International law firm DAC Beachcroft is delighted to announce it has been appointed to Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich)’s new large and complex claims legal panel for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, further consolidating its long-standing relationship with one of its largest and closest global insurance clients.

The appointment follows a successful proposition submitted jointly with leading Asia-Pacific insurance law firm Wotton + Kearney in Australia and New Zealand with whom DACB has worked closely for several years.  Both firms are founding members of Legalign Global, an alliance of five best-in-region law firms, working collectively for multinational insurers, brokers and businesses to handle cross-border risks and claims.

Under the new arrangement, DACB’s Zurich Global Insurance team and Wotton + Kearney’s regional team will be responsible for overseeing Zurich’s complex, high value claims in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. 

Commenting on the new appointment, James Morris, Chairman of DAC Beachcroft’s Claims Solutions Group and Client Relationship Partner for Zurich, said, “We are delighted to be supporting this very important part of Zurich’s business in providing strategic claims management across the APAC region.

“Our strong relationship with Wotton + Kearney will be hugely beneficial in ensuring a consistent approach in managing these complex and often commercially sensitive claims and supports our commitment to work with Zurich and its key customers across all jurisdictions. This has always been a core focus for DAC Beachcroft, Wotton + Kearney and Zurich.”

Wotton + Kearney Chief Executive Partner, David Kearney, added, “From our significant work with Zurich in Australia, New Zealand and the broader Asian region, we know that Zurich recognises the importance of business partners truly understanding their customers’ businesses which often cross national borders. With this appointment of DACB and W+K’s best in region teams, we are confident that our collective knowledge will translate to first class claims results for Zurich customers across the Asia – Pac region.”

Zurich Group Chief Claims Officer, Ian Thompson said, “We’re evolving our long-standing relationship with DAC Beachcroft and Legalign Global by introducing the new legal panel within APAC. I’m delighted to build on the success of this trusted partnership and what we’ve achieved so far with legal panel arrangements in other parts of Zurich. Our international customers will benefit from an expert level of legal insight and more consistent experience, particularly where coverage spans multiple jurisdictions. For Zurich, launching this global network for APAC is another proof point in our delivery of our Zurich Claims’ commitment, enabling us to improve our trend analysis within Claims and facilitate proactive decision-making.”

Helen Faulkner, DACB’s Global Head of Insurance, added, “This is a very significant milestone in realising our ambitions to support Zurich and its international customers across all jurisdictions.  Zurich is a very important client for the firm and we are thrilled to be expanding our relationship further with this new panel appointment. 

“It is both testament to the strength of the relationship that our very large team of lawyers in our Global Insurance practice has established with Zurich over the years, as well as a demonstration of the clear benefits of our Legalign Global alliance in delivering strategic and consistent claims management across multiple jurisdictions.”