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LONDON MARKETS

The London Market is a hugely important industry sector for HF and we have dedicated legal and operational experts with industry – leading knowledge forming our team providing legal, claims, technology and advisory services to this market. Our team has highly skilled and experienced legal experts working for many years in the London market, with a deep and insightful understanding of the varying issues that affect London market insurers, reinsurers and intermediaries and their clients. 

We have a reputation for approaching our work with tenacity and providing creative, commercial, and innovative solutions that deliver successful outcomes across the full range of insurance sector issues from claims to regulatory guidance and advice, dispute resolution, commercial agreements and contracts and non-contentious or ancillary advice. Including the most complex and high profile of issues for clients who include: 

  • Lloyd’s managing agents 
  • Brokers 
  • Insurers 
  • Reinsurers 
  • MGAs 
  • Trade Associations 
  • P&I clubs 
  • UK Plc’s and Multi-National corporations. 

Sector specific expertise

Our track record speaks volumes, supporting (re) insurers and their clients across multiple industry sectors, including manufacturing, sports, leisure, construction, engineering, transport, retail, healthcare, marine, aviation, technology, energy and utilities. We bring sector-specific insight to every instruction we receive. 

Supporting that market-leading expertise, is the cutting edge technology and innovations which help our clients to thrive and compete in a challenging and dynamic industry landscape. Agility and flexibility are cornerstones of our culture and our experienced team combine those skills and advantages to proactively create the tailored solutions our clients’ need. 

Specialist areas:

Jennette Newman

Jennette
Newman

Partner & Head of London Markets

We are an authentic and diverse group of people who approach our services with integrity and a genuine commitment to put our clients at the centre of everything we do alongside our people and our sustainable and ethical business practices.

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General Liability Casualty

UK & International Casualty

As well as managing claims in the UK and Ireland, we are experienced in managing international claims. Our expertise includes navigating complex issues such as choice of law, forum selection, coordinating foreign investigations and bringing together experts in foreign jurisdictions. Our expertise includes coverage, reinsurance issues, recoveries and dual insurance.

Multinational Policies

We have extensive experience in assisting policyholders, some of whom are household names across the world with international package and combined liability policies. We understand the complexities of the policy wordings and have a proven track record of managing issues that can occur regarding coverage (including dual insurance issues) and resolution of claims arising overseas.

Complex Casualty & Injury Claims

Our lawyers have handled some of the most high profile, high value and sensitive injury cases, including multi-million Pound claims made by household name sports stars and teams, fatality and serious injury claims that regularly appear in the national and international press, and regulatory and criminal investigations including the Wembley Stadium collapse.

Product Liability

Our product liability specialists handle a range of product liability claims for insurers and major corporate clients, including manufacturers, construction professionals, suppliers of motor vehicles, food products and white goods. Our specialist, services include regulatory matters, recall and civil and criminal defence claims at all levels and recoveries across various jurisdictions. This includes extensive experience of related property damage including, fires and floods caused by alleged defective goods and equipment.

Fighting Fraud

We have one of the largest and most successful counter-fraud teams in the industry. The team works with our in-house intelligence team and utilise our market-leading range of legal technology products to identify and tackle fraudulent claims for our clients. The value of this service is demonstrated by the extraordinary results we achieve for our clients including securing over 2,000 findings of fundamental dishonesty and saving our clients over £20m via our counter-fraud product HOLT.

Sports

Our Sports Team supports insurers, reinsurers and other risk carriers, event organisers and venues, clubs, manufacturers/suppliers, leisure activity providers and governing bodies operating in the sports sector. We have handled some of the highest profile and highest value claims in recent decades, including cases involving world renowned athletes and sports teams. We also advise on licensing, regulation, safeguarding and doping issues together with personal accident and high net worth cover.

Entertainment

Our Entertainment Team comprises specialist lawyers with extensive sector experience in films, TV, live entertainment, festivals etc, advising on liability claims and coverage, including health & safety, property, products, events and contingency. We also advise on licensing, regulation, safeguarding and contracts.

General Liability: Construction & Property

Complex Property Claims

We advise primary and excess layer insurers on all aspects of policy coverage in respect of property damage under both first party, and third-party liability claims. We regularly advise clients in relation to risks arising under different types of policies including all risks, package, construction and excess policies. Where insurance cover is validated, we act for insurers and large insureds in the defence of complex property claims, many of which are technical in nature and involve issues relating to professionals’ involvement in design, construction methods, selection of materials, engineering and product liability.

Subsidence

We have substantial experience and expertise in all subsidence matters including recoveries and mitigation, as well as advisory services relating to Tree Preservation Orders. The team handles a significant number of claims, including at pre-litigation stage and proceedings in the County, High Courts and Land Chambers. These lawyers are members of the Subsidence Forum, and their experience includes sensitive and high-profile subsidence claims.

Complex Property Recoveries

We handle both pre-litigated and litigated subrogated recoveries on behalf of insurers arising from fires, floods, escapes of water, contamination, impacts and explosions. We advise on initial prospects and on conducting pre-litigated enquiries, investigations and conducting actions through to mediation and all the way to trial. We have a track record of delivering six and seven figure recoveries.

Construction

We have specialist lawyers advising project insurers in relation to all aspects of coverage under the project and CAR/EAR policies, specifically in relation to coinsurance, waiver of subrogation and damage. Many of our disputes are high profile and our lawyers have been involved in two reported decisions in 2023.
We also support specialist cladding sub-contractors, advising them on claims by employers and against manufacturers and suppliers relating to performance and fitness for purpose of cladding products and compliance with technical standards.

Energy & offshore

We have extensive experience of managing high profile and complex disputes arising in the energy, onshore and offshore and subsea industries. We bring a depth of understanding to the nuances of insurance law specific to these industries. Our commitment to delivering strategic solutions ensures that our clients receive comprehensive legal support tailored to their individual needs.

Marine & Cargo Claims

Our marine insurance experts deal with the full range of disputes including those arising under cargo, goods in transit, hull and machinery, E&I, transport, P&I and yacht policies. We advise a wide range of clients in relation to collisions, salvage claims, damage to port infrastructure, limitation of liability under conventions and cargo claims. We are also experts in relation to claims arising from transportation of goods via air, sea and road, as well as damage arising in warehousing.

Contact us

For expert legal advice from real people in our specialist teams, get in touch – we look forward to hearing from you.

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Publications

A Collision of Two Halves

Irish Admiralty High Court Offers Rare Guidance on International Collision of Vessels under the COLREGS 1972   “After a period...

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