7 King’s Bench Walk is particularly known for its work on audit negligence cases, as well as claims against insurance brokers an legal professionals, crossing over with the set’s reputation for pure insurance work. Rebecca Sabben-Clare KC, Josephine Higgs KC and James Brocklebank KC are routinely instructed on high profile audit negligence cases. Brocklebank KC led Ralph Morley in Enterprise Insurance Co. v EY Ltd, a claim centred around the auditors’ role in the company’s failure. James Goudkamp acts for the claimants in URS Corp Ltd v BDW Trading Ltd, which sheds light on issues in the law of torts and concerns whether or not a developer can recover damages on repair costs voluntarily undertaken.
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Profile
Position
Ralph practises in all areas of commercial law, including international arbitration, general commercial litigation, wet and dry shipping, insurance, aviation, professional negligence, sale of goods, jurisdiction and civil procedure.
He has a particular interest in Admiralty Court work, having appeared as sole counsel in high-profile limitation proceedings concerning the "EVER GIVEN" and the "X-PRESS PEARL", and across a wide range of charterparty, cargo, salvage and other maritime disputes. His writing on admiralty law was recently cited with approval in the Supreme Court in The MSC Flaminia [2025] UKSC 14.
His insurance work spans both casualty (including marine, aviation and offshore risks) and liability work, particularly Bermuda Form. Recent commercial disputes experience includes several multi-million-dollar international arbitrations concerning SPAs and shareholder agreements, as well as jurisdiction challenges, enforcement and contempt.
Ralph was part of the 7KBW team representing KPMG in matters relating to the collapse of Carillion, including FRC v KPMG (a top 20 case in The Lawyer), and KPMG’s defence of a professional negligence claim of in excess of £1 billion.
Ralph regularly acts in cases which depend on technical questions of expert evidence across a range of disciplines and tribunals.
Ralph has been appointed to the Attorney-General’s London C Panel of junior counsel to the Crown, acting for HM Government in commercial and public law matters.
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Testimonials
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- 'The best clerks room to deal with.'
- '7 Kings Bench Walk is one of the leading commercial sets, with a pantheon of highly talented individuals at all levels of seniority.'
- 'Professional negligence forms a significant part of the set's practice, dovetailing with other specialisms such as insurance and reinsurance and financial disputes.'
- 'They have brilliant KCs and senior barristers available across the commercial litigation and arbitration spheres.'
- 'The clerks are very responsive.'
- 'Good strength in depth.'
- 'Good clerking service.'