United Kingdom > London Bar > Insurance and reinsurance
Index of tables
- Insurance and reinsurance – Leading Sets
- Insurance and reinsurance – Leading Silks
- Insurance and reinsurance – New Silks
- Insurance and reinsurance – Leading Juniors
Insurance and reinsurance – Leading Sets
Insurance and reinsurance – Leading Silks
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- Anthony Boswood QC Fountain Court Chambers
- Christopher Butcher QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Michael Crane QC Fountain Court Chambers
- Colin Edelman QC Devereux
- Jonathan Gaisman QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Mark Howard QC Brick Court Chambers
- Gavin Kealey QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Dominic Kendrick QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- David Railton QC Fountain Court Chambers
- Alistair Schaff QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
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- Steven Berry QC Essex Court Chambers
- Raymond Cox QC Fountain Court Chambers
- David Edwards QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- John Lockey QC Essex Court Chambers
- Iain Milligan QC 20 Essex Street
- Stephen Moriarty QC Fountain Court Chambers
- Andrew Popplewell QC Brick Court Chambers
- Jeremy Stuart-Smith QC Four New Square
- Anthony Temple QC 4 Pump Court
- VV Veeder QC Essex Court Chambers
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- David Foxton QC Essex Court Chambers
- Jonathan Hirst QC Brick Court Chambers
- Richard Jacobs QC Essex Court Chambers
- George Leggatt QC Brick Court Chambers
- Hodge Malek QC 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
- Rory Phillips QC 3 Verulam Buildings
- Gordon Pollock QC Essex Court Chambers
- Laurence Rabinowitz QC One Essex Court
- Christopher Symons QC 3 Verulam Buildings
- Tom Weitzman QC 3 Verulam Buildings
- William Wood QC Brick Court Chambers
- Colin Wynter QC Devereux
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- Andrew Bartlett QC Crown Office Chambers
- Robert Bright QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Bob Moxon Browne QC 2 Temple Gardens
- Neil Calver QC Brick Court Chambers
- Stuart Catchpole QC Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Barbara Dohmann QC Blackstone Chambers
- Graham Dunning QC Essex Court Chambers
- Philip Edey QC 20 Essex Street
- Adam Fenton QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Justin Fenwick QC Four New Square
- Jeffrey Gruder QC Essex Court Chambers
- Michael Harvey QC Crown Office Chambers
- Stephen Hofmeyr QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Ian Hunter QC Essex Court Chambers
- Andrew Lydiard QC Brick Court Chambers
- Andrew Neish QC 4 Pump Court
- Jeffery Onions QC One Essex Court
- Craig Orr QC One Essex Court
- Howard Palmer QC 2 Temple Gardens
- Simon Rainey QC Quadrant Chambers
- Roger Stewart QC Four New Square
- Michael Swainston QC Brick Court Chambers
- Mark Templeman QC Essex Court Chambers
- Roger ter Haar QC Crown Office Chambers
- Nigel Tozzi QC 4 Pump Court
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- Tom Adam QC Brick Court Chambers
- Robert Anderson QC Blackstone Chambers
- Thomas Beazley QC Blackstone Chambers
- Claire Blanchard QC Essex Court Chambers
- Neil Block QC Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Stewart Boyd CBE QC Essex Court Chambers
- Michael Brindle QC Fountain Court Chambers
- Simon Bryan QC Essex Court Chambers
- Aidan Christie QC 4 Pump Court
- Michael Curtis QC Crown Office Chambers
- Nicholas Davidson QC Four New Square
- Julia Dias QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- David Donaldson QC Blackstone Chambers
- Graham Eklund QC Four New Square
- Steven Gee QC Stone Chambers
- Lord Grabiner QC One Essex Court
- Andrew Green QC Blackstone Chambers
- Christopher Hancock QC 20 Essex Street
- Siobán Healy QC 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Timothy Howe QC Fountain Court Chambers
- Nigel Jones QC Hardwicke
- David Joseph QC Essex Court Chambers
- Sir Sydney Kentridge QC Brick Court Chambers
- Robin Knowles CBE QC 3-4 South Square
- David Lord QC 3 Stone Buildings
- Harry Matovu QC Brick Court Chambers
- David Mildon QC Essex Court Chambers
- Richard Millett QC Essex Court Chambers
- Christopher Moger QC 4 Pump Court
- David Owen QC 20 Essex Street
- Luke Parsons QC Quadrant Chambers
- Lionel Persey QC Quadrant Chambers
- Guy Philipps QC Fountain Court Chambers
- Andrew Prynne QC Temple Garden Chambers
- Paul Reed QC Hardwicke
