Insurance/reinsurance
The Lawyer
Risk taker and breaker
Global GC Adam Rosman’s role at insurance broker Willis demands that he not only defends the business against current risk but that he spies any potential on the horizon
Magazine survey votes Hogan Lovells as top insurance/reinsurance firm in London and EU
Reactions readers have voted Hogan Lovells as the top insurance and reinsurance law firm in the London market and in the EU.
Admiralty and maritime law
Admiralty and maritime law is one of the most ancient of all bodies of law, with legal practice in this area deeply intertwined with marine transportation, international trade, international clearing, insurance and other related fields.
E:gen — May 2013 issue weblink
The May 2013 issue of Winckworth Sherwood’s E-gen publication is available now.
Weightmans records 6 per cent turnover growth for 2012/13
Weightmans has announced record revenue figures for the 2012/13 financial year, with turnover hitting £82m - up from £77.1m in 2011/12.
Aviva takes tough line in panel review
A&O joins Slaughters on Aviva’s plc roster; insurer insisted on discounts
Awards of damages provide powerful ammunition for insurers download
Awards of damages in three recent cases provide powerful ammunition for insurers when seeking to reduce their claims exposure.
A solicitor should not be subject to a non-party costs order for failing to obtain ATE insurance download
The court’s jurisdiction to make a NCPO against a solicitor who had acted under a CFA without the benefit of ATE insurance has been the subject of two recent Court of Appeal decisions.
Q&A with Brad Adderley on Bermuda's role in the global insurance industry download
Expert Guides editor Chris Allen spoke to Appleby partner Brad Adderley about the role Bermuda has played and is likely to play in the global insurance industry.
Insurance giant Parabis on verge of £90m merger with Greenwoods
Defendant insurance firm Plexus Law, a subsidiary of Parabis, is to merge with Greenwoods to create a £90m firm.
Incoming Weightmans management: London tops the agenda
Weightmans’ incoming management team has vowed to make its London office a priority as the firm refocuses for a post-Jackson world.
Appleby announces partner promotions and counsel appointments
Appleby has announced the promotion of three lawyers to the partnership and the appointment of five lawyers to the position of counsel.
Mills & Reeve announces six new internal partner appointments
Mills & Reeve has announced six new internal partner appointments, which will take effect from 1 June 2013.
Professional negligence
Our insurance group sits within our nationally based practice, with excellent lawyers operating across a range of legal disciplines.
Insurance and reinsurance
Never has it been so important to achieve early and decisive resolution to insurance-related disputes.
Bermuda insurance companies download
This memorandum has been prepared for the assistance of those who are considering the formation of an insurance company in Bermuda.
Will Supreme Court ruling affect businesses offering 'repair and replace' warranties? download
The Financial Services Authority (now replaced by the FCA) took action against Digital Satellite Warranty Cover Ltd to wind it up ‘in the public interest’.
Jurisdiction update: Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Mauritius download
Conyers Dill & Pearman has released issue three of its Jurisdiction Update for 2013, covering Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Mauritius. Topics include insurance developments in Bermuda, a new ‘approved manager’ regime in the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands master funds and more.
Corporate
Conyers is regularly involved in the largest, most innovative and complex corporate transactions involving companies in Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Mauritius.
MetLife hires Asia legal head from UBS
Insurer MetLife has appointed former UBS Asia-Pacific general counsel Kevin Wilkey as its new head of legal in Asia.
Vehicle incident manager FMG to launch ABS with NewLaw
Vehicle incident management group FMG has become the latest business to launch an ABS in a bid to offer legal services.
Insurance contract law review — update on current position download
With the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure & Representations) Act 2012 coming into effect on 6 April 2013, Hogan Lovells takes a closer look at its potential impacts.
Motor insurer Admiral enters legal market in face of referral fee ban
FTSE100 insurer Admiral has stepped into the legal sector via two ABS joint ventures, with Bristol-based claims specialist Lyons Davidson and Cardiff-based compensation firm Cordner Lewis.
RAC lays foundations for ABS move with Quindell deal
Motoring giant RAC has laid the foundations for a move into the legal market after agreeing a deal with the Quindell Portfolio estimated to be worth £500m annually.
Insurer Ageas launches ABS with Cardiff's NewLaw
Insurance group Ageas UK has become one of the first insurers to set up an ABS to provide legal advice.
UK Regulatory Update — Issue 6: roadmap to PRA and FCA interaction download
Taylor Wessing has released issue six of its UK Regulatory Update.
Lawyer rating publication recognises Ince & Co's Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers publication recognises Ince & Co.
Ince & Co achieves top rankings in Chambers Global 2013 edition
Ince & Co has been recognised in Chambers Global 2013: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
Chambers Global ranks Conyers as a Band 1 firm in global offshore
Conyers Dill & Pearman has been highly ranked in the 2013 edition of Chambers Global.
Chambers Global 2013 — DLA Piper full ranking summary download
DLA Piper has released a summary of all of the firm’s rankings and editorial commentary in Chambers Global 2013.
Insurance e-brief — March 2013 download
Ince & Co has released its insurance e-brief for March 2013.
Bermuda — the next chapter of business download
The next chapter of business in Bermuda looks bright and ready to meet the emerging challenges of the evolving global economy.
Bermuda's (re)insurance market in 2012 download
Appleby’s Tim Faries looks back at an eventful year for Bermuda’s (re)insurance market.
AIG mulls reverse auction in cost-cutting Emea panel review
AIG is considering a reverse auction for law firms pitching to win places on part of its legal panel amid a review of its Emea advisers.
The emergence of hedge-fund-backed reinsurers in Bermuda download
Hedge funds have cottoned on to the benefits of Bermuda’s reinsurance market, with many establishing their own start-ups.
Actual or alleged liability — the 'Bermuda Form' under English law download
Ramifications of the recent ‘Bermuda Form’ judgment will undoubtedly cause insureds concern.
Payment protection products update — January 2013 download
The FSA and OFT have published their final guidance and summary of responses on Payment Protection Products.
Insurance company Das acquires Bristol PI firm
Insurance expenses giant Das Group has completed its acquisition of Bristol personal injury firm CW Law.
Insurance and reinsurance
NCTM offers services to both Italian and foreign insurers, re-insurers and others doing business in Italy.
Key legislative proposals on establishment of the Independent Insurance Authority in Hong Kong download
The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has, on 26 October 2012, published legislative proposals on establishment of the Independent Insurance Authority (IIA).
Ashurst, Davis Polk and Slaughters at the wheel for Esure IPO
Ashurst, US firm Davis Polk & Wardwell and Slaughter and May have won roles advising on the planned IPO of Esure.
Lawyers from Norton Rose and RPC help launch LGBT network
Insurance lawyers at Norton Rose and RPC are among the founding members of an LGBT network for the insurance industry.
Insurance
Bowman Gilfillan offers insurance expertise in both the dispute resolution and corporate departments.
The blanket approach — green light given to ‘catch-all’ insurance notifications download
Blanket notification of claims is likely to be sufficient to trigger an insurance policy.
Insurance and reinsurance law
The lawyers within our Insurance and Reinsurance Law practice advise insurance and reinsurance companies as well as insurance intermediaries on all regulatory matters relevant to their businesses.
Chadbourne & Parke appoints four attorneys to counsel in New York and Washington DC
Chadbourne promotes four attorneys to counsel in New York and Washington DC.
English court confirms WTC losses arose from two events, not one download
The Commercial Court has confirmed the position that the insured losses caused by the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre arose out of two events and not one.
Comments sought on several issues concerning work-related injury insurance download
Opinions on Several Issues Concerning the Implementation of the Regulations on Work-related Injury Insurance (Consultation Draft) has been released to solicit public comments.
High and dry? Flooding and uninsured risks download
No workable solution has yet been found to the flood insurance question.
Insurance
Al Tamimi & Company operates a specialist insurance practice to cater for all aspects of the Middle East’s insurance industry, including major regional and international insurers, brokers, third-party administrators and reinsurers.
Life settlement and insurance products
Chadbourne’s life settlement and insurance products practice has advised clients on a range of life settlement, viatical and other insurance-related transactions.
Insurance and reinsurance
Whether our client is an insurer, reinsurer, intermediary, financial institution or governmental entity, we can address all aspects of the property-casualty and life and health business
Just Costs, Simpson Millar and Vamco join growing ABS list
The latest round of ABS approvals has seen a motor claims specialist with an in-house law firm, a £15m national firm and a costs specialist all gain licences.
Insurance and reinsurance: new developments in the law of vicarious liability download
Liability insurers need to be aware of the US Supreme Court’s decision in The Catholic Child Welfare Society and others v Various Claimants and the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools [2012] UKSC 56, which represents a further development in the law of vicarious liability.
Insurance e-brief: November 2012 download
The objective of this e-brief is to provide short and focused summaries of legal developments of interest to insurance professionals in the UK and elsewhere.
InSure: developments affecting the insurance industry — December 2012 download
This month’s round-up of developments affecting the insurance industry.
InSure: round-up of developments affecting the insurance industry — November 2012 download
This month’s round-up of developments affecting the insurance industry.
How do you apportion a claim under a liability policy? download
How do you apportion a claim under a liability policy? The answer, according to the Court of Appeal, is you don’t.
DLA Piper advises on establishment of reinsurer
DLA Piper has represented Fosun International in its private equity investment in Peak Reinsurance Holdings Limited, a Bermuda reinsurer with operations in Asia.
Insurance
Our insurance team specialises in advising on the establishment, regulatory compliance and business operations of insurance and reinsurance companies based in the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey.
Insurance
Central to our commercial insurance work is our investment in clients and the effort we put into understanding their needs and problems. We will strive to find you practical and business-like solutions, because litigation in any dispute should always be the last resort.
Insurance and reinsurance
Ince & Co has worked with the insurance and reinsurance markets for more than 100 years.
The Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner sets his eyes on the insurance industry download
In November a guidance note was issued by the Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data to provide the insurance industry with practical guidance on how to comply with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance Cap. 486 when collecting and using personal data of customers.
The Taylor Wessing insurance and reinsurance review of 2012 download
The TW Annual Insurance and Reinsurance Review summarises the key case law developments in insurance and reinsurance throughout the year.
CIRC relaxes restrictions on permitted investments by insurance companies download
The China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) issued the Circular on Issues relating to Investment of Insurance Funds in Equity and Real Estate on 16 July 2012
Client alert: new U.S. sanctions on Iran download
The United States has enacted a new round of sanctions on Iran targeting non-U.S. companies that are conducting business with Iran related to shipping, shipbuilding, insurance, and metals.
Corporate practice newswire: December 2012 download
An update on issues in corporate law, covering acquisition agreements, insurance-linked securities and the general economic climate in Europe.
Hill Dickinson acquires DLA's Sheffield and Manchester insurance hubs
DLA Piper is to offload its Manchester and Sheffield defendant insurance practices to Hill Dickinson.
DLA Piper to shut Glasgow and offload defendant insurance teams as redundancy talks continue
DLA Piper has confirmed that it will shut its Glasgow office in the coming months and is on the cusp of agreeing deals with takers for its defendant insurance practices following the conclusion of a collective consultation.
