Claims Handler - P&CR South

Our Professional Negligence Team specialises in advising professionals and their insurers when negligence claims arise. We work across a variety of service lines, including law, construction, architecture, property consultants, financial services, and accounting, offering tailored advice for each sector. Our expertise covers a wide range of claims, from straightforward disputes to complex, high-value cases, assessing professional standards and mitigating risks for our clients. We take a proactive approach to resolving disputes, often employing creative solutions to avoid litigation where possible. The team is also well-versed in alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation, helping to achieve favourable outcomes efficiently and cost-effectively. Through our deep knowledge of industry-specific standards and regulations, we ensure that our clients receive expert guidance on navigating claims in their respective fields. The Professional Negligence Team sits within the wider 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. This role is a claims handling/paralegal role within the Professional Negligence Team handling Professional Negligence claims and assisting panel solicitors with their work, with a focus on claims against property professionals including valuers, managing agents and surveyors. Main Responsibilities The overall purpose of this role is to provide a timely, professional and high-quality service to clients in the management of Professional Negligence claims. The role will require you to:

• Manage a caseload of lower value claims under supervision. This will include developing a knowledge of professional indemnity law, insurance law and coverage issues as well as the civil procedure rules and aspects of alternative dispute resolution. The role will provide training and supervision with a view to enabling you to independently assess liability and quantum, and advise on strategy for a claim;
• Conduct the review of new cases, carrying out conflict checks and opening new matters;
• Drafting correspondence to clients;
• Maintain ongoing contact with the insurer and insured professional throughout the process to report on progress and take further instructions;
• Instruct experts and external counsel where appropriate;
• Complete administrative tasks;
• Handle confidential information in line with the firms data security protocols.
  
  Graduate calibre with an excellent academic record;
• Previous experience of working as a claims handler or similar within the field of professional indemnity is useful but not essential;
• IT literate with working knowledge of Word and Excel.
Personal Skills
• Able to work to deadlines, prioritise own workload effectively under pressure and manage conflicting priorities;
• Proactive and demonstrating initiative in driving forward matters on own accord, seeking guidance and input from others where appropriate;
• Very good attention to detail and accuracy with drafting;
• Team oriented. A collegiate approach to sharing knowledge and working with colleagues across locations is essential;
• 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.
  
  We are a leading international legal business with over 2,500 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.