wootton on 01204 677330 or jwootton@keoghs.co.uk

David Tyson, Head of Litigation at Keoghs commented   “We are investing heavily in this business and developing rapidly.  We continue to attract people of this calibre and background as a direct result.”

Keoghs deals with suspect claims for 35 general insurers and several large self-insured organisations.   Elements of the fraud academy programme will also be shared with Keoghs insurer clients as part of the firms desire to improve the overall handling of fraud matters in the market
Keoghs has also launched Keoghs Intelligence Services (KIS) as a separate business unit.  KIS delivers a range of fraud intelligence services and tools to insurers. These are aimed at improving the speed of fraud detection and validation, enabling insurers to challenge potentially fraudulent claims more quickly.

The seminar will be presented by two of the UK’s leading medical experts on pain management - Professor Malcolm Jayson and Doctor David P McDowell - along with specialists within Keoghs’ chronic pain team which defend these claims on behalf of some of the UK’s largest insurance companies.

For more information on the seminar contact Joanne Wootton on 01204 677330 or jwootton@keoghs.co.uk.

* research by Pain Europe

“Many of our large insurance clients have started to move towards carbon neutrality through a combination of recycling initiatives, the use of greener fuels, and offsetting. We’re determined to do our bit and prove our commitment to the cause, not just for a day, but over the longer-term.”

Based in  Bolton and Coventry, Keoghs employs over 500 people in total. The firm provides legal services to a range of insurance and commercial clients, handling litigated claims across all types of insurance policy including anti-fraud advice and consultancy. The firm also advises organisations on employment, crime and regulatory issues.

Inside you will find articles on a variety of issues currently affecting the world of insurance fraud.  We examine emerging scams, discuss the impact of Fraud Act and look at recent government action to tackle fraud.  We also look at how Keoghs is responding to the latest government proposals with the launch of a specialist Intelligence Services division.

We highlight that Keoghs is once again supporting Post Magazine’s Fraud Conference, which takes place on 26 September.  This conference brings together all the main players in the field of insurance fraud, and is certainly one of the most important events in the calendar.
To obtain a copy of  The F Word email jwootton@keoghs.co.uk

Notes for Editors
The latest statistics from the Association of British Insurers estimates that fraudulent insurance claims cost UK insurers a total of £1.6 billion a year, adding £40 to the average premium paid by policyholders.

Issued on behalf of Keoghs by Citypress.
For further information, contact David Shirt or Ruth Grundy on 0161 606 060, or david.shirt@citypress.co.uk

CEO, John Whittle says

“The firm has been growing rapidly over the past few years. To sustain our growth and keep pace with nation-wide client demand it’s important we develop and motivate high calibre people.  The strength of our people ensures we continue to deliver the quality of service clients expect.  Congratulations to all new partners and associates.  In particular, well done to those from the support side of the business.  We introduced the Associate Support position this year to emphasise the significant contribution that those in support roles make to the success of the business.  The quality of the applications was extremely high, reinforcing our decision to establish this role.”

- ends -

Press enquiries to Julie Taylor, Marketing Communications Manager at Keoghs on 01204 677021 or 07751 929687 or email jtaylor@keoghs.co.uk.

“I am pleased to welcome Suzanne to the team.  She is well respected in the market and will bring many different skills to the Crime & Regulatory team which has seen substantial growth over the past few years.”
 

Press enquiries to Julie Taylor, Marketing Communications Manager at Keoghs on 01204 677021, 07751 929687 or jtaylor@keoghs.co.uk

Harjinder is married and lives in Birmingham.  She is a keen Arsenal supporter.

David Tyson, head of insurance litigation at Keoghs said he was delighted to welcome Harjinder on board.   “Harjinder’s vast experience will bring many different skills to the partnership.   We are in no doubt that her recruitment will assist us to continue to go from strength to strength.”


Press enquires to Julie Taylor, Marketing Communications Manager at Keoghs on 01204 677021, 07751 929687 or email jtaylor@keoghs.co.uk. 
 

With climate change looming and regulatory pressures evolving, property insurers face an increasingly complex range of risks.  And in an uncertain environment, insurers never know where the next major spate of claims is coming from.  Their objective is to minimise damage and associated costs but it is difficult to achieve with so many critical factors beyond their control.

The conference offers a unique opportunity to hear expert perspectives from the insurance industry and its affiliates.  Through practical presentations, interactive workshop sessions and networking delegates will be better equipped with fresh solutions to key strategic and technical challenges.

For more interactive, focused discussions delegates will be able to attend different workshops, led by industry experts.   Keoghs’ Head of Commercial Litigation, Jonathan Lowe will be presenting one of those workshops on Arson and Property Insurance Fraud.

The event takes place at Hilton Park Lane.    Clients of Keoghs are able to take advantage of a discount on the conference fee; further details can be obtained from Post Magazine website www.postevents.co.uk/property  or by contacting Kerry Williams at Incisive Media on (T) 020 7968 4538.

Enquires to Julie Taylor, Marketing Communications Manager at Keoghs on 01204 677021, 07751 929687 or email jtaylor@keoghs.co.uk.

Generally within law firms associate level is only open to legally qualified staff.  However Keoghs recognises that everyone has an impact on the success of the business and makes an important contribution.  They see the new category as a way of recognising the contributions people make.

Criteria for entry into, and retention of Associate Support status requires evidence to demonstrate that candidates have a proven ability to meet the needs of internal customers and a proven ability to manage a team and/or part of the business.  

No individual will be considered unless they are able to demonstrate that they have exhibited role model behaviour in relation to Keoghs' shared behaviours and evidence of this will be gained by using a 360 degree questionnaire. 

