Advice and Expertise
Expertise
LVS Expertise works within an industry which is largely unknown, even though the French term for that industry – expertise – is part of everyday parlance.
But what exactly is loss adjustment?
It is actually worthwhile considering the dictionary definition of that French term, expertise, in order to find out more about loss adjustment.
The term derives from the French expert, denoting skill and ability. Expertise is :
I-
II- This therefore differs from the English word expertise, although the English connotations of “knowledge” and “mastery” do sometimes permeate into the French usage.
I-
- the practice by which adjusters are tasked with carrying out technical evaluations, the results of which are then outlined in a report
- an estimation of value (of a piece of art) and of authenticity by an appraiser
II- This therefore differs from the English word expertise, although the English connotations of “knowledge” and “mastery” do sometimes permeate into the French usage.
Yet while the definitions above go some way to describing our profession, they do not sufficiently convey its diversity and complexity.
What is an Expert ?
Let’s return to the French dictionary and see what we find as the definition of an expert, as loss adjusters are known over here :
Expert, erte From the year 1250, its use as an adjective denoted someone who was alert and dexterous. It was derived from the Latin word expertus, which referred to people who were experienced and hardened after going through ordeals.
These roots led to the term being used to describe people who had acquired skill through practice in different fields :
an expert at work – dexterous, practised, experienced, skilful
an expert in art – capable, competent, proven
an expert in a particular subject – well-read, knowledgeable
Other French words appear in association with this term, like connoisseur and savant, which you may recognise from their English use.
From the sixteenth century onwards, the word expert became a noun to denote certain people with this knowledge and experience:
These roots led to the term being used to describe people who had acquired skill through practice in different fields :
an expert at work – dexterous, practised, experienced, skilful
an expert in art – capable, competent, proven
an expert in a particular subject – well-read, knowledgeable
Other French words appear in association with this term, like connoisseur and savant, which you may recognise from their English use.
From the sixteenth century onwards, the word expert became a noun to denote certain people with this knowledge and experience:
- a specialist.
- a person chosen due to their technical knowledge and tasked with resolving processes by carrying out tests, observations and appraisals (expertises). Mainly within the fields of insurance, automobiles and construction, but also in the valuation of works of art.
- a specialist tasked with resolving a technical issue facing the client, in the accountancy and clerical fields.
- (from 1970) a systems expert, an Anglicism relating to software programmers.
The profile of the men and women in our team, to better assist you
Now a more complete picture is emerging of the profile of the men and women who make up our team.
Indeed, adjusters like ourselves are specialists within a certain technical domain, instructed to study and evaluate the facts which are presented to them.
An expert is equally able to resolve a technical problems, but not only, facing the client.
With respect to our experience, our methods of practice and our competence, we’ll let our clients be the judge of that.
But for the adjusters here at LVS, these qualities constitute the means to provide businesses and their insurers with the tools to resolve disputes, which arise as a result of the former’s civil liability and which the latter finance to offset the associated risks.
An expert is equally able to resolve a technical problems, but not only, facing the client.
With respect to our experience, our methods of practice and our competence, we’ll let our clients be the judge of that.
But for the adjusters here at LVS, these qualities constitute the means to provide businesses and their insurers with the tools to resolve disputes, which arise as a result of the former’s civil liability and which the latter finance to offset the associated risks.
Our profession is an appraisal of civil liability
A profession which, above and beyond technical competences, has an even more specific nature, given our need to appreciate, to estimate, to argue, to negotiate, to convince and to report.
These efforts are carried out with a view to facilitating our clients’ understanding about levels of damage, and how this damage has been caused through a chain of events. However, we equally work to further their appreciation of the wider legal and economic context, and of course to measure the financial ramifications of a claim.
As such, technical competence is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to ensure high quality civil liability loss adjustment.
The technical aspect must be viewed in the broader context of a “claim file” and, within this context, the expert must demonstrate “situational intelligence”, to lift a quote from the definition of the role of the civil liability loss adjuster provided by the Plenary Assembly of Damage Insurance Companies, in 1990.
In other words, and as a famous old figure of the civil liability profession was fond of saying as an adaptation of Pascal’s theory: technicians, engineers and scientists have the Spirit of Geometry, but experts must additionally develop their Spirit of Finesse.
These efforts are carried out with a view to facilitating our clients’ understanding about levels of damage, and how this damage has been caused through a chain of events. However, we equally work to further their appreciation of the wider legal and economic context, and of course to measure the financial ramifications of a claim.
As such, technical competence is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to ensure high quality civil liability loss adjustment.
The technical aspect must be viewed in the broader context of a “claim file” and, within this context, the expert must demonstrate “situational intelligence”, to lift a quote from the definition of the role of the civil liability loss adjuster provided by the Plenary Assembly of Damage Insurance Companies, in 1990.
In other words, and as a famous old figure of the civil liability profession was fond of saying as an adaptation of Pascal’s theory: technicians, engineers and scientists have the Spirit of Geometry, but experts must additionally develop their Spirit of Finesse.