Ashurst joins local firms on Aviva's sale of Malaysian joint venture
Ashurst and a group of Malaysian firms have advised on the RM1.8bn (£373m) sale of Aviva’s Malaysian joint venture CIMB-Aviva to Sun Life Financial and Khazanah.
Horwich Farrelly becomes latest ABS as latest licences announced
Manchester insurance litigation firm Horwich Farrelly has become the latest top 200 UK firm to gain an ABS licence.
Krogerus advises on the reorganisation of Handelsbanken's life insurance business
Krogerus has acted has lead counsel in the reorganisation of Handelsbanken’s Nordic life insurance business.
Insurance and reinsurance review — January 2013 download
An overview of issues in insurance and reinsurance law, including the impact of Hurricane Sandy and shipping insurance news.
Clydes hires boost New Jersey base
Clyde & Co has expanded in the US with the addition of a three-strong team to its New Jersey office.
Linklaters and White & Case lead as Bupa buys Polish healthcare group
Linklaters and White & Case have landed the lead mandates as Bupa makes its first foray into the Polish healthcare market by acquiring the country’s largest healthcare provider LuxMed Group from Mid Europa Partners for €400m (£326m).
Liverpool Victoria promotes general counsel to company secretary
Bournemouth-based insurance company Liverpool Victoria (LV) has promoted general counsel Rachel Small to group company secretary.
DAC Beachcroft in motor claims tie-up with Innovation Group
DAC Beachcroft has joined forces with business process services provider Innovation Group in a bid to boost its motor claims practice.
NAIC 2012 Fall national meeting download
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners held its 2012 Fall National Meeting from 29 November to 2 December 2012 in National Harbor, Maryland.
Potential insurance and reinsurance implications of Hurricane Sandy download
Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the East Coast of the US. When it struck land, Sandy was approximately 950 miles wide.
Magic circle trio advises as HSBC sells stake in Chinese insurer
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised HSBC on the $9.4bn (£5.8bn) sale of its entire shareholding in China’s Ping An Insurance Group to Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group, which was represented by Linklaters.
Ince & Co hits Clydes for corporate insurance partner
Ince & Co has appointed former Clyde & Co partner Richard Britain as head of its newly formed corporate insurance practice.
Ince & Co appoints new head of corporate insurance practice
Ince & Co has announced the appointment of corporate insurance partner Richard Britain, who joins the firm as head of our corporate insurance practice.
Quindell takes over all Accident Advice Helpline claims
Quindell Portfolio, has signed deals to acquire claims management company Accident Advice Helpline (AAH) and law firm The Compensation Lawyers (TCL).
RPC reshuffles media group into IP practice
RPC is to restructure its media practice into the intellectual property group following the exit of media head Jaron Lewis.
Lockton International general counsel exits for RPC
Lockton International general counsel Charlotte Taggart has left the broker for private practice, becoming a corporate insurance partner at RPC.
Kennedys gears up to recommend Scottish merger to partners
Insurance firm Kennedys is in early-stage tie-up talks with Scotland’s Simpson & Marwick and is preparing to put the prospect of a merger to its partners.
Clydes' Manchester fraud head takes 17-strong team to Keoghs
Clyde & Co’s Manchester fraud head Damian Ward is to take a team of 17 to Keoghs after quitting the firm in the summer.
Clydes moots second Saudi launch as firm posts half-year turnover hike
Clyde & Co is considering launching a second Saudi Arabia base in Jeddah, as it emerges that the firm has delayed transferring partner Ben Cowling to the country’s capital Riyadh amid a logistical hitch.
Parabis marches north with launch in Scotland
Insurance firm Parabis has launched in Scotland with the hire of HBJ Claim Solutions litigation head Tony O’Malley.
DAC Beachcroft signs three-way Chilean merger
DAC Beachcroft and Chilean firms Seguros Lex and Amunategui y Cia are to join forces to create DAC Beachcroft Chile from today (1 November 2012).
Milbank continues hiring spree with addition of Norton Rose litigator
Norton Rose is the latest firm to be raided by Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, with the US headquartered firm hiring financial disputes partner Charles Evans.
Mayer Brown exodus continues as reinsurance litigator heads to Locke Lord
Mayer Brown has seen another partner departure from its City base, with high-profile reinsurance litigator Ian McKenna leaving to join US rival Locke Lord.
RPC hires Asia COO from Goodwin Proctor to drive growth
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) has appointed a chief executive officer for its nascent Asia practice to lead the development of the regional base.
Clifford Chance and Norton Rose appointed to revamped LV panel
Clifford Chance and Norton Rose have made first-time appearances on the corporate legal panel of Bournemouth-based insurance group Liverpool Victoria (LV).
BLM opens insurance-focused office in Dublin
Berrymans Lace Mawer (BLM) has made its first office opening outside the UK with a base in Dublin.
Kirkland scoops role on first Chinese Icsid arbitration
Kirkland & Ellis has been instructed by Chinese insurer, Ping An Life Insurance Company, in a landmark arbitration case against the Kingdom of Belgium, believed to be the first such case to be filed by a Chinese company at the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (Icsid).
DWF plans further Scottish expansion
DWF managing partner Andrew Leaitherland has said the firm is on the lookout for further growth in Scotland.
UK FSA review of the client money rules for insurance intermediaries download
On 28 August 2012, the UK’s Financial Services Authority published a consultation paper which includes proposals to amend the rules on how insurance firms deal with client money.
A&O, Linklaters and Slaughters lead as RBS floats Direct Line
Allen & Overy (A&O), Linklaters and Slaughter and May are advising as the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) plans to float Direct Line Insurance in one of the biggest IPOs of the year.
Norton Rose boosts City insurance disputes with CMS's O’Connell
CMS Cameron McKenna regulatory and disputes head Liam O’Connell is set to join Norton Rose as a partner in its insurance litigation practice.
Plexus among firms on London boroughs insurance panel
Five firms have won panel places to handle insurance litigation claims on behalf of a group of London boroughs.
Parabis set for expansion after SRA ABS approval
Insurance firm Parabis is set for a £50m cash injection after being granted an ABS licence by the SRA, allowing it to take private equity investment from Duke Street.
Travelers hires European legal chief from Flagstone Re
Travelers has hired a counsel from Flagstone Re as head of legal and compliance across its European businesses.
Gateley signs legal helpline deal with insurer ACE Group
Gateley has sealed a deal with global insurer ACE Group to create a legal advice service for businesses and senior directors and officers (D&O).
PII pressure drop
The ARP is on its way out and law firms are becoming more commercial, which should make renewals less fretful
Keystone Law vows to take on 50 lawyers as part of £25m-turnover plan
Keystone Law is aiming to more than double its turnover within three years to £25m by attracting 50 new lawyers to its ranks.
RPC reveals rises in turnover and PEP at end of expansive year
RPC has revealed a 10 per cent rise in turnover to £68m for the 2011-12 financial year, while net profit has climbed 9.5 per cent to £23m.
Event horizon
Lawyers and underwriters are getting battle-ready for the new ATE arena as Jackson LJ’s litigation reforms approach
International expansion drives Holman Fenwick to 10 per cent growth
International expansion has boosted turnover at Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) by 10 per cent with the firm posting turnover of £123.8m at the year-end, up from £112.5m in 2010-11.
DAC Beachcroft continues expansion with trio of laterals
DAC Beachcroft is continuing on the acquisition trail with the appointment of three partners, including Eversheds’ local government practice head Judith Barnes.
Ashurst picks up Herbert Smith partners to bolster financial services
Herbert Smith corporate insurance duo Adam Levitt and Hammad Akhtar have quit the firm to join Ashurst.
DAC Beachcroft ramps up volume arm with Zurich hire
DAC Beachcroft is to boost its claims solutions group with the hire of Zurich Financial Services’ European claims director Bill Paton.
US firm Goldberg Segalla hires ex-BLG reinsurance head for City launch
US firm Goldberg Segalla is to launch in London next month after hiring reinsurance heavyweight Clive O’Connell.
Spending wisely
Regulation is the overriding issue for in-house insurance lawyers. Our experts examine where they allocate legal spend in a rapidly changing environment
Private equity house takes stake in insurance firm Parabis
Acquisition-hungry firm Parabis Group is to take a cash injection from private equity house Duke Street.
Insurance giant QBE prepares for first-ever European legal panel
Australian insurer QBE is to launch a non-claims UK panel review and establish its first European panel.
Court of Appeal dismisses West Tankers dispute
The court can enforce an arbitration award if it is for a negative declaration, the Court of Appeal (CoA) has ruled in the much-anticipated West Tankers case.
Kennedys senior partner wins fourth term in charge
Kennedys has endorsed the reelection of senior partner Nick Thomas to a fourth consecutive term at the helm after he stood unopposed.
RSA hires Gallagher Heath GC for newly created litigation role
Global insurer RSA has appointed Will Bloomer to the newly created role of UK head of litigation.
Admiral moots ABS move in wake of referral fee ban
FTSE100 insurer Admiral is considering a move into the legal sector following the ban on personal injury referral fees by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) earlier this year.
Mills & Reeve adds Kennedys partner to insurance team
Mills & Reeve has made its fifth lateral hire this year with the appointment of insurance partner Paul Spibey.
Simmons makes sixth partner hire from BLP in a year
Simmons & Simmons has hired a corporate insurance partner from Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) – its sixth hire from the firm this year.
Hogan Lovells names successor to retiring insurance head Young
Hogan Lovells has appointed a new head of corporate and regulatory insurance to replace John Young, who retires in April 2012.
Webster Dixon wins legal expense insurance case
Legal expense insurers cannot use cost as the sole basis for refusing to underwrite fees for policyholders who use non-panel solicitors, the High Court has ruled.
DAC Beachcroft growth strategy: pump up the volume
The merger between Beachcroft and Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC)?has been overshadowed by Barlow Lyde & Gilbert’s upcoming tie-up with Clyde & Co.
Chartis aims to bring down costs with European panel
Chartis, the property casualty insurance carrier of US insurance giant AIG, is to launch its first European panel in 2012 in an effort to streamline its legal spend.
Irwin Mitchell moves 81 staff to BPO outfit
Irwin Mitchell is to transfer 81 support staff to business process outsourcing (BPO) company OCS as it looks to streamline its cost base in preparation for converting to an alternative business structure (ABS).
Quadrant launches arbitration team as Steel J returns to bar
Quadrant Chambers is to launch an arbitration division with the appointment of retired High Court judge Sir David Steel.
BLG's pre-merger exits continue as insurance duo quit for Ince
Barlow Lyde & Gilbert insurance partners Simon Cooper and Kiran Soar have defected to Ince & Co ahead of the firm’s merger with Clyde & Co.
Blackstone silk loses Supreme Court asbestos case
The Supreme Court has ruled that people in Scotland who have been affected by the asbestos related condition pleural plaques have the right to compensation.
Collyer Bristow ‘risks collapse’ over £50m liability dispute
Firm in bitter litigation with insurance broker Lockton
Lockton accuses Collyer Bristow of crying wolf over ‘bankruptcy’ fears
Collyer Bristow is in dispute with its insurance broker Lockton Companies International over whether the intermediary has placed adequate liability insurance to cover a potential £50m loss in a fast-approaching negligence battle.
