Insurance and reinsurance litigation in London

‘Fast, effective and pragmatic advice.’

‘Simon Jackson is user-friendly and solution-orientated.’

‘Paul Lowrie: Highly skilled and empathic. Makes the difficult understandable. Gives the right recommendation’

‘Very broad expertise, and the availability of the full DLA Piper network in the background is useful.’

‘Leon Taylor in particular has provided excellent support.’

‘Excellent advice, strong reinsurance experience. Pragmatic approach. Approachable and responsive.’

‘Rebecca Hopkirk – an absolute gem. Very commercial and extremely responsive.’

‘The flexibility for the team to grow and contract as demands of the cases have shifted has been key. As a result of discovery demands and Covid-19 restrictions the team has searched for a delivered digital solutions.’

‘Depth, expertise, international presence, joined-up approach.’

‘Christopher Cardona – exceptional knowledge, skills, abilities, acumen and discusses issues with the client based on the client.’

‘Costas Frangeskides is a great person and an even better attorney. He brings a vast amount of insurance industry experience to his work, and he is great at cross-border work. His historic knowledge often comes into play when providing advice, and he is always willing to drop everything for a time sensitive project. It is a pleasure working with him.’

‘Jonathan Bruce – excellent.’

‘HFW has a tremendous team supporting (re)insurance, with a strong base in London and offices in other important jurisdictions (including UAE and Brazil). They have the most well regarded solicitors in the London market and are extremely knowledgeable. I love working with them.’

‘A personal service. I’m updated on matters by phone and timescales for reporting provided which are always met. Friendly and helpful staff and clearly very knowledgeable.’

‘A large team with a great mix of knowledgeable partners and smart associates.’

‘A client friendly, responsive team who are a pleasure to work with.  They know the insurance market well and deploy that knowledge to inform their advice which is commercial and pragmatic. It has been very important for us to respond to our policyholders in a clear, consistent and timely way and the team at RPC has worked with us closely to ensure that has been possible.’

‘Friendly staff who clearly know their stuff.’

‘Victoria Sherratt is very responsive, pragmatic and commercial and her advice is well structured and clear.  She does not sit on the fence and she seeks to understand the challenges that we are faced with as a business. She is passionate about the work that she does.’

‘Ross Baker – a master strategist, Ross is always five steps ahead of the opposition. Ross never loses sight of his brief and ensures the clients are always aware of exactly what steps are being taken and why. I would single out Ross as a fantastic team player.’ 

‘Mark Aitken is an extremely capable insurance litigator, specialising in complex commercial insurance disputes (especially property and general liability). He has a real flair for investigating a claim and marshalling evidence for insurers. John O’Shea  handles large and important insurance disputes as well as subrogated claims. He is cerebral and has an excellent technical acumen, as well as providing superb strategic advice. Hanna Platt is a rising star in the area, with strong tactical instincts and a rigorous commitment to the detail of a case.’

‘BLM’s great strength is listening to their clients’ needs and always remembering their clients’ commercial objectives. So, whilst their legal analysis is second to none, they never let the law dominate the agenda – instead it is seeking to secure what their clients need. They are also highly collaborative and great team players. Clients are brought into the decision-making process and remain there.’ 

‘Mark Aitken stands out as market leading when it comes to fraud investigation. Some fantastic recent results in cases. He has a wealth of experience in this area. A safe pair of hands. Philip Adamis has for many years provided valuable guidance on matters, his previous experience as a loss adjuster means that he truly understands claims pressures. He is quick to respond to urgent matters and discuss practical steps. He is particular good at navigating contentious issues which result in economic savings.’  

‘Elizabeth Whittingham – calm under pressure, universally admired and liked by her team who clearly respond to her and enjoy working with her. Great clarity of thought and insight into client needs. John O’Shea – consummate professional. Clear-headed, able to pinpoint issues and provide crisp and incisive advice within tight timeframes.’

