Claire Laver

Claire is the Head of Market and Strategy for Fraud and the Head of the Casualty Fraud Team. She has over 22 years’ experience advising clients in the defence of fraudulent insurance claims.  Initially specialising in motor fraud and motor organised fraud, she also has a special interest in the defence of fraudulent casualty claims and casualty organised fraud including pet and equine fraud. She leads a team of 18 casualty fraud lawyers.

She has strategic oversight for all fraud products within DACB, comprising of 100 lawyers and underpinned by an intelligence team of 25 intelligence colleagues. The team are based in Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast with links to the fraud team in Dublin and our Clinical Risk and Data Breach teams.

Claire works with the Head of Market and Strategy for Motor and Casualty and Head of Market and Strategy for Property to deliver thought leadership, market trend analysis, identify and drive campaigns and to minimise fraud exposure. She also works with other partners within Motor Fraud, Vehicle Hire and Damage Fraud and Property Fraud to ensure that there is consistency in the delivery in our counter fraud services across product and jurisdictions.

Relevant experience includes:

• Advising AXA on securing an injunction against a fake law firm to prevent those running it from litigating any claims against them, thus preventing a further 30 claims. The Court of Appeal decision inAXA Insurance UK Ltd v Financial Claims Solution Limited & Oths [2018] EWCA Civ 1330 also changed the legal landscape: it clarified the 50 year old law around when exemplary damages should be awarded. Lord Justice Flaux said that the “case was a paradigm one for the award of exemplary damages and his ruling should reflect the need to deter and punish the outrageous conduct and abusive behaviour”. The result saved AXA from having to pay in excess of £150,000 in damages and costs. The fraudsters were ordered to pay £60,000 in punitive damages to AXA and pay their costs.
• Advising DLG on giving evidence in the Crown Court when they were called as witnesses for the prosecution in the case of R v Wilmot Day. The claimant, a police officer, forged invoices to support his claim for losses associated with his genuine accident. The civil litigation was stayed, pending conclusion of the criminal proceedings. Claire and her clients gave evidence in a two week long trial, which secured the conviction of the claimant who was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. The civil action was struck out following the criminal conviction.
• Advising Allianz in conjunction with a small team of specialist casualty fraud lawyers about the strategy adopted in a large scale organised fraud against their insured. 50 linked claims, all following a similar MO, were identified by the insurer. Our strategic involvement has ensured that all litigation has been successfully defeated and that most of the other claims have been successfully repudiated, saving the insurer around £300,000.