- David Sears QC Four New Square
Insurance and reinsurance – New Silks
Insurance and reinsurance – Leading Juniors
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- Guy Blackwood Quadrant Chambers
- Michael Bools Brick Court Chambers
- Michael Collett 20 Essex Street
- Jonathan Davies-Jones 3 Verulam Buildings
- Charles Dougherty 2 Temple Gardens
- Richard Harrison Devereux
- Timothy Kenefick 7 King’s Bench Walk
- James Medd Crown Office Chambers
- Sean O’Sullivan 4 Pump Court
- Peter Ratcliffe 3 Verulam Buildings
- Andrew Wales 7 King’s Bench Walk
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- Rachel Ansell 4 Pump Court
- Geoffrey Brown Thirty Nine Essex Street
- Andrew Burns Devereux
- Suzanne Chalmers Crown Office Chambers
- Steven Coles Crown Office Chambers
- James Cutress Fountain Court Chambers
- Peter de Verneuil Smith 3 Verulam Buildings
- Doré Green 2 Temple Gardens
- John Greenbourne Crown Office Chambers
- Alexander Gunning 4 Pump Court
- Josephine Higgs 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Jonathan Hough Four New Square
- Neil Hext Four New Square
- Michael Holmes 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Stephen Houseman Essex Court Chambers
- Andrew Hunter Blackstone Chambers
- Simon Kerr 7 King’s Bench Walk
- Adam Kramer 3 Verulam Buildings
- Anna Laney Crown Office Chambers
- Ben Lynch Devereux
- Andrew Miller 2 Temple Gardens
- Alison Padfield Devereux
- John Passmore Quadrant Chambers
- Fionn Pilbrow Brick Court Chambers
- David Pliener Hardwicke
- Ben Quiney Crown Office Chambers
- Alan Roxburgh Brick Court Chambers
- Paul Sinclair Fountain Court Chambers
- Rebecca Taylor Crown Office Chambers
- Geraint Webb Henderson Chambers
‘Undeniably a top insurance set and a “go-to” in this area of expertise’, 7 King’s Bench Walk has ‘excellent QCs as well as strong juniors’, and ‘clerking is on the ball’. David Edwards QC is ‘a tough advocate and commands respect; a real insurance specialist’. Edwards is not alone in receiving high praise, with Jonathan Gaisman QC noted ‘as one of the real heavyweights’; Gavin Kealey QC ‘an elder statesman of the Bar’, and ‘a very good advocate and cross-examiner’; and Christopher Butcher QC ‘a first-rate insurance silk’, ‘a star’. The highly recommended Adam Fenton QC was lead counsel in the five-week High Court trial DHL v Barbon, and the ‘highly able’ Julia Dias QC won a successful appeal in Dunlop Haywards (DHL) Ltd v Erinaceous Insurance Services Ltd.
With a ‘heavyweight roster of top advocates’, Brick Court Chambers is ‘one of the top sets’ and ‘very strong in all aspects’. Reflective of the set’s calibre, Jonathan Sumption QC was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court. Despite Sumption’s move, the set has ‘great strength in depth’ to draw from, including Sir Sydney Kentridge QC (‘simply the best’); head of chambers Jonathan Hirst QC; Neil Calver QC (‘he delivers the goods’); and Tom Adam QC (‘without a doubt the most capable brain of his generation’). Fionn Pilbrow is ‘a junior whose star is rising fast’. Instructing solicitors also appreciate senior clerk Ian Moyler, who is ‘very well connected’.
‘Obviously one of the supersets and worth it for the right cases’, Essex Court Chambers has a deep reserve of talent. Philippa Hopkins has a ‘mind like a razor; she is incisive, robust and commercial’. The ‘very bright’ Stephen Houseman acted for Allianz in connection with an application for declaratory relief in Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, and ‘focuses on the real issues, handles the client well and has a good sense of humour’. David Foxton QC receives plaudits as ‘one of the greatest talents of the younger supersilks’; he is ‘phenomenally clever but wears it lightly’. 2010 saw Bernard Eder QC appointed Justice to the High Court, Queen’s Bench Division.
Key individuals at Fountain Court Chambers (a set that ‘can be relied upon to provide very high-quality counsel’) include the ‘nimble and tenacious’ James Cutress. Led by Christopher Hancock QC of 20 Essex Street, Cutress acted for excess layer insurers in a $200m Bermuda Form insurance claim by a major pharmaceuticals manufacturer. The ‘experienced and bright’ Patrick Goodall is recommended for ‘any complex insurance case’ and is praised as ‘diligent, sensible and a pleasure to work with’; definitely ‘one to watch’. Head of chambers Timothy Dutton QC has ‘a brilliant analytical mind with immediate understanding of the issues’. Also highly rated are Stephen Moriarty QC and Michael Crane QC.