DWF bolsters insurance practice with six new hires
North West firm DWF has made six new appointments to its London insurance and retail teams with hires from Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), K&L Gates, Plexus Law, Vizyard Wyeth and Zurich - the insurance provider.
Easy as PII
The PI insurance market is in a transitional phase, with new entrants heralding better times for smaller practices and fewer firms ending up in the assigned risks pool. By Martin Hall
RBS Insurance appoints RSA lawyer as general counsel
RBS Insurance has appointed RSA Insurance group legal director Humphrey Tomlinson to the role of general counsel and company secretary.
Camerons' Bristol insurance team depleted by RPC raid
Four insurance and reinsurance partners are set to leave the Bristol office of CMS Cameron McKenna in a mass defection to Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC).
MoJ bans referral fees outright
Referral fees for personal injury cases will be subject to an outright ban, the Ministry of Justice said today.
Mayer Brown swoops on Debevoise for insurance partner
Global firm Mayer Brown has grown its corporate and securities practice and insurance industry group with the hire of Colin Scagell as a partner in London.
The Lawyer UK 200 preview: Insurance: Upstarts force pace of change
Volume houses are driving the delivery of legal services, says Katy Dowell
Bitter aftertaste
After-the-event insurance is changing, and it is the smaller cases that will suffer the most.
Lawyers back Jack Straw's bid to ban referral fees
Personal injury lawyers have applauded former justice secretary Jack Straw’s calls to ban referral fees, saying the practice does not benefit law firms or their clients.
Clydes finalises merger with Canada's Nicholl Paskell-Mede
Clyde & Co has completed its merger with Canadian insurance firm Nicholl Paskell-Mede (NPM).
DAC and Beachcroft moot £175m merger
Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC) and Beachcroft are in merger talks to create a £175m insurance giant, The Lawyer can reveal.
Beachcroft favours insurance in six-strong promos round
Beachcroft has focused on its core domestic insurance practice in its latest round of partnership promotions, bringing six into the fold.
BLG chief exec: Clydes deal is no rescue merger
Potential merger would ’destroy the competition’ in insurance sector
BLG and Clydes eye UK top 10 slot with potential merger
Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) is planning to merge with fellow insurance firm Clyde & Co, in a deal that would propel the combined entity into the UK top 10 by turnover.
Freshfields' PPI judicial review rejected by court
The High Court has dismissed a judicial review launched by the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) against the FSA and Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) over the handling of payment protection insurance (PPI) claims.
Links and Norton Rose win spots on prudential panel
Linklaters and Norton Rose have clinched new spots on Prudential Group’s global legal panel, in a move that formalises both firms’ long-standing relationships with the financial services giant.
Clydes brings in Howden GC for professional indemnity offering
Clyde & Co has raided Lloyds of London broker Howden for its general counsel Simon Gildener.
Beachcroft wins mandate to handle Jubilee Insurance's motor claims
London insurer Jubilee Insurance has appointed Beachcroft to run off the claims for its motor insurance business.
Weightmans confirms acquisition of Vizards Wyeth's insurance practice
North West firm Weightmans has confirmed that its plan to acquire Vizards Wyeth’s insurance team will go ahead.
ECJ rules that gender-based insurance pricing is unlawful
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has outlawed the practice of pricing insurance premiums based on gender.
Beachcroft consolidates volume brand into firm
Beachcroft is to phase out its ringfenced ’B2 from Beachcroft’ brand and roll out the volume business across its real estate and employment practices.
Clyde & Co hires to build NY insurance unit
Clyde & Co has appointed partner Robert Ansehl to build a corporate insurance practice in its New York office.
Aviva names new general counsel
Kirsty Cooper has been appointed to the dual role of general counsel and company secretary at Aviva.
DAC targets Brazil with insurance firm link-up
Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC) is putting Latin America at the heart of its strategy with a formal association with São Paolo boutique insurance law firm JBO Advocacia.
Optima reprimanded by the SRA over Capita investment
SRA comes down on Optima-Capita deal despite leading counsel giving green light to investment strategy
Taylor Wessing hikes insurance practice
Taylor Wessing has hired litigation partner Susannah Wakefield from Bermuda firm Attride-Stirling & Woloniecki, where she was a counsel.
BLG and HBJ create firewall for liabilities of Halliwells arrivals
Incoming Halliwells staff ringfenced into sub-LLPs to protect against potential claims from legacy clients
Morgan Cole set to offer ATE insurance
Morgan Cole has signed a delegated authority deal to enable it to broker after-the-event (ATE) insurance to clients.
Prudential rejigs UK legal function
Prudential has launched a revamp of its UK legal team with the creation of a new head of legal role.
Kennedys’ year-end turnover up by a third
Insurance and litigation firm Kennedys has reported a 31 per cent rise in turnover to £88.25m at the 2009-10 year-end.
Insurer QBE names new legal chief as incumbent joins MOP
Commercial insurer QBE has promoted Esther Felton to head of legal replacing Adrian Williams, who is set to join Irish firm Matheson Ormsby Prentice.
SRA vs insurers as assigned risks pool governance proves sticking point
Relations between the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and solicitors’ professional indemnity insurers have soured in recent weeks, resulting in underwriters calling for a radical overhaul of the sector.
When in Rome
New Europe-wide regulations to harmonise non-contractual obligation laws have had the opposite affect, says Paula Jefferson and Sarah Wright
DAC brings in Manchester insurance chief
Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC) has named Edward Coulson as head of its Manchester insurance practice.
Path of redemption
Every time a defective product is recalled, the company responsible must follow a long, meticulous and costly process of expiation. By James Stanbury
Lovells to shut Chicago after Hogan merger goes live
Lovells is to close its seven-partner Chicago office after it underperformed for a number of years.
Sidley snares Pinsents' insurance chief for City practice
US firm Sidley Austin has hired two Pinsent Masons partners for its London insurance practice, including the head of Pinsents’ insurance group.
Video Test 5: You Tube video
Debevoise & Plimpton and Slaughter and May have landed prize roles on Prudential’s proposed $35.5bn (£23.9bn) purchase of American International Group’s (AIG) Asian insurance business.
Video Test 6: You Tube Index video
Debevoise & Plimpton and Slaughter and May have landed prize roles on Prudential’s proposed $35.5bn (£23.9bn) purchase of American International Group’s (AIG) Asian insurance business.
Video Test 4: Black Video Player Index video
Debevoise & Plimpton and Slaughter and May have landed prize roles on Prudential’s proposed $35.5bn (£23.9bn) purchase of American International Group’s (AIG) Asian insurance business.
Video Test 3: Silver Video Player Index video
Debevoise & Plimpton and Slaughter and May have landed prize roles on Prudential’s proposed $35.5bn (£23.9bn) purchase of American International Group’s (AIG) Asian insurance business.
Video Test 2: Silver Video Player In Text video
Debevoise & Plimpton and Slaughter and May have landed prize roles on Prudential’s proposed $35.5bn (£23.9bn) purchase of American International Group’s (AIG) Asian insurance business.
Video Test 1: Black Video Player In Text video
Debevoise & Plimpton and Slaughter and May have landed prize roles on Prudential’s proposed $35.5bn (£23.9bn) purchase of American International Group’s (AIG) Asian insurance business.
Debevoise and Slaughters lead on Pru's $35bn AIG Asia deal
Debevoise & Plimpton and Slaughter and May have landed prize roles on Prudential’s proposed $35.5bn (£23.9bn) purchase of American International Group’s (AIG) Asian insurance business.
Cubism Law launches insurance group
Litigation specialist Cubism Law has started a dedicated insurance group with the hire of two new consultants.
Clydes launches New Jersey insurance practice
Clyde & Co has extended its US footprint with the launch of an office in New Jersey.
Insurance giant Prudential names new general counsel
Prudential has appointed its interim general counsel and company secretary Margaret Coltman to the role on a permanent basis.
Plexus acquisition reinforces QBE ties
Plexus Law has strengthened its links with insurance giant QBE by acquiring the insurance practice of Whitfield Hallam Goodall.
Keoghs appoints pre-litigation chief
Insurance firm Keoghs has hired Steve Thomas, formerly technical claims director for general insurance giant Zurich.
Bevan Brittan out in cold as Zurich revamps UK panel
Insurance giant Zurich has revamped its UK legal panel, with Bevan Brittan losing out while Beachcroft and Pinsent Masons have held on to their spots.
Plexus Law takes over insurance boutique
Professional indemnity firm Plexus Law has acquired insurance boutique Squire & Co.
Pinsents to provide ATE insurance
Pinsent Masons has signed a deal with legal expenses provider FirstAssist Legal Protection that will give the firm delegated authority to broker after-the-event (ATE) insurance.
Riot act
A riot at a detention centre has resulted in a clearer definition of ‘damages’ in public liability cases, says Richard Mattick
Firm endurance
A raft of changes are hitting the insurance market, but what do they all mean for law firms? Dan Cutts explains.
The bigger the better
Professional indemnity insurance in the coming year will likely be more of a headache for the smaller firms, but the bigger players should have an easier time of it, says Sandra Neilson-Moore
BLG insurance trio in Clydes switch
Clyde & Co has swooped on Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) to hire insurance partners Roger Doulton, Neil Beresford and Toby Rogers.
ING puts firms on notice for global panel
Dutch financial giant ING has launched a global panel review in the first appraisal of its key advisers in more than five years.
Insurance Special Report: Home guard
Can we expect a rash of major directors’ and officers’ claims to hit the UK? asks John Turnbull
Insurance Special Report: Standard bearers
The stormy economic conditions will prove a tough test for reforms intended to improve insurance contract certainty and overall standards. By Paul Wordley and Graham Denny
Kennedys takes eight from Hextalls
Insurance boutique Hextalls has lost a team of eight, including two partners, to Kennedys.
Resolution takeover prompts Pearl cuts
Insurance group Pearl is cutting back its legal function following its £5bn takeover of rival Resolution.
Insurers threaten hikes as negligence claims rise
Professional negligence claims against solicitors have rocketed, prompting underwriters to warn of a 10 per cent hike in solicitors’ professional indemnity (PI) insurance rates.
Special reports: Banking and Shipping
The crisis among financial institutions has created a dearth of groundbreaking and unique work for banking and finance lawyers, much of it coming from the regulators.
Personal injury forum elects new chair
Boyes Turner partner Adrian Desmond has been elected as chairman of the Forum of Complex Injury Solicitors (Focis). He replaces Richard Vallance of Charles Russell, who has held the role since 2007.
Hill Dickinson celebrates Maersk’s Liverpool relocation
Hill Dickinson celebrates Maersk’s Liverpool relocation" /Maersk Line, the shipping company and division of the AP Moller-Maersk Group, announced last week that it will shift its UK headquarters from London to Liverpool later this year.
Professional Negligence Special Report: Event horizon
Regulators are looking afresh at the activities of professionals, and litigation is sure to follow. But how will these claims be paid for? asks Peter Smith.
Professional Negligence Special Report: Out for the count
A rise in claims against professionals generally follows a downturn – and accountants are no exception. Matt Andrews and Barnaby Winckler look at what could be in store.
Professional Negligence Special Report: The ex factor
A recent case provides useful guidance on when a law firm can and cannot act for a former client. Richard Harrison reports.
