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Job Introduction DAC Beachcroft is looking to appoint a Claims Handler / Paralegal to join our Legal Indemnities team handling legal indemnity claims and assisting panel solicitors with their work. Our Legal Indemnities Team advises insurers and their policyholders when claims are made against legal indemnity policies. Legal Indemnity policies are issued to provide cover for losses arising due to defects in the title to property. Our team advises on the full range of claims and policy wordings including absence of easement, restrictive covenant, rights to light, defective title, planning and building regulation issues. Policyholders can be individuals, commercial property owners/developers or their lenders. Claims range from a neighbour dispute to complex, high-value litigation regarding development of land. Settlement of the claims involves creative thinking with a view to avoiding litigation wherever possible. The team are particularly experienced in the deployment of alternative dispute resolution techniques, including mediation. The Legal Indemnities Team sits within the Professional and Commercial Risks team in our Bristol office. The team is ranked in Tier 1 in both the Legal 500 and Chambers directories, with a number of leading individuals named. It includes commercial litigation together with the longest established professional negligence team in Bristol, acting for most of the leading insurers, as well as large professional services firms themselves including leading global surveyors, solicitors and insurance brokers. Alongside the team sits a market leading claims handling team, DAC Beachcroft Specialist Claims Services, handling several thousand professional indemnity claims on an outsourced basis on behalf of London Market Insurers. Main Responsibilities The overall purpose of this role is to provide a timely, professional and high-quality service to clients in the management of legal indemnity claims. You will have delegated authority from the insurer to make coverage decisions in claims worth up to £25k. Above that value you will report to the insurer and provide instructions to panel solicitors. The role will require you to: Manage a legal indemnity caseload under supervision. This will include developing a knowledge of property law, insurance law and coverage issues as well as the civil procedure rules and aspects of alternative dispute resolution Conduct the review of new cases, completing case checklist to identify coverage issues Assess quantum, legal position and establish strategy for the claim Draft correspondence to policyholders requesting additional information as required Resolve claims through negotiation of settlement, rebuttal of claim and/or declining of cover Review panel reports and obtain instructions when appropriate Maintain ongoing contact with the insurer and policyholder throughout the process to report on progress and take further instructions Play a key role in developing and maintaining client relationships Support the Legal Indemnities team in claims review meetings with the insurer Ensure that the client’s brand and methodology are promoted effectively in all dealings with third parties Instruct experts and external counsel where appropriate Ensure that case management system and hard copy files are updated with diary dates as required by the case Assume responsibility for quality control and client protocol compliance on own caseload, including accuracy and timeliness of record keeping, file management and management reporting and information Ensure that the DAC Beachcroft brand and standards are maintained in managing the outputs of other panel firms Handle confidential information in line with the firms data security protocols The Ideal Candidate Graduate calibre with an excellent academic record and/or previous experience of working as a claims paralegal or similar within the field of professional indemnity is desirable IT literate with working knowledge of Word and Excel Knowledge/previous experience of case management systems would be an advantage but training will be provided Personal Skills Client focused with an ability to build strong relationships with client and third party contacts at all levels Able to work to deadlines, prioritise own workload effectively under pressure and manage conflicting priorities Proactive and energetic with a tenacious approach to identifying issues and solving problems Quality and customer service oriented with a concern for accuracy and an eye for detail Team oriented. A collegiate approach to sharing knowledge and working with colleagues across locations is essential Able to progress tasks using own initiative, seeking guidance and input from others where appropriate Committed and enthusiastic with a mature attitude to work and a desire to commit long term to a career in this field Confident oral and written communication skills About The Company We are a leading international legal business with over 2,900 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Malaysia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Central America, the USA, Australia and Germany. We are a broad-based commercial firm with a strong heritage in insurance, health and real estate. This is complemented by a fast-growing Business Advisory capability. We represent a wide range of clients, ranging from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for all of the UK’s top-ten insurers, we are market leaders in the provision of strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to providers and commissioners in the health sector, and in real estate we advise all of the UK’s top-12 housebuilders. We have an impressive legal pedigree, with 142 Chambers UK 2021 practice area and individual lawyer rankings. In Legal 500 UK 2021, the firm received a top tier ranking for 37 of its practice areas, and 58 DACB lawyers were singled out in the ‘Leading Individual' rankings. Our successes have been recognised by the legal industry and the markets in which we operate. These accolades include two top prizes in the ‘Excellence in Business Development’ and ‘Excellence in Technology & Innovation’ categories of the 2020 Law Society Excellence Awards – the highest accolade for law firms in England & Wales. Our health sector team won the ‘Crisis Management Team of the Year’ award at the 2020 British Legal Awards for its support to the NHS at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our Cyber & Data Risk team received the ‘Business Development Innovation Award’ at the 2020 Legal Innovation Awards, as well as ‘Cyber Law Firm of the Year’ at the prestigious Insurance Insider Cyber Rankings Awards, for its market-leading suite of digital tools to help our clients prepare for and respond to cyber and data risk crises. Our vision is to be leading business advisers, recognised for our insight and our outstanding commitment to clients, and for being the place where talented people want to work. For further details on our work and our culture, please visit www.dacbeachcroft.com. Application Details At DAC Beachcroft, we don’t just accept your differences we celebrate them. From bespoke solutions for our clients, to treating you like an individual. Our strength comes from your diverse ideas and bringing the whole you to work. So if you’re good at what you do, come as you are. We welcome direct applications and are happy to talk flexible working. We also want you to be at your very best. Please feel free to let us know of any changes we can make at any point in the recruitment process that will help support your application. If this opportunity sounds of interest to you, please make an application and submit your CV. Your application will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence. Note for Recruitment Agencies – the DAC Beachcroft recruitment team is responsible for managing all current vacancies through direct hiring and referrals wherever possible. We do work with recruitment agencies and where we require external support we will formally release those vacancies to the agencies on our Preferred Supplier List deemed best placed to assist us. Speculative CVs sent by any agency to any DAC Beachcroft employee without a specific request by the recruitment team will not be accepted and with no introduction fee applicable. Our recruitment team can be contacted at [email protected]