Legal expenses insurance giant DAS has appointed its first head of legal services.

Mortimer joins DAS Legal Expenses Insurance from Capita’s legal expenses business in Colchester where she spent three years as head of legal services. Her hire follows an 18-month period in which DAS has had no senior in-house legal advisor.

David Kearns, DAS’ former legal manager, left the company 18 months ago to join Severn Law in Chepstow. He has advised the company as a consultant in the intervening months.

Mortimer will now oversee the company’s 50-lawyer in-house legal team. She is also the first lawyer to sit on the company’s seven-member management board, which is led by chief executive Paul Asplin.

Mortimer said: “This job is very different [to that at Capita] in that it is an operational role looking at strategy, whereas at Capita I was more focused on running the business day-to-day.”

Bristol-based DAS Legal Expenses Insurance turned over £101m in the last financial year. It has offices in London and Manchester, and a specialist claims operation in Bedwas, South Wales. It employs 50 lawyers in-house.