Holman lands work for aviation insurers

The firm is trying to muscle into the aviation industry, although it does not yet have partners exclusively involved in this area. It already has a solid base of US airline clients, though, including American Airlines, and recently acted in the groundbreaking dispute between Kuwait Airways and Iraq Airlines over whether the Iraqi's invasion of a Kuwaiti airbase constituted one or two events.

Holman's new client, Global Aviation Insurance Network (Gain), which it has acted for alongside other firms since mid-2002 when it launched, provides facilities to brokers in Chile, Equador, Italy, Peru, Russia, the UK and the Ukraine. MP Bolshaw & Co, which is part of the network, is said to be the UK's second-largest aviation broker after Lloyd's.

Gain claims to be more advantageous for parties seeking insurance as its brokers can refer work to other brokers in the network, thus enabling greater insurance buying power. It plans to have a broker in every country with significant aviation activity.

Holman insurance partner Paul Wordley said: "No one has formed such a technically advanced aviation insurance network before."

Last year Holman turned to Jerry Flaxman, formerly of large insurance intermediary Willis Insurance Agency, to manage its aerospace group.