A legal risk counsel who oversaw a 65% drop in professional indemnity claims against Queensland lawyers has been named the Risk Management Institution of Australasia (RMIA) risk manager of the year.

Brisbane-based David Durham works for Lexon Insurance, a captive insurer owned by the Queensland Law Society.

Mr Durham and his team have developed innovative risk management techniques that have significantly reduced claims frequency.

Strategies include on-site workshops with legal practices, a risk advisory service and checklists to help lawyers avoid missing simple steps in routine tasks.

He says he and his team “have spent time with experts from other disciplines considering the psychology and neuroscience of errors in professional work”.

“We are working on strategies to build brain function learnings into risk interventions.”

The award was presented at RMIA’s conference in Adelaide last week.

PricewaterhouseCoopers Senior Manager Mark Sullivan was named risk consultant of the year, and Emma Johnson from resources company South32 is student of the year.

RMIA President Bryan Whitefield used the conference to announce his retirement after almost three years in the job. VP Anthony Ventura will replace him.

Mr Ventura says Mr Whitefield led the institution with “passion and integrity” and developed a platform for its long-term future.