Weightmans scores plum health and education mandates
Weightmans has been appointed as legal adviser to two public sector bodies in the areas of education and health.
BLG provides swift results on Abbey Life divestment
Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) has picked up a choice mandate for reinsurer Abbey Life Assurance Company on a £1.5bn insurance portfolio sale to Pacific Life.
Advisers feeling the heat as blame game gets underway
The legal fallout from the economic crisis will be more severe for professional advisers than ever before, professional indemnity lawyers have warned.
Hill Dickinson expands into Singapore
Hill Dickinson is preparing to extend its international footprint with the launch of a Singapore office in March.
Morgan Cole snaps up insurance panel colleague CIP Solicitors
Thames Valley firm Morgan Cole has taken over Bristol-based insurance boutique CIP Solicitors, which has four partners and 75 staff.
Furley Page sets up shop in Lloyd’s building
Canterbury-headquartered firm Furley Page has opened in London in a bid to capitalise on the insurance market.
Second coalminers tribunal gets under way
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) today launched a series of allegations of misconduct against six partners at Barnsley-based Raleys Solicitors in relation to their handling of compensation claims from sick coalminers.
Morgan Cole grows in Bristol with local merger
Thames Valley firm Morgan Cole has taken over Bristol-based insurance boutique CIP Solicitors, which has four partners and 75 staff.
Glut of law firms to face actions for negligence
Scores of law firms are in the firing line for professional negligence claims this year, The Lawyer’s annual top cases survey reveals.
Opinion: Guilty firms should dig deep and repay miners
Octogenarian Mr Sheppard was pushed into the Manton Miners Welfare in his wheelchair. Frail, elderly and very sick he waited for an hour before springing into action. He leapt from his wheelchair and launched into a tirade against greedy solicitors. Mrs Beckett listened on; her resolve was quiet but equally firm.
Kennedys returns to DLA for fresh pickings
Kennedys returns to DLA for fresh pickings" /DLA Piper’s Birmingham office has been hit by a second recruitment assault from insurance heavyweight Kennedys.
Beresfords’ reputation left in tatters as miners compensation duo are struck off
Beresfords Solicitors partner Jim Beresford has been struck off along with his colleague Douglas Smith after all but three of 11 allegations of professional misconduct against them were upheld by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).
Broker alliance offers hope to smaller firms
Legal broker Clarity Connections has teamed up with claims management company AIMS Services to offer up to 20,000 cases a month to small and medium-sized law firms.
Beresfords to launch ‘legal supermarket’
Staff at Doncaster-based Beresfords Solicitors, which saw name partner Jim Beresford struck off yesterday, is considering launching Britain’s first ‘legal services supermarket’.
High cost of ATE claims pushes CFAs to brink of extinction
The conditional fee arrangement (CFA) model is at risk of collapse due to the high level of litigation relating to after-the-event (ATE) insurance premiums.
Class action is one big headache, says Which?
The only consumer body able to bring class actions in the UK has slammed the system for being costly, time-consuming and offering little reward.
Opinion: Insurers and third-party funders should work together
It may be thought that there is an uneasy relationship between after-the-event insurance and third-party funding, but my experiences have shown this is not the case.
‘Conduct unbefitting’ claim levelled as Beresfords tribunal is extended
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal hearing against Jim Beresford of Doncaster-based Beresfords Solicitors has been adjourned due to the case proving more technical than expected.
Outward bound: Simon Gildener, Howden
Simon Gildener of insurance brokers Howden is an in-house legal chief with a difference – in what may prove a legal business model of the future, he’s there to advise the company’s clients as much as his own board.
Camerons´ insurance switch: timely change or risky business?
CMS Cameron McKenna has taken a leap of faith in its decision to relaunch its insurance practice with a focus on contentious work, as revealed by The Lawyer last week (3 November).
Norwich Union legal staff facing costs cull
Norwich Union is to radically overhaul the legal team of its life insurance business, slashing 20 per cent of its annual budget.
Aegon bolsters legal team with new GC role
Leading insurance group Aegon has created the new role of UK general counsel, hiring Shepherd & Wedderburn corporate partner Marian Glen (pictured) for the position.
Eversheds health team decamps to Beachcroft
Eversheds health team decamps to Beachcroft" /Beachcroft has taken an 11-lawyer clinical negligence team from Eversheds in a bid to become the leading healthcare practice in England and Wales.
DWF bags second Weightmans team in a month
Weightmans team in a month" /A seven-strong team is to leave Weightmans for DWF, joining six insurance partners that announced last month they were making an identical move.
Law ambiguous if client money gets lost in the crunch
Trawling through the Solicitors Account Rules (SAR) is not fun, even for a hardened managing partner, general counsel or director of risk. But that is exactly what most of them have been doing in the past few weeks in an attempt to deal with the possibility that the money held by law firms in client accounts could be unprotected in the event of a bank insolvency.
Kennedys takes eight from DLA’s Brum office
Insurance firm Kennedys has raided DLA Piper’s Birmingham office for eight fee-earners to ramp up its liability and professional negligence capabilities in the region.
Small firms suffer as legal insurers refuse to underwrite in current climate
Following five consecutive years of falling rates, lawyers have been shocked to find that professional indemnity (PI) insurance rates have doubled for the 2009 renewal season. Hardest hit are those already facing a myriad of economic challenges: small firms, sole practitioners and conveyancing practices.
Howden brokerage appoints to new GC role
Lloyds of London's broker, Howden, has appointed Simon Gildener as a client-facing general counsel.
Focus: Kennedys
Kennedys senior partner Nick Thomas has been quick off the mark to react to insurer clients’ demands with a series of takeovers. And he predicts further consolidation to come in the sector
Professional negligence body sets up ATE scheme
The Professional Negligence Lawyers Association (PNLA) has launched the largest after-the-event (ATE) insurance group scheme outside of the personal injury sector.
AIG hands $20bn rescue mandate to Sullivan
US insurance giant AIG drafted in Sullivan & Cromwell to advise it on its $20bn (£11.23bn) lifeline from ;New ;York ;State regulators.
Davis Polk, Sullivan & Cromwell land key AIG roles
Sullivan & Cromwell land key AIG roles" /Davis Polk & Wardwell and Sullivan & Cromwell have landed lead roles on the US government $85bn bail out of AIG.
DWF raids Weightmans for six insurance partners
DWF has snared a six-partner insurance team from regional rival Weightmans for its fledgling London office.
Come to London, stay in London
The Court of Appeal precludes escape from narrow vacatur grounds available under the English Arbitration Act 1996
Reed Smith hires trio for Paris shipping practice
Reed Smith has bolstered its French arm with the hire of a three-lawyer shipping team from local Paris firm Bouloy Grellet & Godin.
Lovells, BLG miss out on ACE panel places
ACE European Group, the European arm of one of the world’s largest insurers, has overlooked former favourite Lovells on its first formal legal panel.
Resolution GC quits in wake of Pearl takeover
Resolution general counsel Randal Barker has left the company following its takeover by Pearl Group.
Howard Kennedy and Douglas-Mann seal merger
Howard Kennedy has merged with personal injury boutique Douglas-Mann & Co with the aim of bolstering its client base.
Taylor Wessing taps Clydes for insurance hire
Taylor Wessing taps Clydes for insurance hire" /Taylor Wessing has hired Clyde & Co insurance litigation partner Anthony Menzies in a bid to become a bigger player in the insurance field.
Beachcroft lands £4m for injured football hopeful
Beachcroft has secured former Manchester United hopeful Ben Collett more than £4m in compensation after his football career was prematurely ended five years ago.
Zurich cracks down on exaggerated PI claims
Insurance giant Zurich is to establish a hitlist of personal injury (PI) firms in a bid to crack down on claimant practices that bring exaggerated costs orders against it.
Dentons hit by £300K negligence action
Denton Wilde Sapte is facing a £300,000 professional negligence claim from two Indian company directors.
Fladgate faces potential £10m payout as Izodia gets around to negligence action
Fladgate faces potential £10m payout as Izodia gets around to negligence action" /Fladgate may have to pay out in excess of £10m in damages if the negligence action brought against the firm by former dotcom company Izodia is successful.
A proposal for reform or non event?
The purpose of the Ministry of Justice reviewing the personal injury process was because the opinion from both insurers and lawyers alike was that the current process was cumbersome, complex and too costly.
Done and dusted?
With the High Court currently deliberating over the point at which employers – and their insurers – become liable for asbestos claims, the contract law rulebook could well be rewritten.
Not in our names
The Court of Appeal’s recent ruling in Tyco v Rolls-Royce means parties to joint-names or composite insurance would do well to insist that the issue of waiver of subrogation is dealt with when contracts are being drawn up.
Heads in the sand
Claims that the insurance industry can somehow sidestep the meltdown of the US financial market are wide of the mark, say Linda Dakin-Grimm and Patty Quilizapa
Special report: Insurance
Insurers everywhere are bracing themselves for an upsurge in claims as the global economy slides into recession. And this when the UK insurance market is experiencing some fundamental changes relating to how it handles claims.
Mills & Reeve boosts insurance team
Mills & Reeve has continued its insurance recruitment spree, hiring Vizards Wyeth partner Nicolas Oldham for its London insurance team. The firm expects to make another lateral insurance hire by the end of the year. This follows the recent hire of professional indemnity partner Elisabeth Taylor from Halliwells in Manchester.
Eversheds, Slaughters in on $1bn Aviva outsourcing
Eversheds and Slaughter and May have bagged the lead roles on a $1bn (£502.3m) outsourcing deal for insurance company Aviva.
PI lawyers slate MoJ on claims reform
Personal injury (PI) lawyers have slammed the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for its failure to implement far-reaching reform of the claims process.
Kennedys absorbs RPC’s Tiverton insurance office
Kennedys absorbs RPC’s Tiverton insurance office" /Kennedys has today (28 July) taken over the Tiverton office of its insurance rival Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) and plans to move the staff to Taunton.
PI lawyers slam MoJ’s claims reforms
Personal injury (PI) lawyers have slammed the Ministry of Justice for its failure to implement far-reaching reform of the claims process.
RPC offloads Tiverton base to Kennedys
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) is to hand its Tiverton office to insurance rivals Kennedys as a going concern.
Professional negligence: mortgage fraud
In the field of professional liability, mortgage fraud and claims against professionals arising from it remain the topics of the moment.
Dickinson Dees becomes latest downturn victim with 70 redundancies planned
Dickinson Dees is the latest firm to launch redundancy talks, entering consultation with three of the four departments in its volume business.
Professional negligence: Troubled indemnity
Competition among insurers for legal firms’ business has rarely been fiercer, but the pressure this is putting on underwriters’ rates means some will soon have to walk away from the professional indemnity insurance market altogether, warns Steve Holland
Professional negligence: Getting well soon?
Changes to the way the medical profession is regulated are being brought in for good reasons – but concerns about how they will be implemented still remain.
Professional negligence: An uncivil action
A forthcoming Lords decision in the case of Moore Stephens v Stone & Rolls could well see auditors better protected from spurious claims.
Professional negligence
October will see the end of the solicitors’ professional indemnity (PI) insurance season, when lawyers will again benefit from low insurance rates. Lawyers are being warned, though, of an imminent rating correction.
