Michael Curtis KC > Crown Office Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
Crown Office Chambers Offices
2 CROWN OFFICE ROW, TEMPLE
LONDON
EC4Y 7HJ
England
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Michael Curtis KC
Position
He has a broad commercial and civil practice with particular emphasis on construction, insurance, property damage and professional negligence. In the last three years he has been instructed in two of the leading reported cases concerning causation, remoteness and measure of loss: in Coal Pension Properties v NuWay [2009] 124 Con LR 50 (measure of loss in commercial property damage claims) he acted for the claimant; in Supershield v Siemens [2010] 129 ConLR 52 (causation/remoteness) he acted for Slaughter & May in the settled litigation, to which Supershield and Siemens were additional parties. in the same period he also acted for the insured in a two-month $150m international Cayman Island arbitration; for London Fire in Veolia plc (formerly Three Valleys Water) v London Fire & Emergency planning Authority [2009] EWHC 3019 and [2010] EWHC 208; and for Total in the Buncefield quantum litigation. He is currently acting for the Allianz and Provident policyholders in Coles v Hetherton, the RSAI test case litigation, where the defendants recently obtained permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal.
Career
Called 1982; Middle Temple; QC 2008; part-time lecturer in constitutional and administrative law at PCL 1982-85; frequently speaks and writes articles on a variety of commercial topics.
Memberships
Commercial Bar Association; LCL; CBA; TECBAR.
Education
King Henry VIII School, Coventry; Brasenose College, Oxford; Council of Legal Education; Kings College; London University (1981 BA Law; 1995 MA; 1995 MSc; 1996 ACIArb).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Construction
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Michael Curtis KC – Crown Office Chambers ‘Michael provides clear, concise advice and can cut through complex issues so that they are easy to understand. His work ethic is unparalleled and he has an impressive attention to detail.’
With ‘strength in depth’, Crown Office Chambers tackles a broad spectrum of construction disputes, including construction-related professional negligence and insurance claims. In Sky, Mace & Prater v Riverstone Managing Agency and others, Andrew Rigney KC acted for the insurers in a substantial claim tied to defects and damages to the roof of Sky’s headquarters and studios in Osterley. Michael Curtis KC and Michele De Gregorio represent Simply Construct in the case of Toppan Holdings Ltd & Abbey Healthcare (Mill Hill) Ltd v Simply Construct (UK) Ltd, concerning alleged fire safety defects at a London care home, and have secured permission to appeal to the Supreme Court – at issue is if a collateral warranty is a construction contract within the meaning of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996; if it is not, the adjudicator who heard the case did not have jurisdiction.
London Bar > Insurance and reinsurance
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Michael Curtis KC –Crown Office Chambers ‘He has a tenacious work ethic and provides clear advice. He is very personable and has an ability to tailor his advice to his audience, whether they be lawyers or laypeople. He has a forensic eye for detail.’
London Bar > Professional negligence
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Michael Curtis KC –Crown Office Chambers ‘He has a tenacious work ethic and provides clear advice. He is very personable and has an ability to tailor his advice to his audience, whether they be lawyers or laypeople. He has a forensic eye for detail.’