‘Stephen Carter – easy and pleasant to work with, very analytical, great capability to provide deep expertise and opinion even in spontaneous discussion. When it comes to international reinsurance, often lawyers have either good grasp of the academic side or grasp of the practical business aspects, but rarely both. To find a lawyer who has command of both is a rare treat. Stephen was immediately on point without needing any further introduction to either practices or the theory and I see him as a thought-leader in his field.’

‘ Helen Tilley is a very capable and experienced specialist in life and health insurance.’

‘Bernadette Bailey is always heavily personally invested in delivering a positive outcome for her clients. Whether seeking to resolve a dispute, or building and presenting a case for trial, no stone is left unturned. Whatever the circumstances Bernadette never loses sight of the bigger picture and seeks to achieve a commercial result that best meets the objectives of the client.’

‘Stephen Carter – excellent professional, but at the same time kind.  Bernadette Bailey, aggressive and determined but always very conscious when to start negotiating an out of court solution. A very rare but useful mix.’

‘Mark Everiss is technically very skilled, fast in responses and a great negotiator.’

‘Cooley’s insurance and reinsurance litigation team has swooped in to provide advice and guidance on a number of international matters for us. We bring them the weird and wonderful Lloyds of London disputes and they put together the right team even if it means pulling from different international offices. They are a real tool in the arsenal.’

‘David Kendall – responsive and provides pragmatic advice.’

‘The team is highly skilled and knowledgeable about the workings of the Lloyds market.’

‘Jonathan Moss is a world class shipping insurance lawyer. He has expertise in both wet and dry shipping matters – as well as commodities. His team has detailed knowledge of issues faced in a wide range of jurisdictions. One unique feature is that Jonathan, and certain members of his team, have physically been on-the-ground in both the Asian and African continent. He/they really know what’s going on where we operate. As well as having a dedicated team, Jonathan’s firm has huge resources and are able to upscale at a moment’s notice to deliver results.’

‘The European links within the DWF organisation are a strong asset to the team, as is the association with DWF Claims who offer solutions that dovetail with the legal services. In comparison with other similar organisations, work product is received in a prompt and timely manner, budgets are closely managed, and reports are clear and well structured.’

‘Excellent knowledge of the insurance industry.’

‘Jonathan Moss is a standout lawyer, with extensive experience and an impressive practice. He has a commercial approach, mixed with in-depth knowledge of the law. Jonathan’s language skills are of huge value with cases arising from the African continent. I would describe Jonathan as a go-to shipping lawyer.’

‘John Groome has been a long term contact within the organisation, his pragmatic and practical approach to resolving disputes is excellent. His ability to refer appropriate matters to a team of lawyers with multijurisdictional abilities is of particular benefit.’

‘Antony Woodhouse is a leading individual.’

‘Excellent technical knowledge specific to UK and EU insurance regulatory issues’

‘Partners and associates very approachable and give pragmatic advice.’

‘Jamie Rogers brings a combination of considerable intellectual rigour and commercial awareness, which, together with responsiveness and timely delivery, makes him our go-to lawyer.’

‘Breadth of expertise, bench strength, responsiveness. A diverse, expert, and business-minded team. Online seminars also very welcome and insightful.’

‘Jon Ogle and Michelle George – stellar.’

‘Michelle George and Adrian Mecz are highly experienced insurance coverage lawyers who have always seen and dealt with it before’

‘Michelle George is an excellent insurance coverage lawyer who doesn’t waste time with bad points or advice’

‘Excellent team – very diverse experience – excellent individuals. An excellent service’

‘Charlie Weston-Simons has provided excellent strategic thinking around a complex matter’

‘Susannah Russell managed the large volumes of material involved with great skill and accuracy and kept pace with the many twists and turns of the arbitration’

‘Colin Peck – he has terrific attention to detail. He picks up points which most would miss and deploys them to great effect. He’s extremely committed to his clients and gets great results.’

‘An extremely client focused and committed team with deep knowledge of its clients.’

‘We use Francis Mackie who is always available, client focused and gives thorough, appropriate advice.’

‘Specialised knowledge in niche field of work.’