Pinsents, Wragges on super-ships project
Pinsent Masons and Wragge & Co have been handed mandates in a £3bn project to build two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy. The Ministry of Defence called on Wragges project partners Michael Whitehouse and Jane Pittaway, supported by IP partner Michael Luckman.
Current economic conditions in the shipping finance market
The shipping and ship finance markets have always seen strong cyclicality - but for once the current driver for change is not from the shipping market itself, but in the financial market with the banking liquidity crisis which originated in the US sub-prime housing market. So, what can an owner expect if it approaches its banks for finance for a ship right now? The most obvious message is that it is going to cost the owner more and it is unlikely to be able to borrow so much.
Spain’s ship finance market: special rules on finance leases
Despite the international market’s uncertainty and volatility, the ship finance market in Spain is still experiencing rapid and steady growth. This is largely due to growing interest in the field from banks that have been traditionally wary of the sector. These banks, which often restricted their participation in ship ...
Sea change
New rules governing the transportation of goods by sea have been drawn up by the UN. Graham Kershaw looks at what the new convention could mean for goods traders, carriers and shippers
Troutman eyes London insurance market
Atlanta-based Troutman Sanders is planning a move into the London insurance market following the firm's merger with US insurance boutique Ross Dixon & Bell. London managing partner Robert Bata has pledged to hire "aggressively" in the sector following the move.Troutman Sanders' three-partner City outfit does not currently have an insurance capability. ...
Davies Lavery spurns DWF for Kennedys
Insurance firm Davies Lavery knocked back a takeover bid from DWF in favour of a merger with Kennedys, The Lawyer can reveal.
Camerons recruits Jardine insurance guru
CMS Cameron McKenna has boosted its insurance offering by poaching the group legal adviser of insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group.
Stephenson Harwood and Norton Rose scoop sharia insurance deal
Stephenson Harwood and Norton Rose have snared lead roles on the outsourcing of sharia-compliant insurance, believed to be the first deal of its kind.Norton Rose, led by partner Mike Rebeiro, advised Principle Insurance on the £90m outsourcing...
Class conscious
One of the areas most likely to see the introduction of new forms of collective claim is the field of antitrust damages claims. On 2 April the European Commission published a white paper setting out concrete proposals to make antitrust damages claims easier to bring. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) also published its own recommendations to the UK Government on this topic at the end of last year. An important part of both proposals are changes designed to introduce more effective forms ...
Gift aid
Organ donation is in the spotlight as the effects of the Human Tissue Act start to appear. Julie Austin reports on how the law has changed since the Nationwide Retained Organs Group litigation
Personal injury
In May 2007, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) published a set of proposals aimed at radically overhauling the UK's personal injury (PI) system. It aimed to introduce a raft of measures designed to speed up the process with the aim of cutting costs and improving access to justice for both claimants and defendants.
The waiting game
The Ministry of Justice keeps delaying its response to proposals to change the personal injury system, causing massive disruption to law firms. Four lawyers from opposing sides share their concerns
Clinical Negligence
Clinical negligence is an emotive subject.
Mid-market results buoyed by insurance and litigation
A rebound in the insurance and litigation markets helped Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC), Nabarro and Weightmans cushion against a second-half market downturn.
HBJ Gately Wareing secures shipping merger
HBJ Gatelely Wareing is set to merge with niche shipping and transport firm Holmes Hardingham.
Brokers beware
Brokers must take notice of strict guidance from the FSA concerning their duty to the client. David Coupe and Rowena Grundy report.
Chamber of Shipping installs lawyer at top
Martin Watson, founding partner of Watson Farley & Williams, has been elected president of the UK Chamber of Shipping - the first lawyer to occupy this post. Watson has been a senior consultant at his firm since standing down as a partner eight years ago.
Dundee Uni broadens LLB offering
The University of Dundee is introducing a bachelor of law degree that enables students to gain dual-qualification in Scottish and English and Welsh law.
Insurance
Insurance, a market that impacts on every aspect of life, is forever changing in the eyes of the law. Case law is constantly evolving, impacting on how insurers operate.
Time trials
The House of Lords decision on historical sexual abuse cases is unlikely to result in a torrent of claims being brought, says Kathy Perrin
Green gauge
With the UK facing potential action from Europe over failing to implement the Environmental Liability Directive, perhaps now is the time for action rather than consultation.
Berrymans Lace Mawer promotes six to partner
Berrymans Lace Mawer has promoted six new partners, one fewer than last year.
PI lawyers hit back at insurers' claims of rocketing costs
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (Apil) has hit out at fresh claims of spiralling costs in the legal arena.
SIF to become insurance claims-handling provider
The Solicitors' Indemnity Fund (SIF) is to become an insurance claims-handling provider in an effort to keep insurance rates down.
Clydes lands CC shipping partner
Clifford Chance shipping partner Paul Turner has defected to Clyde & Co as the firm aims to refocus its shipping practice.
Insurers wade into Akzo row
Insurers have declared that underwriting non-European lawyers looking to run competition cases in the EU would be almost untenable due to the Akzo Nobel ruling.
Irwin Mitchell aiming for £150m turnover
Irwin Mitchell aiming for £150m turnover" / Irwin Mitchell managing partner Howard Culley has been re-elected in his 20th year in office and is predicting a 35 per cent rise in turnover to £150m by the end of the financial year.
RPC leads insurance charge to Bermuda
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) is sending a reconnaissance team to Bermuda to scout the possibility of launching on the island.
Slaughters leads in standard life offload
Standard Life has turned to long-term adviser Slaughter and May in a deal that will see the life insurance giant offload annuity liabilities worth £6.7bn to Canada Life.
Singapore lures West's insurance heavyweights
In September 2006 the prime minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong urged London's leading insurance figures to look east for investment opportunities. The insurance market has since responded with vigour and Lloyd's of London is thriving in the region.
Kennedys in insurance bid with launch in Singapore
Kennedys is set to launch a Singapore office in the summer with the aim of servicing its insurance clients.
Genworth set for rethink of European panel as new counsel takes the reins
Insurance giant Genworth Financial will be reviewing its European panel firms after merging the legal departments of its payment protection and mortgage insurance businesses.
An uncertain future
Personal injury lawyers now have another deadline. The Ministry of Justice has at last made a statement on the proposed claims process reforms for personal injury claims, following the consultation which closed in July last year.
TAG law firms settle with insurers
Manchester-based solicitors Rowe Cohen and a raft of other personal injury firms have come to a settlement in The Accident Group (TAG) litigation.
Clydes says US growth is 'urgent priority'
Clyde & Co's US insurance and reinsurance chief Michael Knoerzer has declared that expansion in the US is an urgent priority for the firm, which has hired a partner to boost its transatlantic presence.
Insurers threaten to sue over flood losses
UK insurers Norwich Union and Allianz are looking at whether they can sue water authorities for failing to prevent the floods this summer.
Keelys bolts on Burrells to London office
Keelys Solicitors has acquired insurance defendant specialist Burrells. The Lichfield-headquartered firm said Burrells would be merged with Keelys London. Burrells partners Derek Burrell and Eamonn Clifford will work directly with Keelys head of costs litigation Simon Murray. Burrells specialises in complex and high-value claims and recoveries for insurers. Keelys managing partner Daniel Keane said the acquisition would boost the firm's national presence.
MoJ reforms spark insurance revolution
Norwich Union and Royal & SunAlliance are reviewing their panels in anticipation of a Ministry of Justice overhaul of the PI claims system.
Catherine Regan: RGA International
With a role that encompasses Africa, Europe and Asia, RGA International’s new global counsel Catherine Regan has a lot to get to grips with.
Ince & Co names next senior partner
Ince & Co’s head of marine casualty James Wilson has been chosen to succeed Peter Rogan as the firm’s senior partner in April.
BLG raids Hardwicke for PI barristers
Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) has hired three personal injury lawyers as part of its expansion of its casualty practice.
Kendall Freeman seals US merger as insurance market reaches saturation
London-based Kendall Freeman's merger with Boston firm Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge last Tuesday (30 October) has sparked speculation about which UK firm is next for a transatlantic merger.
BLG strengthens Singapore shipping team
Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) has raided shipping boutique Thomas Cooper for marine partner Drew James.
Kendall Freeman merges with US firm Edwards Angell
London-based Kendall Freeman is to merge with Boston-based US firm Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge.
Greenwoods launches in Manchester
Personal injury boutique Greenwoods is gearing up for aggressive growth after launching an office in Manchester.
Camerons reunites insurance group
CMS Cameron McKenna has rejoined one half of its insurance group to the other in its new City offices in Leadenhall Street.The team was separated when Camerons opened for business there in July 2006 in a bid to be closer to the insurance markets. The move fits in with the firm's new sector-focused strategy, in which insurance and reinsurance was a key practice area.
DLA Piper hires CC lawyer in Hong Kong
DLA Piper has hired Clifford Chance senior associate William Harrison as a partner in its Asian insurance practice.
RGA bags RiverStone counsel for global role
US reinsurance giant RGA International has hired RiverStone Management general counsel and company secretary Catherine Regan as international legal counsel.
Clydes swoops on LeBoeuf for NY insurance
Clyde & Co has recruited LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae partner Michael Knoerzer in New York to spearhead the firm's assault on the US insurance and reinsurance market.
In a bind
Insurers are finally being dragged into line with the rest of the business world, with a consultation paper on contract law set to shake up the industry. Richard Evans and Tom Watkinson report
Trouble at the top
The Companies Act has placed greater weight on directors' liability in shareholder claims. Anthony Menzies reports on how the D&O insurance market is set for a boon
Weather warning
Insurers stand to lose more than most if the predictions on climate change hold true. Ashley Prebble and Natalie Perkin report on the industry's response to the scientific evidence
Lovells, O'Melveny pave way for Prudential's South African tie-up
Lovells and O'Melveny & Myers have steered a landmark joint venture between UK insurance giant Prudential and its South African counterpart Discovery.
Addleshaws looks to insurance group litigation…
Addleshaw Goddard’s insurance practice is linking up with its newly created class actions group as the firm repositions itself in expectation of an economic downturn.
Holman secures Dubai partner from Clydes
Michael Pilkington has joined Holman Fenwick & Willan's Dubai office as a partner.
Kennedys set to launch in Manchester
Insurance law firm Kennedys has announced plans to open an office in Manchester.
Anti-lawyer insurer report dubbed 'highly suspicious'
Lawyers have lashed out at research from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) that says that injury claims on motor policies take 90 days longer to settle if a lawyer is consulted.
Conveyancing and PI most negligent practice areas
Property and personal injury (PI) work spawned the highest number of negligence claims against solicitors in the first three quarters of 2007, according to professional indemnity insurance broker Lockton Professions.
CC sends London insurance lawyer to Hong Kong
Clifford Chance has continued its mobility strategy with the transfer of a senior associate from London to Hong Kong.
Davies Lavery in double partner swoop
Insurance specialist Davies Lavery has hired two insurance partners, including Halliwells London head of insurance, reinsurance and professional indemnity John Groome.
