Claims and policy specialist LMI Group has expanded its range of services with the establishment of a boutique legal firm.

LMI Legal opened its doors in Sydney this morning after receiving its practising certificate on Friday. 

The need for a legal business to complement Melbourne-based LMI’s national operations has become obvious in recent years, the company’s founder and MD Allan Manning says.

“We need to have our own legal practice to support the work we already do in areas such as contract reviews, policy drafting and interpretation and claims preparation,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“We also felt we ought to extend this specialist legal service to insurance brokers, general insurers, government authorities and companies and individuals in the insurance and wider communities.”

The law firm adds to the LMI Group’s forensic accounting, engineering, risk management and underwriting services, and places LMI Legal “in a league of its own”.

The firm is led by experienced insurance lawyer Peter O’Brien, who joined LMI three years ago as the company’s in-house legal expert and corporate counsel.

“The quality of Peter’s work and the successes he has achieved during this period attracted more and more work, to the point where we needed more staff,” Professor Manning said.

Former TressCox Lawyers senior associate Lauren Wakeling, an insurance litigation and dispute resolution specialist, has been recruited as a foundation director.

Professor Manning says LMI Legal will focus solely on insurance law. “The team is licensed to operate interstate, and additional offices will be established as the need arises.”

Apart from delivering normal legal oversight and litigation services, LMI Legal “will assist our clients to minimise their exposure to risk created by contract and offer a range of contract review services”.

Professor Manning says LMI recognises the potential expense of using specialist legal services, so it will offer flexible billing arrangements such as “no win, no fee” or fixed-fee agreements “in appropriate circumstances”.