Kennedys’ apprenticeship programme expands into claims handling team

Kennedys’ claims handling team has taken on its first two apprentices as part of the firm’s pioneering apprenticeship programme which began in 2012 and this year sees 11 new apprentices join the firm. 

The 40-strong claims team based across Kennedys’ Taunton, Bristol, London and Dublin offices saw a 24% increase in employee numbers over the last financial year, handling major broker, managing general agent (MGA) and insurer-led schemes and dealing with thousands of notifications across several jurisdictions in relation to professional liability, cyber and After the Event and Before the Event claims. 

The new apprentices, Lillyanne Pidgeon and Jade Gardener, join the team this month, working from our Taunton office. Both will be developing a core technical knowledge in insurance and key areas of practice such as professional indemnity, taking responsibility for their own caseloads and gaining exposure to clients. 

They will also be completing the Insurance Practitioner Level 3 Apprenticeship with BPP, followed by the Certificate in Insurance (Cert CII) qualification.  

An early pioneer of legal apprenticeships, Kennedys’ commitment to supporting and developing the next generation of lawyers has seen the firm recruit 84 apprentices in the last eight years – 75% of whom have remained with the firm.  

The firm once again supported the Insurance Post Claims Apprentice initiative, designed to unearth and help up-and-coming individuals working in the claims market. It is also sponsoring the Young Achiever of the Year award category at the British Insurance Awards again next month.  

Vittorio Cinque, is claims partner at Kennedys and heads up the claims team, he says: “Kennedys pioneered legal apprenticeships and since its inception the apprenticeship programme has proven hugely successful. It has enabled talented school leavers to embark on an exciting career where they can earn as they learn, whilst providing Kennedys with an important talent pipeline.  

“We have now expanded the scheme into our claims handling business, training the next generation of claims handlers to work on an international caseload that continues to grow, with the last financial year seeing a record number of new matters across our four offices.” 

In May, Kennedys launched an innovative newtraining programme ahead of the launch next year of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).This will see law graduates start working at Kennedys while gaining qualifying legal work experience in one of its teams before sitting the SQE1 and SQE2 exams required to qualify as a solicitor, thus allowing graduates to start earning immediately. 

Last year Kennedys was recognised at the School Leaver Awards, where it won the ‘Best Degree Apprenticeship’ award and is a former two-time winner of the ‘Top Employer in Law’ at the same awards.