Pru hires Freshfields refusenik to unlock fund
Former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer restructuring head Peter Bloxham has reappeared as a “policyholder advocate” at Prudential just as the insurance giant instructed Freshfields on a headline deal with troubled mutual Equitable Life.
Where's your tax at?
Cross-border insurance transactions are likely to throw up tax problems. Greg Sinfield and John Young look at how Zurich in particular is addressing the issue
All accord?
Insurers and reinsurers across the EU await the forthcoming Solvency II regime with bated breath. Martin Mankabady reports
Playing the claim
A forthcoming review of the whole personal injury claims system can help eradicate false claims and make the whole process more consensual. Lea Brocklebank reports
Zurich singles out six firms for global panel
Insurance giant Zurich has concluded its secretive review of global advisers, with six firms making it on to its preferred list.
Ince pleads innocence in discrimination case
Ince & Co has been hit with a sex and disability discrimination claim from a former reinsurance lawyer who left the firm last April.
BLG partner joins Primary Group
Insurance distribution company Primary Group has appointed Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) partner David Arthur as group corporate counsel. A partner in BLG’s professional liability and commercial litigation team, Arthur joins Primary after 24 years at the firm – 20 of those as a partner. His experience includes acting for large accountants and insurance firms in litigation, including the BCCI and Barings cases. Primary is headquartered in Bermuda and has broking and underwriting capabilities.
CC insurance head boosts DLA Germany
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has secured German insurance capability for the first time with the hire of Clifford Chance insurance expert Herbert Palmberger.
DWS to fight on after raid by Chadbourne
Denton Wilde Sapte (DWS) will rebuild its London contentious insurance and reinsurance practice after losing its five-partner group to Chadbourne & Parke.
Spitzer probe hands Clydes work
Clyde & Co has picked up 10 mandates in London relating to the investigation launched by US Attorney General Eliot Spitzer into broker Marsh & McLennan (M&M). These include an instruction from Munich Re to look at the terms and conditions of its broking relationships.
RPC looks to Akin capture for insurance face-lift
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) is kick-starting a new insurance regulatory and brokers group with the hire of a partner from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
WTC attack deemed to be two events
Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz last week secured a major victory over the World Trade Centre’s insurers after a jury ruled that the 11 September attacks constituted two separate occurrences for insurance purposes.
DLA targets Aussie, Indian link-ups
Australian and Indian law firms have emerged as unlikely targets for DLA ahead of this Saturday’s (4 December) vote on the merger with Chicago’s Piper Rudnick.
Personal injury discount rate proposal agitates authorities
THE Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) have distanced themselves from recommendations made in the latest edition of the tables used to calculate personal injury compensation.
Beachcrofts head undertakes CII chairmanship
Beachcroft Wansbroughs senior partner Lord Hunt of Wirral is taking on a new role as chair of the Chartered Insurance Institute’s (CII) professional standards board. Hunt will be in charge of the launch of the CII’s new code of ethics and conduct, which is being designed to give a code of conduct for institute members and the industry as a whole. The institute is a professional organisation for those working in the financial services and insurance industries.
Robin Simon Llp
Tucked away in the heart of London’s insurance hub, between the London Underwriting Centre and Lloyd’s, is a niche firm with a global reach.
Richards Butler hires insurance ace for London
Richards Butler has bolstered its insurance and reinsurance group with the lateral hire of Hill Dickinson partner Chris Zavos, who joins as a partner in London. Zavos has expertise in the marine and energy insurance sectors. At Hill Dickinson, Zavos advised underwriters on coverage issues in a broad range of hull, cargo, energy, yacht, construction and liability issues.
Covering up
From a small Lloyd’s syndicate to an international powerhouse in the space of a decade. Joanne Harris on how the Catlin Group achieved its rise to prominence
Eversheds lures Hill Dickinson key man
Eversheds has poached the head of claims management from Hill Dickinson, its biggest competitor in the high-volume business.
Top 20 firms see professional indemnity insurance rates drop
The cost of professional indemnity insurance cover for the top 20 UK law firms dropped by up to 10 per cent this year, according to research for The Lawyer.
DLA Group entices Polish firm Lukowicz into the fold
DLA’s international association DLA Group is expanding its presence in Eastern Europe after securing its first Polish member.
Lupicinio Eversheds in double Spanish link-up
Eversheds’ Spanish alliance partner Lupicinio Eversheds has tied up with two niche practices.
Zurich cost-cutting sees global review of advisers
Insurer Zurich has launched a global review of its external legal services in a move to rationalise its legal spend and will form its first official panel of preferred advisers as part of the process.
Barlows spearheads growth in Asia with Singapore launch
Barlow Lyde & Gilbert is opening an office in Singapore as part of its planned expansion in Asia.
Opinion
It’s that time of year again – the solicitors’ professional indemnity renewal season, when managing partners and finance directors start recognising the difference between managing their third-highest overhead throughout the year, or leaving it to chance.
FSA warns insurers to control legal risk
The input of in-house legal teams at life insurers has come under the spotlight following warnings from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) that some companies are not exercising sufficient control over legal risk.
Norton Rose cements Admiral, QBE relationships
Norton Rose has consolidated its relationship with two of Europe’s largest insurers. The firm scooped a key role on the initial public offering (IPO) of Admiral and associate Adrian Williams landed the general counsel role at QBE.
Legal Risk
Twelve months ago in Liverpool, a new kind of niche firm was born. Sue Mawdsley and Frank Maher left Weightman Vizards to set up a risk management consultancy called Legal Risk. They claim its principal aim is to save its clients money. “Our main focus is on helping firms save more than they spend. We saved one firm half a million pounds last year,” says Maher.
Dream scheme
Solvent schemes of arrangement and other exit strategies are helping to keep London at the head of the insurance market, say Ian McKenna and Richard Gregorian
Blasts from the past
With the removal of barristers’ immunity from negligence actions, a raft of claims was predicted. But as John Bennett reports, this has not transpired
SAC race
The development of public legislation relating to segregated accounts companies is proving beneficial to the insurance market in Bermuda. Neil Horner reports
James Chapman boosts catastrophic injury
Manchester insurance litigation firm James Chapman & Co has expanded its specialist catastrophic injury team with the appointment of partner Philip D’Netto. D’Netto, recently a partner with Ilford firm Edward Duthie Solicitors, specialises in advising insurance clients on catastrophic injury cases. He brings with him client Highway Insurance.
Irwin Mitchell names Knaggs as new Leeds leader
Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office has appointed a new managing partner.
Risk managers become popular choice for firms
Half of the UK’s top 20 firms have responded to growing threats of negligence claims by appointing full-time risk managers.
Indemnity deadline pushes claim-cutting up the agenda
Risk management is now a full-time job at the UK’s biggest law firms. Joanne Harris reports
Merriman White still open for business
In our article of 9 August 2004 about Merriman White, we reported that the firm was closed for business. We understand however that the firm has been taken over by two new partners: Andrew Crossley and Dominic Murphy, who have bought the practice from its former partners. Merriman White acts for the majority of its predecessor’s clients and employs the vast majority of its support staff and fee-earners and, as before, will be a specialist practice in its core areas of commercial and ...
Kirkland rainmaker lands top job at Conseco
A leading corporate partner from Kirkland & Ellis has been appointed as president and chief executive of recovering US insurance giant Conseco.
Markel International in legal head first
Insurance group Markel International has appointed its first ever head of legal.
Careers: people
Davies Arnold Cooper has announced a trio of promotions and a new appointment at associate partner level. Janie Castle joins the commercial litigation team in London from Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker, while Gillian Dada, Mark Shaya and Crispin Tomlinson have all been promoted to associate partner level in the product liability, insurance and property divisions. The promotions follow the recent announcement of five new equity partners at the firm.
Ranald Munro: Chubb Insurance Company of Europe
With multiple roles for Chubb Insurance, Ranald Munro can keep a watchful eye on all proceedings, from EU legislation to management plans. Joanne Harris reports
Allseas liable for DWS fees as P&I club Gard wins cap
Insurers have pulled out of providing legal expenses cover in an arbitration that has grossed the largest lawyers’ fees – some £100m – in any case of its kind in English history.
Anglian Water to dictate firms to Willis
Anglian Water is set to impose a legal panel on its insurance claims handler Willis.
Profits up at Kendall Freeman
Niche insurance and litigation firm Kendall Freeman has reported a 44.3 per cent rise in profits in its first full year since the demise of DJ Freeman.
Corporate deals round-up
Clifford Chance (David Lewis) acted for Luxembourg steel producer Arcelor on acquiring a 33.75 per cent stake in Companhia Siderúrgica de Tubarão worth $579m (£311.8m), increasing Arcelor’s overall holding in the company to 62 per cent. Vieira Rezende Barbosa e Guerreiros acted ...
Law Soc, The St Paul rekindle joint venture
The Law Society and insurance giant The St Paul have renewed their joint venture for at least another five years. They have collaborated since the abolition of the Solicitors Indemnity Fund in 2000. The St Paul has since become a leading professional indemnity player, insuring around 20 per cent of the solicitors’ market. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 29 June
EU money laundering directive under fire
The Council of the Bars and Law Societies of the European Union (CCBE) this week criticised the introduction of a third European money laundering directive.
Leo Abse & Cohen
Ian Hopkins, managing partner of South Wales law firm Leo Abse & Cohen (LAC), makes no bones about how the firm needed a shake-up two years ago. “We recognised that big changes were needed and went through an enormous cultural shift,” he admits. “We were a sleeping giant, but we’ve woken up.”
Free trade
Despite two years of a hard insurance market and rising professional indemnity premiums, Trevor Moss argues that law firms are better off in the open market than under SIF
Team goes to Gardner Carton as Lovells dumps Chicago litigation
Lovells is closing its niche commodities and securities litigation practice in Chicago, a move that will lead to the departure of litigation partner Timothy Carey and two associates.
Leader
My, my. The timing couldn’t have been better. A week after Barry O’Brien’s team at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer was thrown off the M&S bid, Law Society president Peter Williamson was giving delegates at The St Paul risk management conference an insight into the way the new conflicts rules were shaping up.
Norton Rose gifted Amlin corporate role
Norton Rose is the major beneficiary of FTSE 250 insurance company Amlin’s first legal panel for non-insurance-related work. Linklaters will continue as its key corporate adviser, but Norton Rose will act on corporate and regulatory issues. Group general counsel James Healy-Pratt will focus on forming a legal panel for ...
Sidley scoops China Life class action
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood has beaten US rival Shearman & Sterling to win a mandate to defend China Life Insurance in a class action against the company.
Have-a-go Henriettas
A recent industry report has rubbished the idea of a compensation culture, but with businesses being put under increasing pressure from insurance premiums, who can identify where the real problems lie? Jon Robins reports
The St Paul launches ‘Lifeboat’ for LLPs
Professional indemnity insurer The St Paul is launching a new product especially for law firms that convert to limited-liability partnership (LLP) status.
Lovells splits group for asbestos onslaught
Lovells has split its contentious insurance, professional indemnity and environment group in preparation for an anticipated rise in asbestos claims.
Viruses poison client relationships
A new survey has revealed that UK law firms are losing clients as a result of computer viruses.