Crown Office Chambers is ‘invariably able to put forward a high-quality candidate for any instruction in this area’, such as the ‘very capable’ Roger ter Haar QC and Andrew Bartlett QC, who employs ‘meticulous forensic analysis’ and is ‘just ruthless’ in court. With a ‘dependable legal brain’, Michael Curtis QC led a team of three juniors in a multimillion-dollar international arbitration. At junior level, Rebecca Taylor, Suzanne Chalmers and Anna Laney (‘no praise is high enough’) are highly rated.
Devereux’s Colin Edelman QC is a ‘favourite “go-to” QC’ in this area; ‘an exceptionally strong advocate’, he ‘cuts straight to the issues’. Colin Wynter QC is ‘quick and responsive’, and Richard Harrison ‘combines technical capability with being very user-friendly; a modern-day senior junior’. Among other juniors recommended are Andrew Burns, who appeared in the Court of Appeal EL Trigger litigation, and Alison Padfield whose ‘client care skills are second to none’.
Christopher Hancock QC of 20 Essex Street is ‘one of the best insurance lawyers at the Bar’. The set also houses Philip Edey QC, who is ‘able to hold his own against those with significantly more experience’, and is an ‘outstanding silk’ and ‘devastating cross-examiner’. In the political risk arena, David Owen QC stands out; he uses ‘good, clear, articulate thinking for difficult cases’ and ‘goes down very well with clients’.
Comprised of ‘a very fine group of barristers’, 4 Pump Court ‘delivers a great product’. ‘It has good clerking and a modern, positive attitude’. Despite the loss of John Rowland QC, who left the Bar to set up in-house advocacy at Clayton Utz (Australia), a plethora of recommended names remain, including Nigel Tozzi QC (‘intelligent, astute and thorough’); Aidan Christie QC (who ‘has it all’); and Andrew Neish QC (‘a lethal advocate’). Among standout juniors are the ‘bright and very able’ Rachel Ansell, who ‘is formidable in court’, and Sean O’Sullivan, ‘who is blessed with unusual clarity of thought and expression, matched by excellent instincts’.
Quadrant Chambers takes a ‘refreshingly commercial and modern attitude’ and is ‘a strong set that knows its practice areas well’. New silk Stephen Cogley QC is ‘a brilliantly tenacious barrister with an ability to get right to the heart of the matter with an unerring instinct for the answer’, and John Passmore is ‘incisive, with a good grasp of commercial realities’. Luke Parsons QC, who has a broad practice including marine insurance, appeared in Global Process Systems Inc & Anor v Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Berhad.
‘Quality set’ 3 Verulam Buildings houses ‘many good QCs and juniors’. Tom Weitzman QC ‘is intellectually strong and reads the mood of the court well’. Jonathan Davies-Jones is ‘counsel of the highest quality’, and is ‘very clear in his legal analysis and its strategic implications’. ‘One of the brightest junior barristers of his generation’, Adam Kramer is being led by Tom Weitzman QC for the brokers in Gard Marine & Energy Ltd v Lloyd’s Syndicate 780. ‘Major player’ Christopher Symons QC is also highly rated.
There is an ‘overall excellent team’ at Blackstone Chambers. Robert Anderson QC is ‘very responsive, creative and dedicated’. ‘Clear-thinking and excellent advocate’ Andrew Green QC recently took silk, and Andrew Hunter remains ‘very calm under pressure’; he ‘floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee’. Hunter was counsel for the claimant reinsured in a substantial reinsurance claim in the Commercial Court, Gard Marine and Energy Ltd v Tunnicliffe.
One Essex Court has recently been joined by Craig Orr QC, formerly of Fountain Court Chambers. Cases for Jeffery Onions QC included acting for European Mutual Association for Nuclear Insurance in respect of a potential claim arising from the leakage of nitric acid containing dissolved nuclear material.
The ‘forward-looking and efficient’ Thirty Nine Essex Street provides ‘a wide choice of counsel and significant depth of expertise’. Neil Block QC ‘understands the needs of insurers’, and Stuart Catchpole QC is rated as ‘wonderful on his feet, clear minded and practical when preparing’. On the property insurance side Geoffrey Brown is highly recommended.
The ‘very much up-and-coming’ Four New Square houses names including Graham Eklund QC, who marries a ‘sound legal approach to a well-tuned commercial antenna’; Mark Cannon QC, who has a ‘cerebral, dry approach’ and whose ‘written work is as good as it gets’; Jeremy Stuart-Smith QC (‘an excellent and polished advocate’); and Nicholas Davidson QC (who ‘displays mastery of the law and practice of insurance’). Junior Jonathan Hough is ‘a first-rate legal brain’.
At 2 Temple Gardens, Doré Green (‘a leading barrister in this area’) is acting for the insured in a complex claim (Gemini Riteway v TSM Consortium and others) led by ‘one of the most experienced litigators about’, Bob Moxon Browne QC. Andrew Miller and Charles Dougherty ‘are both outstanding juniors’, and Howard Palmer QC has ‘an agile mind and an ability to cope with whatever the judge throws at him’.