7 King’s Bench Walk is 'highly regarded and well respected for its experience and strength in commercial litigation'. Demonstrating the set's prowess in insurance law, multiple members of the set appeared for various parties in the longrunning Russian Aircraft litigation, including Gavin Kealey KC and Ralph Morley representing AIG; Richard Waller KC and Michael Ryan acting for Lloyds Insurance Co; and Jonathan Gaisman KC, Siobán Healy KC, Keir Howie, and others representing Global Aerospace. The Commercial Court ruled that the aircraft were lost on 10 March 2022, and the proximate cause of the loss was Russian Government Resolution 311, which banned the return from Russia of leased aircraft and engines to Western lessors. As the ban qualified as 'restraint' and/or 'detention' within the meaning of war risks perils, the loss was ruled to be covered under the war risk insurance and excluded under the all-risk insurance. Jason Robinson KC was elevated to silk in March 2025.
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Profile
Position
A commercial barrister specialising in insurance and reinsurance, international arbitration, civil fraud and shipping. Richard’s ride-ranging insurance practice includes political risk, marine, trade credit, Bermuda form, D&O, Warranty & Indemnity, business interruption, product liability, contingency and offshore construction.
He is currently acting for the Lloyd’s war risk market in Aercap v Lloyds Insurance Company (2023) which relates to the failure of Russian airlines to return western-leased aircraft following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which is the largest case currently before the Commercial Court. Richard’s other Commercial Court cases include: CRF v Republic of Cuba [2023] EWHC 774 (general commercial; assignment; bribery sovereign debt); Brillante Virtuoso [2019] 2 Lloyd’s Rep. 485 (marine insurance; scuttling); Orb ARL v Ruhan [2015] EWHC 262 (civil fraud); Republic of Djibouti v Boreh [2015] EWHC 769 (civil fraud; government officials; corruption; freezing orders); Excalibur v Texas Keystone [2015] EWHC 566 ($1.6 billion oil exploration dispute; banking; joint venture; litigation funding); Kriti Filoxenia [2015] (shipping, arbitration appeal, time charter cancellation) and Crudesky [2012] 2 Lloyd’s Rep. 503 (shipping, Government detention of a tanker in Nigeria). Richard also has a thriving international arbitration practice, both in London and abroad, including the high-profile Opioids insurance claims.
Career
Qualified 1994; Silk 2012.
Education
Cambridge University (MA).
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