Social distancing requirements due to the coronavirus outbreak could provide greater opportunities for insurers to be involved in personal injury mediations, lawyer Michael Lombard says.

With legal firms closing their doors for meetings with clients, court-ordered mediations are now taking place via technology platforms such as Zoom, Webex and Slack.

Mr Lombard says typically individual claim officers have had to either listen by phone or receive a summary from their appointed solicitor if they were not able to physically attend.

“It has been a bit distant and disjointed in the past,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au. “Now they are going to be able to see the presentation done by the representatives for the plaintiffs so they will be in a much better position to make decisions.”

The legal mediations often include accounts of how accident have happened and are common in workers compensation, motor accident claims and personal injury cases.

Mr Lombard, the principal at Lombard Mediation, says more mediations are currently being held as sessions are being advanced.