Thomas Miller Americas launches the Fairlead Group to professionalise private investigation services

The US arm of Thomas Miller, the international provider of market leading insurance, professional and investment services, has today announced the launch of the Fairlead Group, a web-based platform which provides end-to-end management of the private investigation process.

Thomas Miller Americas, along with our exclusive partners, The Robison Group,  have developed an integrated system enabling users to  assign and obtain investigative services, all with the aim of generating consistently credible, reliable and useful reports. The platform provides an end-to-end management process which allows users to store their entire caseload and to access and analyse data in a user-friendly way.

The new platform was borne out of a frustration with the existing surveillance product in the US maritime industry. Fairlead Group understands the importance of relevant, high quality and credible reports which are the first line of defence in responding to a personal injury claim.

There are three aspects to Fairlead Group’s offering; first a desktop open source investigation of the plaintiff’s online profile and public records; the second is physical surveillance; and third, is a robust Special Investigations Unit. These offerings unleash an expansive suite of services and investigative capabilities to the benefit of our clients.

A variety of factors, from an aggressive plaintiff’s bar, the right to a jury, plaintiff-friendly statutory law and an absence of a cap on awards, has created an exposure to high awards in the United States. Through Fairlead’s web-based platform and an exclusive partnership with The Robison Group, an agency of professional investigators, the complete private surveillance process has been consolidated. Thomas Miller Americas and the UK P&I Club can now provide a service lacking within the maritime claims industry and believes its service will improve claim results.

Bruce Kesterton, CEO of Thomas Miller, says:

“In today’s environment, it’s more important than ever to develop and evolve innovative online platforms to serve our global Members better and the industry as a whole. Identifying a real gap within investigation and surveillance services in the US maritime market, the Fairlead Group system is a comprehensive tool that will make a tangible difference, leading to better outcomes for marine operators involved in litigation in the region.”   

Leanne O’Loughlin, President, Fairlead Group, says:

“We have developed the Fairlead Group platform out of some of our Members’ growing exasperation with the existing offering, which is lacking in consistency and quality.  The exposure to personal injury claims in the US is incredibly costly. Marine operators and insurers need to be provided with the right tools, enabling our industry to proactively fight back against an increasingly sophisticated claims environment. This is part of our continued commitment to provide added-value service to our Members, clients and wider sector, investing significantly in our infrastructure, people, culture and technology.”

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Contacts:

Jon Atkins/ Alastair Doyle
Four Communications
ThomasMillerGroup@fourcommunications.com / +44 (0) 20 3697 4319

Notes to editors:

Thomas Miller

Thomas Miller is an international provider of market leading insurance services.

Founded in 1885, Thomas Miller’s origins are in the provision of management services to mutual organisations, particularly in the international transport and professional indemnity sectors; where today they manage a large percentage of the foremost insurance mutuals. Thomas Miller also manages insurance facilities for all the self-employed barristers in England & Wales, as well as trustees of pension schemes, patent agents and housing associations.

Principal activities include:

• Management services for transport and professional indemnity insurance mutual
• Managing General Agency
• Professional services including legal and technical services, claims and captive management 

www.thomasmiller.com