FOIL establishes new regulatory team

The Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) has launched a new regulatory sector focus team that will concentrate on health and safety compliance and the defence of Health and Safety Executive prosecutions.

Chris Newton of Keoghs, Richard Salvini of Plexus Law and James Jevon of DWF are the team’s founding members.

FOIL set up the team up in response to health and safety issues receiving greater scrutiny due to high-profile disasters, such as Grenfell, which have pushed them onto boardroom agendas.

An independent public inquiry, set up to examine the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the fire at Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017 that caused the deaths of 72 people, is currently underway.

Working with some of FOIL’s 26 other sector focus teams, the new regulatory group will seek to provide clarity for the insurance industry and its legal advisers, help to develop policy where appropriate, and establish a common line on the trickiest issues.

In addition, as with all FOIL sector focus teams, the regulatory group will facilitate training and events, spearhead campaigns, act as thought leaders, and demonstrate expertise to non-members and potential clients.

FOIL chief executive Laurence Besemer (pictured) said: “Health and Safety regulation is one of the most pressing issues for business today across all sectors. FOIL needs to respond. Insurers and their legal advisers will of course want to differentiate themselves from one another in their approach, but on the biggest issues around the risks businesses face, sometimes consensus is more important. This is precisely what the regulatory sector focus team is set up to offer.”

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Mark Dugdale