Browne Jacobson becomes the first law firm to Partner with Plain Numbers

Browne Jacobson has become the first ever legal firm to Partner with Plain Numbers – in a move that shows their commitment to leading the way in understandable policy documents.

The leading UK law firm has an experienced team of lawyers who advise on and draft policy wordings and associated documents in all categories of insurance business.

As lawyers specialising in policy drafting, Browne Jacobson felt the quality and clarity of many wordings in the market could be significantly improved upon. In 2018 they partnered with The University of Nottingham in a detailed academic study into the readability of insurance policies. The results were startling. All the policies reviewed required the education level of at least an A-level student to meaningfully understand them, and policyholders routinely found it difficult to understand what is and isn’t covered by these policies. The study shows that much can be done to improve the readability of policy wordings and that there are significant benefits to doing so.

With the Plain Numbers Partnership, they are going a step further.

Tim Johnson, Browne Jacobson insurance Partner, said, ‘After our ground breaking academic research into the readability of insurance policies, I am truly excited about the opportunity to add clarity of numerical communications to our services to clients. With the increased regulatory focus on customer understanding and fair value brought about by the Consumer Duty, this is the perfect time for us to launch this innovative and exciting partnership’.

The Plain Numbers Approach builds on over a decade of work supporting people who struggle with numbers. We make seemingly small changes to the way that numbers and data are presented to generate a substantial increase in comprehension. This is an evidenced approach. Research trials across a variety of industries and forms of communication saw that when the Plain Numbers Approach was adopted the number of people who understood customer information doubled.   

This focus is particularly significant in the context of the new FCA Consumer Duty. The Duty outlines the importance of firms ensuring consumer understanding, and the guidance specifically draws attention to the fact poor numeracy must be considered.

We know that approximately half of UK adults have the numeracy skills of a primary school student, and this can have huge ramifications in the daily life decisions people must make. Focusing on the numbers and their context drives good outcomes for customers, and Plain Numbers are excited to work with Browne Jacobson in achieving this.

Mike Ellicock, Co-Founder & Chief Executive of Plain Numbers, said: “I am delighted to welcome Browne Jacobson as a Partner of Plain Numbers. To have the most social impact we’re looking to work with a range of organisations, so it is particularly exciting that they are the first law firm we've welcomed on board. This partnership has huge potential to further enhance Browne Jacobson’s evidenced interest in improving the understanding of their documents for the reader. With the Consumer Duty upon us, people’s understanding of policy documents has become more significant than ever. We’re excited to start moving forward with such important work.”