Hempsons secures £250K of withheld fees for NHS class action rape case
After months of stand-off, insurers last week agreed to pay out almost £250,000 in legal fees owed to Hempsons Solicitors, which defended the NHS against a large-scale class action funded partly by conditional fee arrangements (CFAs).
Herbert Smith frozen out of Standard Life demutualisation
Standard Life has finally held a beauty parade for its massive demutualisation, but it is understood that the mutual has not asked Herbert Smith’s star corporate insurance team to pitch for the work.
Richards Butler sails off with Hill Taylor man
Hill Taylor Dickinson’s maritime insurance department has been hit with the loss of another key partner, Chris Zavos, who is joining Richards Butler.
Fasken boosts London team with Osler hire
Canadian firm Fasken Martineau has bolstered its presence in London with the hire of Canadian Jim Lisson, formerly a partner with Osler Hoskin & Harcourt.
Careers: People
South West firm Bond Pearce has made three internal partner appointments: Bristol-based property litigator James Rees, Bristol-based insurance litigator Nathan Peacey and Southampton-based corporate finance specialist Sebastian Briggs.
Covering costs
Professional indemnity cover is continuing to rise to astronomic proportions. Lynne Abess reports on how partnerships are responding
Halliwells see revenue jump in record year
Halliwell Landau has posted its highest-ever turnover for the last financial year after revenue grew by 12.7 per cent to £40m.
Hill Taylor counts third maritime insurance partner loss
Hill Taylor Dickinson’s maritime insurance department has been hit with the loss of another key partner, this time to Richards Butler.
World Trade Center leaseholder fails in bid to increase insurance pay-out
The titanic battle between two of the New York bar’s trial heavyweights is nearing its end after a US federal jury rejected World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein’s bid to effectively double his insurance payments from Swiss Re.
Bond Pearce ups the ante on South West with new premises
Bond Pearce has signed a deal to take 50,000 sq ft of space in a new Bristol development as the firm continues its attack on the South West market.
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain announces new senior partner
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain has appointed a new senior partner after the present incumbent stepped down after 12 years in the role.
Bond Pearce in clinical negligence expansion
Bond Pearce in clinical negligence expansion" /Bond Pearce has launched a claimant clinical negligence practice in Bristol as it continues to expand its insurance defence offering.
In-House Sector Focus: Brave new world
London’s insurance market is having to adapt to survive. Jodi Bartle speaks to the top in-house lawyers working in the sector
Reaction time
The repercussions of 11 September are still being felt by the insurance industry, which is making some important changes. Marian Boyle reports
Exchange rate
The downgrading of many top reinsurance companies by ratings agencies has raised a number of serious questions. Simon Kilgour reports
Safe keeping
When the value of a company’s intangible assets is sky high, insurance to cover any losses is essential. Matthew Hogg reports
Trouble for the top
The regulatory spotlight has now fallen on senior management in the insurance sector, which should beware of the FSA. By Nigel Davenport
Dechert departure spurs insurance withdrawal
Dechert’s London office is pulling out of the insurance market following the departure of partner James Lewis to LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae. Lewis, who became a partner in the firm in 1992, is expected to leave Dechert at the end of this week. His departure follows that of Charles Brown, head of Dechert’s City construction practice, who is moving to the London office of Philadelphia firm Duane Morris.
Lovells lands Pru Cannes instruction
Lovells has tightened its hold on key client Prudential, with the firm advising the insurance giant on a development project located in the heart of Cannes.
Hextalls scoops Mendes & Mount duo
London-based firm Hextalls is continuing to strengthen its US hold with the appointment of two partners in New York. Mendes & Mount partners Matthew Byrne and Lawrence Rose have joined Hextalls’ reinsurance team, which is based on Wall Street. Byrne and Rose will represent domestic and international reinsurance companies in the US and London.
Simmons boosts China with Minter Ellison hire
Simmons & Simmons is continuing to ramp up its mainland China practice with the appointment of Minter Ellison’s former managing partner to its Shanghai office.
Steptoe & Johnson acquires Oppenheimer’s Brussels base
US firm Steptoe & Johnson has become the first firm to benefit from the dismantling of Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly’s European network.
Ricksons to spin off its claimant insurance arm
North West firm Ricksons is poised to dispose of its claimant insurance arm Axis Solicitors, as part of the firm’s strategic shift towards corporate and commercial work.
Hextalls in defensive move with Beachcrofts hire
Hextalls is continuing its attack on the London market, with the hire of Beachcroft Wansbroughs insurance litigation partner Dominic Dennis-Browne to head the firm’s professional indemnity department. Dennis-Browne specialises in defending claims against a number of professions, including solicitors, with particular expertise in claims involving dishonesty. The hire comes just two weeks after the firm took on Druces & Atlee partner Stephen Kingsley to head commercial property.
Hextalls raids Beachcrofts for new professional indemnity head
Hextalls is continuing its attack on the London market, with the hire of Beachcroft Wansbrough’s insurance litigation partner Dominic Dennis-Browne to head the firm’s professional indemnity department.
Millions wasted as SFO witness in money laundering case is rejected
The Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) use of a former solicitor – described by a judge as a “liar” and a “thief” – as a leading witness in its prosecution of an $11.5m (£6.1m) money laundering scam has led to the collapse of the case, which cost millions of taxpayers’ money. The case concerned the alleged laundering of proceeds from a fraudulent high-yield investment scheme through the client accounts of several law firms, including the now defunct Swepstone Walsh.
…as SFO drops £10m action
After racking up at least £10m in legal fees, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has abandoned a case after being told of a crucial legal point that lawyers argue it should have been aware of from the outset.
Scottish Re scores Royal & SunAlliance heavyweight
The UK arm of Bermuda-based life reinsurer Scottish Re has appointed George Scott as its first ever in-house lawyer.
Manjit Katoara: Letsure
Insurance company Letsure’s in-house legal team is unique in acting for clients outside the company. By Steve Hoare
Four New Square swoops for 2 Temple silk
2 Temple Gardens has lost a second silk to professional negligence set Four New Square. Jeremy Stuart Smith QC, an insurance and products liability specialist who acted for claimants in the MMR litigation, joined Justin Fenwick QC’s set last week. It follows the arrival last July of 2 Temple’s Graham Eklund QC, a professional negligence silk, and product liability expert David Turner.
Camerons insurance ace quits for GE ERC
CMS Cameron McKenna is losing high-profile and highly-rated insurance and reinsurance partner Mark Elborne to an in-house position at US conglomerate GE.
Camerons wins in bittersweet partner loss
CMS Cameron McKenna is losing a partner but potentially gaining more work as one of its lawyers joins the insurance and reinsurance division of US conglomerate GE.
Martineaus pensions chief quits for Pinsents
Martineau Johnson’s head of pensions Simon Laight has quit the firm to join Pinsents’ Birmingham office.
Steptoe scoops CC lawyer for insurance push
Steptoe & Johnson is branching out into the UK insurance and reinsurance market after setting up a new practice with the hire of a former Clifford Chance senior associate.
Bingham gears up for bondholder battle in Parmalat scandal
Bingham McCutchen has been drafted into to fight for bondholders in the ever-worsening financial crisis surrounding Italian food group Parmalat.
Five-partner team snubs DLA Dutch merger
Five partners of Dutch firm SchutGrosheide are launching their own practice, after disagreeing with the firm’s decision to merge with DLA.
Master of the Rolls sticks up for accident victims
The Master of the Rolls has attacked the UK’s record on looking after accident victims. Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers (left) asked the Government to back the rehabilitation of those affected in its plans to deal with the spiralling costs of employers’ liability insurance. He told delegates at the Forum of Insurance Lawyers annual conference ...
Field Seymour lures partner from Dentons
Reading firm Field Seymour Parkes has broken into the insurance and reinsurance market with the hire of Denton Wilde Sapte partner James Pilgrim-Morris.
Field Seymour Parkes hires Dentons partner
Pilgrim-Morris is an insurance litigator, with particular expertise in Lloyd's work, reinsurance and product liability disputes. Although Field Seymour already has a commercial litigation capability, this is the firsttime it has been able to offer ins...
Picking the Rock
The benefits of EU membership, a flexible tax system and grass roots support is seeing the insurance industry flourish in Gibraltar. Brendan Murphy and Nick Keeling report
The Bermuda angle
Benjamin Dyer reports on financing alternatives for Bermuda captives
Brit finalises first formal legal panel
Brit Insurance, the UK insurance subsidiary of Brit Insurance Holdings, has created its first formal legal panel.
Brit Insurance completes first legal panel
Brit Insurance, the UK insurance subsidiary of Brit Insurance Holdings, has created its first formal legal panel. Many of Brit’s previous advisers have lost out in the review, which has formalised a smaller number of law firm relationships. The full review of service providers kicked off in April and formed part of Brit’s strategic development of claims handling processes.
BLM takes on Jacksons' insurance arm
The seven-partner insurance department of North-East firm Jacksons, which this year announced it was splitting in two, has found a new home with Berrymans Lace Mawer (BLM).
The main event
What is the difference between an 'event' and an 'occurrence'? Charles Bending reports on recent insurance cases that have tried to clear up the debate
Liar liar
Should fraudulent insureds lose the legitimate part of their claim or just the inflated part? Alison Hart reports on the diminishing duty of good faith within the insurance market
The middle man
In response to the Insurance Mediation Directive, the FSA is slapping yet more regulations on insurance intermediaries. Maria Ross discusses the implications
Kendall Freeman wins Victoria Seguros work
A recommendation from the magic circle has awarded Kendall Freeman a new client in the guise of Germany's Ergo Group subsidiary Victoria Seguros.
Insurance litigation firms reap the benefits with profit hikes
The top five insurance firms have all enjoyed massive profit hikes this year as their clients become increasingly litigious in today's hardened market.Kennedys, the best performer, saw profits per equity partner rise by 25 per cent, Beachcroft Wansbroughs profits went up 18 per cent and Reynolds Porter Chamberlain's went up 10 per cent, while Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and Clyde & Co's both saw an 8 per cent increase.Kennedys chief executive Ric Martin said: "There's a link ...
Premiums to soar as post-SIF honeymoon ends
After three years of cheap cover on the open market, law firms this year will pay more for their primary-level insurance than they did in the year that the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) collapsed.
Legacy Biddle partners to quit Pinsents after strategy review
Pinsents is saying goodbye to three partners and four assistants, originally from its 2001 London merger partner Biddle, following strategy and performance reviews.
Leader
The Accident Group's (TAG) founder Mark Langford is not known for his personal touch. Earlier in the year, an attempt at an interview with The Lawyer had to be called off after he became indisposed at the last moment. Not a problem, his PR guy said, we'll just send in his QC and you can attribute his words to the boss. Call us fussy, we replied, but it is a journalistic convention that the subject of a profile be in attendance for his own interview. So it's not surprising to learn that ...
Lovells against pro-consumer product liability directive
Lovells has completed a ground-breaking study of product liability law for the European Commission. The City firm has recommended that the commission drops plans laid out in its 1999 green paper for radical reform of the product liability directive.
Russell Jones & Walker says New Claims Direct is no TAG
Russell Jones & Walker (RJW) has sought to distance its New Claims Direct service from that of The Accident Group (TAG), which collapsed last week, as well as from the old Claims Direct service, which RJW purchased in February 2003.
