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Insurance

Life & TPD

As an insurer or fund you know that managing income protection, death and disability claims is complex and requires the application of very specific expertise.

That expertise is what you will draw on at Gilchrist Connell.  Our team has successfully defended and managed these claims for over 20 years.

Steamlined, multidisciplinary approach to Life and TPD claims

As a client you will benefit from our streamlined, multidisciplinary approach to the conduct and resolution of Life and TPD claims.  We work closely with medical, accounting, tax and superannuation experts to quickly identify and address key evidence and issues. We:

  • narrow the issues by early discussions between the parties
  • identify and gather the evidence required to resolve those issues,
  • utilise our ADR experience to resolve the dispute without recourse to litigation, if possible
  • litigate those claims where resolution by negotiation is not possible.

Expertise built on a deep understanding of Life and TPD claims

The proper and efficient management of your Life and TPD claims is ensured through the expertise of our team members.

Each of our Life and TPD team members bring a deep understanding of:

  • medico-legal issues, and how to marshal, interpret and apply medical evidence
  • the principles to be applied in the interpretation of life insurance policies and the relevant case law
  • the obligation of disclosure and the remedies for non-disclosure under the Insurance Contracts Act
  • fraudulent claims, fraudulent nondisclosure and forged documents.
  • financial evidence and the assessment of income loss
  • the practices of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal
  • the trustee’s obligations to members under a Group Scheme, including the duty to act reasonably when forming or declining to form an opinion and the duty to reconsider
  • the meaning of total and permanent disability in the context of the plaintiff’s work, and alleged disability and other judicially defined phrases including ‘reasonably qualified by education, training or experience’.

To learn more about how you can benefit from our experience please contact us.