Indemnity Legal > London, England > Firm Profile
Indemnity Legal Offices
20 St Dunstan's Hill
United Kingdom
EC3R 8HL
England
Indemnity Legal > The Legal 500 Rankings
Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders Tier 4
James Morris leads the team at specialist policyholder insurance practice Indemnity Legal, a team which is praised as ‘fantastic’ and ‘very knowledgeable and pragmatic‘. It focuses on complex, high value and high stakes work, and has notable experience dealing with Covid-19 business interuption claims. John Curran is ‘an excellent technical lawyer’, and is qualified in both England & Wales and Hong Kong.Practice head(s):
James Morris
Other key lawyers:
John Curran; Rachel Auld; Nick Colman
Testimonials
‘Indemnity Legal has a unique practice dealing only in claims against insurers, particularly D&O insurance. They are fantastic at what they do, very knowledgeable and pragmatic.’
‘Both James Morris and John Curran are first rate insurance lawyers with a vast amount of experience acting for policyholders’
‘John Curran is excellent and provides practical and commercially sensible advice.’
‘James Morris is excellent both in terms of his technical knowledge but also his commercial approach to cases.’
‘The team as a whole, without exception are incredibly approachable and commercial. Above all they know our industry inside out.’
‘James Morris is one of the most dynamic, business-minded lawyers I’ve come across. He various experiences in-house and in private practice means he really gets insurance and how to resolve disputes.’
‘John Curran is an excellent technical lawyer and is a wonderful addition to the firm.’
‘James Morris is our principal contact and go to person. His knowledge of the insurance market is incomparable and yet he is very down to earth in his advice. He is a stand out practitioner in the field.’
Work highlights
- Advising an action group of 25 independent schools in respect of a complex coverage dispute with their business interruption insurer (a large US insurer) arising from COVID-19 losses.
- Advising the administrator of a large UK SIPP administrator on the pursuit of professional indemnity coverage for negligence claims of c.£80m.
- Advising the employee of a UK listed entity on the recovery of multi-million pounds of defence costs under his employer’s D&O policy following his prosecution for fraud by the Serious Fraud Office.
Indemnity Legal > Firm Profile
Indemnity Legal is a boutique litigation firm specialising exclusively in resolving complex, high value or high stakes insurance disputes for corporate/commercial policyholders and high net worth individuals.
We never act for insurers against their policyholders, such that we are always conflict free.
Our approach to complex, high value and high stakes coverage disputes
Indemnity Legal’s approach to resolving coverage disputes is unique. Our approach has two features at its core:
First, all of our Partners have, before “changing sides”, advised/participated in the insurance market. We use that insider-experience to ensure that technically expert/strategically sound coverage advice is always accompanied by an expert perspective on insurance market practice and why a coverage dispute might have arisen (or might arise in the future). By viewing our coverage advice in that way, we can get to the heart of a problem more quickly, saving time, cost and disruption.
Second, Indemnity Legal positions itself as part of the insurance market, not in principled opposition to it. We do not treat an insurer as “the enemy”. We simply happen to act for policyholders (much as a broker does) within the insurance market and we do so with a deep understanding of how the market should work, and what an insurer ought to be doing (either legally or as a matter of good market practice) on any given complex, high value or high stakes claim.
By adopting that position, and by recognising that a successful corporate insurance relationship is built (in part) on a strong relationship between underwriter, policyholder and insurance broker, we can – so far as can be achieved in litigation – seek to respect those relationships despite a fundamental disagreement about what an insurer’s obligations might be. That maintains the prospect of a resolution without recourse to litigation for as long as commercially possible. It also avoids unnecessary/avoidable entrenchment.
This sensible and commercially driven approach to resolving disputes means we regularly receive referrals from many of the leading firms who act for insurers.
A leading firm for commercial/corporate policyholders
Indemnity Legal is one of only 14 firms ranked in the UK by Chambers & Partners and one of only 17 firms ranked by The Legal 500, for expertise in resolving complex coverage disputes for commercial policyholders. Two of the firm’s Partners, James Morris & John Curran, are individually ranked by Chambers & Partners for their expertise, and James Morris was named a “Leading Individual” by The Legal 500 in October 2023.
Indemnity Legal has won/been shortlisted for numerous awards from legal and insurance bodies or publications, including for “Insurance Law Firm of the Year” at the 2023 British Claims Awards.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Morris | james.morris@indemnitylegal.co.uk | +44 (0)203 900 4097 |
Lawyer Profiles
Staff Figures
Partners : 4 Associates : 3Languages
EnglishMemberships
British Insurance Law AssociationClient Testimonials
“We use the Indemnity Legal team because of their specialist knowledge in the field of policyholder disputes. I rate them very highly.”
Client
“Indemnity Legal is a specialist and is able to complete and handle complex and sophisticated issues promptly and with skill.”
Client
“I received a first class, friendly and efficient service, and can’t find a
single fault in my entire experience with Indemnity legal.”
Client
“The team is able to advise on all our matters during first-time calls. They are very knowledgeable.
Client
“Indemnity legal respond promptly – they are hungry to succeed and appreciate that this is achieved through strong service levels.”
Client
“Indemnity Legal has subject-matter experts with encyclopaedic knowledge of the specific law.”
Client
“We’ve referred matters large and small from things that are for a few
thousand pounds – but have large implications – all the way through to
seven figure cases…I have personally recommended Indemnity Legal to others.”
Insurance Broker
- Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders