United we stand, divided we fall

The legal expenses market faces key challenges in the next few years. David Vine argues that it must now evolve into a trustworthy, sustainable and profitable sector in its entirety, guaranteeing its policyholders certainty and good value

Those insurers who are committed to the legal expenses market's long-term future must also take a united front in ensuring that products are transparent and fairly priced. Profit must start to matter over volume, and we need to do more to improve education of how the cover works. This must be threefold - with brokers before the event (BTE), solicitors after the event (ATE) and with consumers for both products.

Although it took the market by storm when it arrived to replace legal aid, ATE cover