CMS Cameron McKenna, Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) are among 18 firms to have been appointed to Australian insurer QBE's UK claims panel.

The insurer has cut the roster down from 24 firms to 18, with 10 firms appointed to a core panel for England and Wales, three firms appointed for Scotland and Ireland and a further five firms selected for specialist advice.

Camerons, Barlows, RPC, Mayer Brown, Bond Pearce, Berrymans Lace Mawer, Beachcroft, DWF, Mills & Reeve and Plexus Law have all been chosen to sit on the England and Wales panel. Meanwhile, the three firms appointed to the panel for Scotland and Northern Ireland are HBM Sayers, Simpson & Marwick and C&H Jefferson.

The appointments follow a seven-month review led by QBE director of claims for European operations, Andrew McBride.

McBride said: "QBE has considerably invested in its claims infrastructure over the past two years. Ensuring our claims legal panel was configured appropriately for our business was an essential factor and as such warranted the in-depth review conducted. The new panel reflects our business and its ambitions and crucially enables us to better support our clients."

All of the firms have been appointed for a three-year term effective 1 March, with QBE declining to name the firms appointed for specialist advice.

QBE operates in 49 countries, with its European operations accounting for almost 35% of its group turnover, which stood at $11.2bn (£6.9bn) in the 2009 calendar year.

The appointments come as advisers await the outcome of insurance giant AXA's legal panel review, launched last year and due to run from May.