4 Essex Court boosts commercial by four
The chambers of 4 Pump Court has been hit by the loss of three tenants, including respected commercial specialist Lindsay Boswell QC, to shipping and commercial chambers 4 Essex Court, which has also hired the eminent Littleton Chambers silk Julian Malins QC.
Jacksons to split in two within months
North East firm Jacksons has announced that it is splitting its core areas of business into two new firms, with effect from 1 September.
Brick Court wins barrister from 2 Temple Gardens
Brick Court Chambers has recruited Tim Lord from 2 Temple Gardens. Lord has focused on personal injury and insurance work in the past, but has been signed to assist Brick Court with its banking and financial services work. He spent 10 years at 2 Temple Gardens after qualifying at Slaughter and May.
Minters raids Phillips Fox in Adelaide
Minter Ellison has rocked the Adelaide office of Phillips Fox by poaching almost 25 per cent of its lawyers.
Axa warns panel firms as it starts cost-cutting review
Sixteen law firms on tenterhooks as insurance giant set to chop panel places; no chance to retender
Weathering the winter
When Sandra Basaran was hired by Winterthur Life, she got more than she bargained for. Husnara Begum reports
Hang the DJ
There are no regrets for DJ Freeman's David Kendall and Laurence Harris as Kendall Freeman is born. Emma Vere-Jones investigates
Ince and Weil Gotshal set for insurance litigation face-off
Ince & Co and Weil Gotshal & Manges could end up suing each other as a result of a complex film finance litigation suit.
Big ideas
Following a period of aggressive expansion via numerous acquisitions, insurance outsourcer Rubicon is also trying to cut its legal costs. Husnara Begum investigates
Speak no evil
Enthusiastic one minute and prickly the next, Davies Arnold Cooper's Daniel Gowan doesn't like to talk about the past. Julia Cahill reports
Insurance
Lloyd's of London Names are a dying breed at the oldest insurance market in the world. Down from 35,000 to just 2,490 unlimited liability Names today, individual investors are regarded as an anachronistic throwback needing to be helped into extinction by reform-hungry corporate investors.Sax Riley, the chairman of Lloyd's, has called for members to vote in favour of seeking to update the 1982 act of Parliament that governs the insurance market. An extraordinary meeting ...
Insurance
Claims Direct has come crashing down to earth. As with all good tragic characters, fatal and inescapable flaws have caused this one-time darling of the London Stock Exchange to self-destruct. Investors' rocky love affair with the personal injury (PI) revolutionary/ambulance-chasing scumbag (depending on your point of view) finally came to an acrimonious end earlier this month.Claims Direct, whose shares had traded for as much as £3.60, called in the administrators when ...
Reluctant hero
DJ Freeman's new head of corporate Richard Spiller doesn't know why he landed the role, but Kathryn Hobbs is sure he is the right man for the job
Insurance
Summer is finally here, bringing Wimbledon, ice-creams and unsightly upper arms to the fore. For law firms it also signals the start of the professional indemnity (PI) renewal season. Firms have until the end of August to sort out their PI arrangements, so how does the land lie this year?The PI open market has been in effect for two years since the demise of the Solicitors' Indemnity Fund (SIF) in 2000. Last year the open market generated around £160m in premium income, compared ...
Insurance
It's that time of year again. The results of a year-long endeavour are awaited and while jubilation awaits the winners, heartache and a 'maybe-next-year' mentality beckons to the losers. Eurovision has been and gone, but The Lawyer Awards - the definitive reckoning of law firm performance - still have to be decided.Insurance firms do not have their own awards category, preferring to enter for litigation or corporate team of the year. So, for one column only, and ...
Insurance
Law firms and their insurance clients are strange bedfellows. While insurers claim that their lawyers do not work quickly, efficiently and certainly not cheaply enough, lawyers argue that their clients do not understand the vagaries of handling a claim. It is therefore a market with raised eyebrows that monitors the progress of new technology risk insurer Click for Cover and its strategic partner Hammond Suddards Edge.Click is an underwriting agency for a number of Lloyd's of ...
Insurance
The insurance industry has become the latest bunny to be stunned by the oncoming headlights of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and its cavalcade of regulators. Since assuming its full powers at the end of November 2001, the FSA has publicly avowed to ramp up regulation of the UK's insurance industry.Regulatory costs are anticipated to rise 10 per cent this year, with the same again the next, as FSA resources are redirected towards the insurance market and away from ...
Risk drive
Title insurers may not be the most popular US import among UK lawyers, but First Title's legal and underwriting director Philip Oldcorn believes there is room for all. Helen Power reports
Insurance
In a costs hearing last week, Amelans successfully rebuffed an argument which stated that an after the event (ATE) insurance policy provided by Temple Legal Protection should be regarded as a credit arrangement. It was the third in a series of similar cases involving Amelans and Temple and the latest attempt to find a loophole sufficiently large for defendant insurers to squeeze through.The costs hearing was nothing unusual. The legal arguments were inventive and well made, with ...
Fit for the job
Robin Spencer isn't the type of man to give himself an easy ride - sorting out the Equitable debacle for work, and for fun running across the Sahara
INSURANCE
If Lovells has its way at the High Court, this week should see the conclusion of Equitable Life's att-empts to steer a course for the less troubled waters of a compromise scheme of arrangement. Its progress has not always been smooth. A number of disgruntled former and current policyholders have attempted to run the scheme aground with threats of litigation. But, with Lovells at the rudder, Equitable seems set to achieve the outcome it needs.The mutual, although never far ...
Alive and kicking
Canada Life UK may have been lying low for a while but the acquisitive company is ever on the lookout for that perfect purchase. Naomi Rovnick discovers it is still a client to watch
Camerons breaks new ground as Lords finds broker negligent
CMS Cameron McKenna has scored an insurance victory over Clifford Chance in the House of Lords. A ruling this week upheld the 1999 Court of Appeal decision that reinsurance brokers Johnson & Higgins (J&H) were negligent in their dealings with Aneco Reinsurance. The result marks the first successful claim of its type against ...
Prudential chooses 'better legal service' from Elliott Duffy Garrett
Life insurance giant Prudential has appointed Belfast firm Elliott Duffy Garrett as its main adviser for property investment work in Northern Ireland.
Legal insurers list dwindles two years after SIF's demise
Eight insurers opt to leave the Law Society's minimum terms list despite premium hike of fifteen per cent
Under cover
Following the demise of SIF, Aon Claims Solutions decided to second private practice lawyers rather than have its own in-house team. Fiona Callister finds out how the scheme is going
Weighed down
Weightmans has been axed from two panels, lost its retail and leisure team and seen merger talks collapse, but senior partner Ian Evans is fighting on
Going great Gunns
Once you get past the complex structure of St Paul's international empire, it is a client that would be a feather in any firm's cap. Fiona Callister finds out that a communication specialist is what's needed
Treat me right
Skandia Life head of legal Ken Morrison won't take any sloppiness from laws firms. Fiona Callister talks to a man for whom impeccable customer service is a given
Herbert Smith lands on its feet
Herbert Smith has come out on top in the current Independent Insurance collapse.
Berrymans and Druces & Attlee sign formal alliance agreement
Regional insurance firm Berrymans Lace Mawer has signed a commercial agreement with 14-partner City firm Druces & Attlee in a bid to provide its clients with a wider portfolio of legal services.`The formal agreement is the first of its kind for Berrymans, which lost more than half of its Liverpool-based commercial department to rival North West firm Brabner Holden Banks Wilson seven months ...
Buchanans targets insurance with Denton Wilde partner hire
Pittsburgh firm Buchanan Ingersoll is taking on a partner from Denton Wilde Sapte to spearhead a move into insurance work.
CC hires insurance ace from CGNU
Clifford Chance has recruited Ian MacDonald, group legal counsel at CGNU, to its global financial institutions group.
The social worker
LeBoeuf's James Johnson loves the London life but after six years he is looking forward to returning to New York, despite the different working style
The butcher boy
Hextall Erskine senior partner John Bundy fell into law by accident. But the chance stops there- purposefulness has been his driving force ever since
Berrymans prepares for South West merger with Cartwrights
Insurance firm Berrymans Lace Mawer is set to merge with Bristol-based firm Cartwrights.
Nick Carter: Capital One
After testing the water in the UK, Capital One is expanding into Europe. Brendan Malkin meets Nick Carter, the man charhed with overseeing the move and building up the in-house team.
DJ Freeman appoints new senior partner
DJ Freeman has appointed corporate insurance specialist Toby Greenbury to the role of senior partner following an equity vote last week. He will take over from litigator Colin Joseph in May.
In the line of fire
When Vanni Treves takes over as chairman of Equitable Life, his life promises to be anything but. Can he turn the tables on the headline writers?
Blanket security
Financial Security Assurance provides insurance only for those companies that it believes do not actually need it. Vanessa Pawsey talks to assitant general counsel David Ridl about his favourite type of deal
Cozens beefs up City insurance capability
Philadelphia firm Cozen and O'Connor is hiring its first two UK-qualified insurance partners to boost its fledgling London office.
DAC loses top insurance partner to client
Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC) is losing an insurance and reinsurance partner to one of its clients, Jardine Lloyd Thompson.
Stephenson Harwood hires insurance head
Stephenson Harwood is bolstering its insurance/reinsurance practice by securing a new head from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.
Brockbank and Hiscox unite to cut £20m legal spend at Lloyd's
Lloyd's syndicates Brockbank and Hiscox are setting a new precedent in the insurance market by teaming up for the purchasing of legal services.
Suspended firms back on Axa panel
Berrymans Lace Mawer and Kennedys are returning to Axa's panel after the insurer finally lifted a six-month suspension on the two firms.
Aon borrows 30 lawyers to slash in-house costs
Insurance giant Aon is setting up a 30-strong in-house legal department to be staffed entirely by lawyers on secondment from panel firms.
Iron Trades
When insurer Iron Trades decided to restructure its panel last year, it knew it was not going to be a simple operation. After all, when you have no in-house department and you outsource to more than 50 firms, any shake-up has the potential to become very messy indeed.
Nick Rochez
Dearbail Jordan meets Nick Rochez, Davies Arnold Cooper's senior insurance litigation partner, who caused a stir by going to US firm Leboeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae
Simon Twigden
Simon Twigden, the head of Addleshaw Booth & Co's London office, has big plans for the firm. Abigail Townsend talks to the man who has his work cut out for him.
Peter Schwartz
Sean Farrell talks to Peter Schwartz, a man who is determined to take a sense of humour with him to Baker & McKenzie - as well as all his clients
John Startin
Ryan Dunleavy finds that Hextall Erskine's John Startin laughs in the face of law firm panel cuts - he has a cunning plan up his sleeve.
On the bench
Peter Leaver QC has joined Graham Kelly and Glenn Hoddle on the bench. John-Paul Flintoff discovers that the latest member of football's ruling elite to be sent off still feels mightily aggrieved - and perhaps for good reason
Nick Sinfield
Last week, The Lawyer revealed details of the massive restructure at Davis Arnold Cooper. Now at the helm, with new title of managing director, Nick Sinfield is preparing to steer the firm on a new course. Sean Farrell reports
