Howard Dean, Partner at Keoghs, has been elected President of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) for 2025, taking over from Pete Allchorne, Partner at DAC Beachcroft. Howard currently sits on both FOIL’s Costs and CPR & Protocols SFTs. Howard has been involved in Civil Justice Reform for over 25 years, with a particular focus on the impact of civil procedure rules, litigation funding and the digitisation of civil claims.
Howard’s appointment comes as the insurance industry faces challenging times ahead: with a Labour government now in power, the industry must quickly adapt to the legal and economic changes introduced under its leadership. This, combined with ongoing geopolitical, financial and environmental factors such as the continuation of crises in Ukraine and the Middle East, ESG considerations and inflation, will have a direct impact on the nature, volume and frequency of claims. FOIL will continue acting as a sounding board and providing a voice of reason to its members and their clients as they respond to these pressures.
As an organisation, FOIL brings together the combined experience of the 8000 lawyers and paralegals that work as its 61 corporate members to guide its thinking and create legal proposals which will help support the insurance industry. FOIL’s members actively collaborate with each other, and other organisations across seven jurisdictions, enabling exchange of information and knowledge on matters impacting the industry both within and across these territories – England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar. This collaboration plays a key role in the organisation’s ability to effect change.
Howard’s focus on civil justice reform issues include: the review of the Personal Injury Discount Rate; recommended changes to the Pre-Action Protocol; the post-implementation review of the Civil Liability Act and the publication of the Whiplash Tariff review; potential changes to the Civil Courts Claims Track and the review of Fixed Recoverable Costs; the Privatisation of Justice; and the ongoing digitisation of the court service. In Scotland, FOIL is also focusing on proposals to introduce Qualified One-Way Cost Shifting to Personal Injury cases, amongst other procedural reform. FOIL intends to make its voice heard loud and clear on these ongoing issues, all of which will have significant implications for the defendant insurance sector in the years ahead.
Equally, FOIL continues to recognise and provide a safe space for its members to discuss and be open about issues that matter to them as businesses, as well as their clients – including Diversity & Inclusion, Climate Change and the mainstreaming of Artificial Intelligence.
During Howard’s Presidency FOIL will continue to focus on nurturing the younger generations of lawyers and play a vital role alongside Tomorrow’s FOIL in showing why insurance is an exciting area of law. As a solicitor, Howard has an overarching view of the variety that a career in insurance has to offer – this will be showcased through the wide range of sector-specific issues the organisation plans to focus on this year, including e-scooters the debate around stricter rules for young drivers, litigation over the new fixed recoverable costs rules and unfixed costs in cases involving expert medical agencies..
Bridget Tatham, Partner at Browne Jacobson, will take up the position of Vice-President of FOIL, supporting Howard on all of the organisation’s activities.
Commenting on his appointment, Howard said:
“I am honoured to be appointed as President of FOIL and look forward to serving the organisation as it navigates the issues facing the insurance industry at present.
Insurers and their lawyers are currently having to grapple with many headwinds, including claims inflation, emerging markets and regulatory change. FOIL will continue to provide a leading voice on the pressing issues impacting our members and their clients.”
Commenting on Howard’s appointment, FOIL CEO Laurence Besemer said:
“Howard is an accomplished insurance lawyer who has been a member of the FOIL Executive Committee for several years already. He is an excellent choice to lead FOIL into 2025.
“With many changes afoot, FOIL continues to represent the defendant insurance legal community and the reality of the challenges insurers and their lawyers face.
FOIL members work collaboratively to drive change, both with one another and with other representative organisations, setting the agenda through participation in government consultations and lobbying for reforms. Howard, myself and the rest of the Executive Committee will ensure this is continued into the next year and beyond.”
Content provided by the Forum of Insurance Lawyers.
