HELEN WITHERS PROFILED IN POST MAGAZINE

Helen Withers, Managing Director of Arc Legal Assistance, was recently profiled in Post magazine.

Helen spoke about the formation of Arc Legal, its growth and plans for the future, as well as the role and performance of the legal expenses insurance (LEI) market and how the sector has fared in the aftermath of regulatory and legislative changes and challenges.

Arc Legal introduced a new business model into the market when it launched in 2003, using leading UK law firms to provide claims and legal helpline services. This model means that we manage the insurance elements of a LEI claim, whilst the legal aspect is handled by experienced law firms from the outset. This results in an improved customer journey, less duplication of processes and reduction in costs. It also minimizes possible conflicts of interest occurring between what is best for the customer and what’s best from an underwriting consideration.

This model has proved successful. Not only has the business generated a profit every financial year since 2004, growth over the last decade has seen the business expand from just the three founding directors to a team of over 80 staff.

Helen commented on our growth ambitions, in particular the focus on commercial LEI, where we are expecting our book to triple in size. Successfully securing commercial LEI accounts with leading brands such as LV= and AXA Insurance, means we are on track to achieve our target.

The LEI market has seen a raft of changes over the last 2 years. Helen also spoke to Post about a number of these, including how the FCA investigations into add-on products and motor LEI have shifted perceptions of legal expenses from a revenue generator, to a product that offers significant benefits to customers.

We have already responded to the changes by working with our corporate partners to train their sales teams on the features and benefits of LEI, and also providing fulfilment literature to ensure that customers can make a more informed decision about the product they are purchasing.