Siobán Healy KC > Chambers of Gavin Kealey KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
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Siobán Healy KC
Position
Barrister and Arbitrator specialising in general commercial law disputes, including insurance; reinsurance; international trade and commodities; shipping and carriage of goods; banking and other contractual disputes; professional negligence particularly of solicitors, brokers, surveyors and accountants; arbitration and conflicts of law. Notable cases include acting for the successful insurance brokers in ABN Amro v RSA [2022] 1 Lloyd’s Rep IR 201; acting for the claimants in the Buncefield litigation: Beazley Underwriting v Travelers [2012] Lloyd’s Rep IR 78; Carboex SA v Louis Dreyfus [2013]2 WLR 754; Colour Quest v Total [2009]2 Lloyd’s Rep 1; Dunlop Haywards v Barbon [2010]1 Lloyd’s Rep IR 149 (brokers’ duties); DHL v Erinaceous [2009] EWCA Civ 354 (rectification, joinder); Wasa v Lexington [2010]1 AC 180 (back-to-back nature of insurance and reinsurance); Encia v Canopius [2008] Lloyd’s Rep IR 79 (professional indemnity insurance); Diab v Regent [2007] 1WLR 797 (unaccepted repudiation of policy did not invalidate notification requirements); Limit No.3 v PDV [2005] Lloyd’s Rep IR 522 (forum non conveniens); Paine v Catlins [2005] Lloyd’s Rep IR 655 (fire insurance); Glencore v Alpina [2004]1Lloyd’s Rep 111 (insurance; open cover); Assicurazioni Generali v CGU [2004] Lloyd’s Rep IR 457 CA (‘follow settlements’ in reinsurance); Tradigrain v SlAT [2002]2 Lloyd’s Rep 553 (conflict of laws; Brussels-Lugano conventions articles 8, 12a, 17, 22); The Mass Glory [2002] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 244 (damages in string arbitrations damages for detention); The Happy Day [2002] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 487 (whether despatch payable where no valid NOR given); Chase v Ram [2000] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 418 (jurisdiction forum non conveniens, insurance); Eide v Lowndes Lambert CA [1999] QB 199 (broker’s lien); Boskalis v Mountain CA [1999] QB 674 (marine insurance). Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Acts as arbitrator in sports and commercial contractual disputes of all kinds
Career
Qualified 1990 solicitor; 1993 barrister; 2010 Queen’s Counsel; articled clerk then solicitor Richards Butler 1988-93; director Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund Limited 1995 to 2010; Bar Standards Board Professional Conduct Committee 2011-2015; FCIArb 2013.
Memberships
LCIA; COMBAR; BILA; LSLC; LMAA (supporting member). Member of CAS, SIAC, ARIAS, KLRCA Panels of Arbitrators.
Education
Brasenose College, Oxford (1986 BA Hons Jurisprudence); Northwestern University, Chicago (1991 LLM).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Shipping
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4London Bar > International arbitration: counsel
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Siobán Healy KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Top league: excellent legal analysis, very user-friendly. Siobán is very bright, hard working and meticulous in her preparation and is always on top of the details of the case – her style of delivery at a hearing is measured and effective.’
London Bar > Commodities
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Siobán Healy KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Siobán offers superb legal analysis and an excellent understanding of strategy and commercial priorities.’
At 7 King’s Bench Walk, ‘many members have impressive commodities practices, and it is one of chambers’ core areas of work’. The set, which has ‘a good range of counsel at different levels’, is highly regarded for its work at the intersection between commodities and insurance, and many members also have extensive experience in the associated area of shipping. Their work encompasses all aspects of the trade of goods, including cargo damage, cargo theft, bill of lading fraud, and breach of obligations under contracts of international sale and purchase, and they work for high-profile clients, among them the leading global commodities trading houses and leading financial institutions. Siobán Healy KC recently acted for Edge in a $33m dispute concerning whether cargoes of cocoa beans stored in warehouses which turned out to be of less value than declared or did not exist were covered under a transaction premium clause in a marine cargo policy.
London Bar > Insurance and reinsurance
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Siobán Healy KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Siobán is very bright, hard working and meticulous in her preparation. She is always on top of the details of the case. Her style of delivery at a hearing is measured and effective.’
London Bar > Commercial litigation
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Siobán Healy KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Outstandingly effective – a great grip on the detail and the big picture. She quickly earns the respect of the client and tribunals. A superb advocate – she dominates the hearings.’
London Bar > International arbitration: arbitrators
7 King’s Bench Walk ‘has a large number of very experienced insurance practitioners, and arbitrators – all of high quality’ and remains ‘one of the go-to sets for complex insurance arbitrations.’ The set’s expertise extends to arbitrations arising from a wide range of sectors spanning international business and commerce, commercial claims, aviation, shipping, commodities, and logistics, as well as energy and natural resources disputes. Members specialise in sitting as independent arbitrators or party-appointed co-arbitrators with the set’s former judges, including Lord Jonathan Mance, Sir Stephen Tomlinson and Sir Jeremy Cooke, being particularly sought-after. A wide offering at the junior end enables the set to offer solutions to resolving lower value international trade, commodities, and insurance claims. Stephen Hofmeyr KC, Siobán Healy KC and James Drake KC
also have an enviable track record of high-profile arbitrations.
London Bar > Energy
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Siobán Healy KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Offers superb legal analysis and is very fair. Tribunal members have confidence in her judgment. Excellent understanding of strategy and commercial priorities. User-friendly and very easy to work with while top league.’