Legal expenses provider of the year

Winner

MSL

MSL are highly delighted and extremely proud to be winners of both the LEI and ULR provider of the year 2003.

MSL have always been at the forefront of the market, providing legal expenses insurance since 1988. Our success is based on providing an excellent service coupled with good products at competitive premiums.

2003 has been an extremely busy year for MSL during which we have moved to larger premises and developed an interactive website enabling brokers to report claims online and track the progress of their clients' claims.

With the introduction of Predictable Costs it is hoped that lawyers and insurers will be able to settle clients' claims more efficiently and with fewer litigated cases.

Legal expenses insurance, particularly 'after the event' insurance, continues to be surrounded by controversy. The collapse of several companies in this market has shaken those underwriters involved with them, resulting in many underwriters withdrawing from the legal expenses market. This will make future underwriting difficult to secure for many providers.

It is therefore increasingly important for brokers to choose a provider with an established track record.

Magnus Insurance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MSL, underwrites all MSL's products. Forward Hire, also forms part of MSL's group of companies, supplying replacement vehicles to clients when there is a need. We are therefore able to provide a versatile and comprehensive service to our brokers' clients while controlling the standards of those services.

Highly commended

DAS Legal Expenses

With a strong presence in all areas of the legal expenses insurance market, DAS has had another constructive year building added value products and services to its portfolio.

The extension of the commercial market continues with broker groups in particular seeing the benefit of providing their clients legal protection on a scheme basis. DAS Businesslaw, one year old now, keeps policyholders informed of the risks they face through its online legal and business information service. The employment practices protection (EPP) policy, now in its third year, provides a comprehensive employment risk management service and integral employment audit.

DAS has not forgotten the risks brokers face on a daily basis either.

BIBA members signing up to the Regulatory and Employment Protection scheme are taking advantage of cover that protects them during the transition from the GISC to the FSA.

We have upgraded our online quotation engines for EPP and commercial legal protection (CLP). The fact that brokers' now use them for over 50% of CLP quotation requests underlines their success.

Uninsured Loss Recoveries

It was a pleasure to find that Uninsured Loss Recovery was in the shortlist of three nominations for this award. We realised it would not be easy to win this award when the other finalists are such well respected organisations and we congratulate the winners on their success.

As founder members of MULRA and currently members of GISC we actively promote the advancement of professional standards in the legal expenses market and we believe we achieve this by offering wide policy cover at competitive prices but, most importantly, by offering excellent service standards.

Uninsured Loss Recovery will continue to provide exceptional services tailored to the needs of our brokers, recognising the need to be flexible in our approach as they develop their future strategies.

The failure of some large claims companies selling after the event covers has highlighted the fact that buying insurance in advance in case something happens is still the best and cheapest way, so we will continue to promote pre-event legal expenses insurance to brokers that need to offer a total protection package to their clients.