To retain Associate Support status, an individual, will need to continue to perform at a high level as evidenced for example by meeting the criteria two years out of three.

Frances Cross, Director of HR said

"The Associate Support Status offers an opportunity for formal recognition to be given to those support staff who have made a significant contribution to Keoghs' success".  

The new appointments will take effect from 1st June.

Press enquiries to Julie Taylor, Marketing Communications Manager at Keoghs on 01204 677021 or 07751 929687 or email jtaylor@keoghs.co.uk   

This change should have no effect on the relationship with our clients and contacts, it is very much “business as usual”.

The change to LLP status has presented an ideal opportunity to review and refresh our logo and the way we present ourselves. Over recent years we have worked hard to establish and cement strong brand values throughout our business. Our new look has been designed to reflect these values - open, approachable, responsible, respectful and, most importantly, committed to putting our clients first.

For more of an insight into our business and to see our new look, please visit our website. We hope you like it.

Press enquiries to
Julie Taylor
Telephone 01204 677021
Mobile 07751 929687
eMail jtaylor@keoghs.co.uk

The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners annual listings place Keoghs in eleven of the NW tables in categories that include commercial litigation, crime, health & safety, employment, personal injury and professional negligence.

In Legal 500 the firm is the only Bolton practice listed within the employment, defendant personal injury, crime, health & safety and professional negligence categories.

In Chambers and Partners the firm is the only Bolton practice listed within the general insurance, defendant personal injury, employment and litigation / dispute resolution categories.

These directories are a very in-depth survey of the UK legal market. Every year they carry out thousands of in-depth interviews to assess the reputation and expertise of business lawyers in the UK.

As well as contacting clients referred to by law firms to verify their submissions, they benchmark these findings against a detailed representative sample of the UK’s leading companies.

The books are a valuable reference tool for buyers of legal services as they provide independent opinion about the standing of law firms in the market.

John Whittle, CEO says

“We are delighted to be rated in so many categories within the legal directories this year. It shows that we are making real progress. Keoghs crime & regulatory and employment teams have had an excellent year building on our long term relationships in Bolton and the rest of the North West. We look forward to another busy period ahead. It is good to see Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners looking beyond Liverpool and Manchester to identify other quality firms“.

For more information on Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners visit their websites:

www.legal500.com
www.Chambersandpartners.com

Finbar specialises in defendant personal injury dealing with serious injury claims. His role at Keoghs will be to assist in the continued success and expansion of the personal injury department.

Based at Keoghs’ Bolton office, Finbar - originally from Pangbourne, Berks will be relocating to Manchester. He has recently returned from a round the world trip which included visiting New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Argentina.

David Tyson, head of insurance litigation at Keoghs said he was delighted to welcome Finbar on board. “Finbar is a vastly experienced insurance litigator. He will bring many different skills to the partnership and we are in no doubt that his recruitment will assist us to continue to go from strength to strength.”

Allison Carr has been promoted to junior equity partner. Rose Dickinson, Deborah Kelly, Caroline Melody, Neil Southern and Catherine Woolham have all achieved promotion as associates.

Allison Carr (35) from Nottingham joined Keoghs in 2002 and is a Team Leader. She specialises in high value Defendant litigation acting for insurance companies dealing with road traffic accidents (RTA), employers & public liability claims. She also assists on catastrophic injury claims.

Rose Dickinson (34) from Preston joined Keoghs 6 years ago and works as part of the Large Loss Team assisting with catastrophic injury and high value cases.

Deborah Kelly from Denton has been with Keoghs for 7 years. She is an ex-Police officer and specialises in Defendant RTA work and works in the Specialist Claims Unit dealing with fraudulent claims.

Caroline Melody (39) from Chorley joined the firm in 2001 and dealt with fast track motor claims. She is also now part of the Special Claims Unit.

Neil Southern (32) from Preston joined Keoghs in 2005. He works in the Large Loss Team in the Non Delegated Authority Unit dealing with catastrophic claims.

Catherine Woolham (28) who lives in Wigan has worked at Keoghs for 9 years. She is a Team Leader in the Delegated Authority Unit and deals with fast track motor claims.

CEO John Whittle said the new appointments signify another step in Keoghs’ expansion plans.

“We’re delighted to have made these key appointments and offer our congratulations to them all on their well deserved promotions.

Keoghs is a strong and successful business which is growing year on year. We’ve seen an increase in turnover to £20M this year (a rise of 14.3 % from last year) and are predicting a further 15% growth over the next 12 months. Our new strategy will focus on continuing the development of our insurance litigation practice and, in addition, introducing plans to service the needs of business clients in a totally different and innovative way”.

The new civil procedure rules are the first major overhaul of civil procedure for over a decade and are set to change the way in which lawyers and Judges handle cases.

Not all civil cases are affected by the changes but personal injury, medical negligence, consumer, debt actions and contract cases will be. The new Civil Procedure Rules supplement the existing rules.

The new data required by the court to issue a claim includes full postal codes, relevant trading names and titles of individuals. Defendants will be asked to provide their date of birth when replying to a claim and claimants will need to provide the defendant’s date of birth when applying for judgement.

The focus must be to collate this data from the client at day one and then keep and maintain accurate records throughout the relationship. Without these key details the chances of getting paid will be greatly reduced.

Robert Barnard, Head of Debt Recovery at Keoghs comments:

“All organisations, no matter what their size or stature, should undertake stringent credit checks and introduce procedures to capture specific details which will assist in the recovery process. This policy should then be reviewed and updated accordingly when appropriate”.