Top claims operators pick up accolades at the Claims Management Awards

The winners of the inaugural Claims Management Awards were announced last night at a glittering ceremony in London.

Formerly known as the Claims Innovation Awards, the event was held at The Grange St Paul’s hotel where over 230 guests, made up of many of the claims sector’s key decision makers, saw 15 businesses and individuals lauded for their achievements.

The big winners on the night were Peter Garsden from Simpson Millar, who won the lifetime achievement award and Harris Balcombe and CBT Clinics, who both won two awards each.

Garsden was chosen by the judges as the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award for founding the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers and for acknowledging – and seeking to mitigate – the effects of post traumatic stress disorder on professionals who work on child abuse cases. The former secretary and founder member of a charity called Abuse Watch was also singled out for being the co-ordinating solicitor for most child abuse compensation claims and group actions in the North of England.

CBT Clinics picked up the awards for Client Care and Best Use of Technology, while Harris Balcombe was given the awards for Loss Adjuster/Assessor and Outstanding Achievement for its work on managing the property damage claim for the Glasgow School of Art.

TV and radio personality and comedian Lucy Porter presented the awards, which were entered by teams and individuals from insurance claims departments, brokers, law firms, claims management companies and numerous other auxiliary specialists.

The judging panel for the awards was chaired by James Dalton, director of general insurance policy at the ABI. He was joined by Sue Nash (Elite Law Solicitors), Anthony Hughes (founder of strategic consultancy, Jackson Hughes),

Matthew Williams (head of AmTrust Law), Peter Staddon (MGAA’s managing director), Joe Pendle (the managing director at Verisk Insurance Solutions – Claims UK & Europe), Laurence Besemer (the CEO of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers), Kathyrn Stone, (the chief ombudsman at the Legal Ombudsman) and Jonathan Davison (a member of the British Damage Management Association (BDMA) executive and a former BDMA chairman).

The full list of winners

Best Use of Technology – CBT Clinics

Associated Industries Award – Laird Assessors

Training Award – Brain Injury Group

Rising Star Award – Adam Farrell – Roberts Jackson

Best Newcomer – Barrister Direct

Client Care Initiative – CBT Clinics

Barristers’ Chambers of the Year – Ropewalk Chambers

Claimant Law Firm of the Year – Roberts Jackson

Defendant Law Firm of the Year – Forbes Solicitors

Claims Management Company Team of the Year – MSL Legal Expenses

Broker of the Year – Centor Insurance

Insurer of the Year – QBE and FMG

Counter Fraud – Hill Dickinson

Loss Assessor/Adjuster – Harris Balcombe

Claims Innovation of the Year – caseAssist (Rebmark Legal Solutions)

Outstanding Achievement of the Year – Harris Balcombe

 Lifetime Achievement Award – Peter Garsden, Simpson Millar

Mark Dugdale