Crossing the Line: When WhatsApp Messages Create Binding Contracts

Increasingly, key agreements in insurance and financial services are formed through everyday tools like WhatsApp, SMS, and email. But when does an informal message cross the line into a legally binding contract?

The recent case of Jaevee Homes Ltd v Fincham provides a striking reminder: digital communications, even those that seem casual, can amount to enforceable agreements with serious financial consequences. For professionals in insurance and financial services, where trust, compliance, and clarity are paramount, this raises urgent questions about how we communicate with clients, brokers, underwriters, and third parties.

This webinar will unpack the key legal principles of contract formation in the digital age, explore the implications of Jaevee Homes v Fincham, and equip you with strategies to safeguard your communications. You’ll walk away with a clear framework for managing digital correspondence without stumbling into unintended obligations.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• identify the legal elements of contract formation and how they apply to WhatsApp, email, and other digital communication channels.
• understand the implications of the Jaevee Homes Ltd v Fincham case for insurance and financial services professionals.
• implement a strategy to manage digital communications effectively, ensuring clarity and reducing the risk of unintentionally creating binding contracts.

Speaker Bio

Jeff Heasman worked as a litigation executive and senior liability adjuster before branching out into language and psychology. Jeff holds both a bachelors and a masters of law degree, is a qualified language instructor and also a certified practitioner member of the Academy of Modern Applied Psychology as well as a member of the Association of Business Psychology. He delivers courses across the globe, either face-to-face or online. Jeff maintains a close connection to the industry by regularly providing consultancy in areas such as law and communication and he provides consultations with individuals and teams regarding cognitive skills, such as decision-making and problem-solving.

In 2020, Jeff graduated top of the class from the Yale School of Management Executive Education programme in negotiation strategies with a score of 100% across all modules and he is recognised as an expert in the field of negotiations within the insurance industry. Other areas of specialist expertise include insurance fraud, claims handling and the synergy between product design, brand promises, marketing messages and customer expectations. Jeff is currently completing a doctoral thesis with a Swiss business school, focusing on human v automated decision-making in insurance claims and its potential impact on customer trust.

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