ASFA is concerned that its members’ costs are rising as claimants hire lawyers in relation to disability and death claims. ASFA chief executive Pauline Vamos said: ‘Anecdotally, member funds tell us that most claims are dealt with by a committee, with more than 85 per cent of genuine claims resolved. But once a lawyer gets involved, the whole process slows down and becomes more expensive for everyone.’ 

Unfair

Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) spokesman Peter Koutsoukis, a partner at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers said: ‘It is unfair for super funds to suggest to people they don't need a lawyer, when they and the insurers use lawyers to deal with clients' claims’. Source: Sydney Morning Herald