DAS UK partners with Maxima to launch Clinical Negligence & Personal Injury Scheme
DAS UK Group, the UK’s leading provider of ATE insurance, and Maxima, the litigation funding and risk solutions provider, have launched ‘Optimise’, a new clinical negligence/personal injury scheme aimed specifically at smaller legal practices.
Launched in line with the government’s highly anticipated motor legal reforms, Optimise is the first scheme in the UK to offer any legal firm (including sole practitioners and small departments), that writes clinical negligence or personal injury cases, a full delegated authority scheme. The required case volume threshold is also much lower than that for similar schemes.
The partnership provides:
- Competitive fixed rates
- Streamlined processing through an online portal
- A dedicated relationship manager
- Delegated authority for smaller firms who may be ineligible for a direct scheme with an A-Rated insurer
- Portal access for case submission
- Competitive premiums for preferred risks
Brokered through Maxima on behalf of DAS UK, Optimise will cover the widest range of personal injury cases including specialist areas such as sexual abuse, asbestos-related diseases and animal act cases. It will also cover a wide range of clinical negligence cases including specialist areas such as dental negligence.
Vanessa Andrews, Head of ATE Operations at Maxima, said: “We recognise that there are smaller firms with good quality, but lower volumes, of cases that should not lose out on the benefits of a scheme. Most insurers only offer schemes now in these sectors, to make it viable to offer after the event insurance. So we hope this is a welcome new addition to the market and well received by firms that have been looking for something like this, having previously been rejected or finding themselves currently without a provider.”
John Durbin, Sales & Business Development Manager, DAS UK Group, said: “We are obviously aware that certain insurers have pulled out of the market, meaning some firms who would have been able to access ATE for clinical negligence and personal injury will no longer have the benefit of their scheme or ‘one off’ applications being underwritten. Therefore, we felt it was the right time to assist smaller firms who still specialise in personal injury and clinical negligence.”
Authored by DAS
About DAS Group
The DAS UK Group comprises an insurance company (DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Company Ltd), a law firm (DAS Law), and an after the event (ATE) legal expenses division.
DAS UK introduced legal expenses insurance (LEI) in 1975, protecting individuals and businesses against the unforeseen costs involved in a legal dispute. In 2018 it wrote more than seven million policies.
The company offers a range of insurance and assistance add-on products suitable for landlords, homeowners, motorists, groups and business owners, while it’s after the event legal expenses insurance division offers civil litigation, clinical negligence and personal injury products. In 2013, DAS also acquired its own law firm – DAS Law – enabling it to leverage the firm’s expertise to provide its customers with access to legal advice and representation.
DAS UK is part of the ERGO Group, one of Europe’s largest insurance groups (the majority shareholder in ERGO is Munich Re, one of the world’s largest reinsurers).