Clifford Chance is merging its insurance and reinsurance practice with its shipping group to create a single 10-partner team.

The merger is aimed at exploiting synergies between the two London teams.

Insurance head Nicholas Munday will lead the merged group, which will operate as the Insurance and Shipping Dispute Resolution group, specialising in insurance and reinsurance dispute resolution as well as transactions and disputes in the shipping, energy, oil and gas and commodity realms.