COURTING ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTIONS – THE VIEW FROM ARC LEGAL GROUP

At Arc Legal Group, we’ve always known that one size doesn’t fit all, that applies to both the policies we specially tailor for our partners, and the desired outcomes for their customers.

I know the traditional focus of Legal Expenses Insurance (LEI) has been to indemnify litigation, and for that reason, you might expect us to be geared towards driving our customers towards the courts as a primary method of dispute resolution. Many other providers still take this ‘litigate first’ approach, but we don’t believe it’s the right one, and believe the focus needs to shift to providing more assistance to customers upfront, to try to help them to resolve their problems before embarking on the road to litigation.

A digital-first approach to disputes

We want to add greater value to our partners and work closely with them to develop market-leading LEI solutions for their customers.

For this reason, we’ve recently developed several online tools to help our customers, to facilitate the provision of more practical, holistic support sooner, rather than the traditional LEI model of ‘driving’ customers to instruct solicitors to litigate.

Our Legal Assistance Portal (LAP) launched earlier this year provides a wealth of information and guidance to customers who want to find ways to avoid protracted legal disputes, from legal document templates to articles covering some of the most common legal queries we encounter, to an online chat facility; the LAP is a key resource for customers who prefer the digital approach rather than talking to one of our in-house legal experts by phone.

In addition, we’ve expanded our in-house Legal Assistance Helpline (LAH) and our team of qualified experts are on-hand to talk to customers about their legal issues and help them to find a resolution that suits them, rather than a strict ‘straight to court’ process.

The future of LEI

The legal landscape evolves constantly, and each year brings new challenges for our partners and their customers.  We’re also seeing a sea change in the perception of value of LEI and ancillary products. The pandemic, and the increase in employment and rent disputes has heightened the need for the every-day customer to require expert legal support and highlighted the value that specialist cover can bring.

This understanding of the legal landscape and our customers’ needs drives us to continuously innovate, to find ways to deliver exceptional products that bring tangible value to consumers at a time they need it most.  For some, the courts inevitably beckon, but for many, the additional support and guidance we can provide to find alternative solutions will prove valuable in the years to come.

Martin Johnson. Head of Intermediary Partnerships, Arc Legal Group

For further details on our products and services, please contact your Partnerships Manager or email enquiries@arclegal.co.uk.