‘Jonathan Newbold – technically excellent, sound judgement and a pleasure to work with’

‘Jude Cummings – very able, and making excellent progress’

‘What makes Mayer Brown unique is that I know I could work with anyone in the Insurance team with the full knowledge that I’d be in good hands. The quality of work from the team is always exceptional.’

‘Working with Mike Newham is incredibly easy. He is thorough and detailed with his work but also explains complicated issues in ways that are easy to understand. Mike is also great with thinking strategically, which is essential on the insurer side when handling difficult matters. I particularly value that Mike is genuinely happy to discuss claims whenever necessary and it is always a pleasure to work with him.’

‘Very experienced firm that punches well above its weight. An innovative, smart and very capable team in this area. Quick to identify the key issues in a claim in litigation but also commercially very savvy. Highly responsive. Will always run the extra mile for a client.’

‘Great teamwork. Very personable and client focused, but sharp as flint and ferociously competitive when the need arises. Not a team you want opposing you.’

‘Efstathios Michael is a stellar insurance and reinsurance partner; he stands out for his combination of great commercial instinct, intellect and fantastic humour. An absolute gem of an insurance lawyer.’

‘The team shows an excellent insight into the industry sectors of its client base which enable them to deliver pragmatic advice and inspire confidence.’

‘Efstathios Michael is always quick to identify the key issues in a dispute and the range of options available to clients, which reflect a keen understanding of his clients’ strategic priorities. Efstathios is sharp and inspires a great sense of confidence. Efstathios is a powerful orator, who is persuasive, yet pragmatic.’

‘They take a practical, commercial approach to the resolution of insurance and reinsurance disputes, but do so while attempting to ensure that the client is in the best possible position to win should the matter fight in arbitration, court or any other forum. They go above and beyond to ensure that the optimum result is achieved. While being rigorous in their approach, they always act in a courteous, receptive and friendly manner which creates a very positive atmosphere. This is conducive to getting the best result for the client.’

‘The team is professionally led by Alex Davis. He is a big guy with a big reputation and has a thorough knowledge of marine insurance law. He leads by example and ensures his team maintain the high standards that he has implemented.’

‘They are approachable , will tell you straight whether you have a viable case. They do not take on a case if they believe you haven’t a chance of success.’

‘Excellent knowledge & advice combined with a fantastic commercial understanding. The whole team are brilliant’

‘Pragmatic, determined and knowledgeable.’

‘James Crabtree is an eminent practitioner in insurance and reinsurance law with extensive experience and deep knowledge of the market. He is extremely kind, collaborative and a pleasure to work with.’

‘The practice is absolutely “ahead of the curve” with flexible, technology-enabled ways of working and meeting client needs. As an outsider, I can see that Keystone Law give unusually high levels of support to their lawyers which enables then to concentrate on the client and the job in hand. They also have a very open and diligent way of dealing with issues and challenges.’

‘Jason Kallis – attention to detail and ability to convey complex issues to lay clients is exceptional.’

‘Antony Colman is a hugely experienced litigator. His attention to detail is second to none. His tactical nous is superb. He knows the law backwards. And it is unsurprising that he has built up a loyal client base. I work with him regularly and know and appreciate his considerable talents. And he gets incredible results for his clientele. He’s absolutely at the top of his game.’

‘Mills & Reeve’s insurance practice has come into its own in the last few years. Having had a strong name in the PI market it has been rounded out with notable work in the fields of Cyber, Political Risk & Credit, and coverage matters. Its response to the home-working response to the pandemic was particularly effective. The launch of CoverTalk, bite-size virtual lectures on insurance fundamentals and coverage issues, was inspired. An imaginative initiative that speaks to the energy in the practice.’

‘Andrew Tobin is an outstanding member of the team, having made a noticeable impact on the department in a relatively short period of time. His warm, affable manner is matched by an astute, independent mind which combines legal insight with commercial good sense. One feels that the work is given his close personal attention, whilst sensible use is made of the wider team as needed. The practice has breadth, but Andrew’s work in the political risk & credit spheres has been of particular note; he also has a deep knowledge of the political violence market which he can bring to bear.’