Mr Paul Lewis > Herbert Smith Freehills LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP Offices
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EXCHANGE HOUSE
PRIMROSE STREET
LONDON
EC2A 2EG
England
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Mr Paul Lewis
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Work Department
Disputes
Position
Joint Managing Partner of the global disputes practice
Career
Paul is Joint Managing Partner of the global disputes practice and works with clients on all aspects of insurance and professional negligence disputes.
He assists policyholders, insurers and brokers with claims under liability policies including professional indemnity, public liability, directors and officers, Bermuda form and crime. Paul also assists clients with political and credit risk policies. Paul recently led the firm’s team representing the FCA in the business interruption test case that went to the Supreme Court in late 2020.
Paul has extensive experience of professional negligence claims. He has defended a range of professionals including insurance brokers, pensions intermediaries, solicitors, accountants and valuers.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Insurance > Insurance and reinsurance litigation
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP has an extensive client roster comprised of leading global insurers, reinsurers, brokers and corporate policyholders. Practice head Paul Lewis has particular expertise in professional indemnity. public liability, directors and officers, Bermuda form and crime. Other recommended individuals include Greig Anderson , an advisor on cyber, D&O, professional indemnity and crime claims; Alexander Oddy
and Fiona Treanor, best known for driving forward large energy claims; and David Reston, who continues to work with the team as a consultant. The firm continues to be active in matters relating to the crisis in Ukraine and on claims arising out of Covid-19.
London > Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
(Hall of Fame)Herbert Smith Freehills LLP‘s insurance and professional risks team ‘works incredibly hard, is extremely knowledgeable and has the bravery to make the tough calls‘. An associate partner for the UK Association of Insurance and Risk Managers, the team works on a wide range of complex issues impacting policyholders, including energy claims, cyber insurance and warranty and indemnity insurance. The last of these is a particular area of expertise for the ‘fantastic‘ Sarah McNally. The team continues to be involved in advising high-profile clients on business interruption issues arising from the COVID-19 crisis, following its success in the 2020 FCA test case concerning such claims. Paul Lewis heads the team, head of the firm’s global contentious insurance and reinsurance practice. Praised for its ‘ability to give sound legal advice at each stage’ of a dispute, the team has expertise in alternative dispute resolution, with Alexander Oddy
leading the firm’s practice in this area, as well as advising on policyholder claims in the energy and natural resources sector both in the UK and internationally. Greig Anderson is particularly experienced working for financial institutions; Fiona Treanor combines energy claim experience with technical reinsurance work.
London > Insurance > Professional negligence
(Leading individuals)Herbert Smith Freehills LLP has is instructed on numerous high-level instructions from leading firms. The firm also has a strong financial sector presence, reflected by a client list which includes numerous major banks, including National Australia Bank and UBS. William Glassey is experienced in defending solicitors, barristers, pensions actuaries, and property professionals in diverse subject matters. Paul Lewis
specialises in disputes involving solicitors, insurance brokers, and pensions advisors. Sarah McNally regularly advises clients in construction, infrastructure, energy, and so forth. Antonia Pegden specialises in technical pensions and solicitor’s professional negligence.
London > Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
The team at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP is the ‘top choice for litigation of significant value, strategic importance or complexity’, covering the whole gamut from general commercial disputes to more specialist areas, including insurance disputes, with a dedicated international arbitration practice. The firm is particularly well placed to see clients through the energy transition, and provides a comprehensive service for its clients through alternative legal services businesses within the firm’s international offices. Paul Lewis, previously the head of the insurance disputes practice at the firm, has recently replaced Damien Byrne Hill
as managing partner of the disputes practice, with the latter returning to full-time practice. Alan Watts is another key name at leadership level, acting as the head of both global class actions, and UK commercial litigation. The ‘excellent technical knowledge’ of the team is thanks in part to dual-qualified Julian Copeman, Natasha Johnson, Andrew Cooke, and solicitor advocate Rachel Lidgate. Of counsel Catherine Emanuel is another key figure in the team, with specific expertise in class actions.
Lawyer Rankings
- Commercial litigation: premium London > Dispute resolution
- Hall of Fame London > Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
- Insurance litigation: for policyholders London > Insurance
- Leading individuals London > Insurance > Professional negligence
- Professional negligence London > Insurance
- Insurance and reinsurance litigation London > Insurance
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Public sector > Administrative and public law
- Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- Dispute resolution > Competition litigation
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Risk advisory > Corporate governance
- Industry focus > Emerging markets
- Employment > Employee share schemes
- Employment > Employers
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition: trade, WTO anti-dumping and customs
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: contentious
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Infrastructure: Project finance and development
- Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- Investment fund formation and management > Listed funds
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Mining and minerals
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Oil and gas
- Corporate and commercial > Partnership
- Real estate > Planning
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables)
- Insurance > Product liability: defendant
- Insurance > Professional negligence
- Transport > Rail
- Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates)
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Industry focus > TMT
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Water
Firm Rankings
- Transport > Aviation
- Finance > Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans
- Real estate > Construction: contentious
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Finance > Debt capital markets
- Corporate and commercial > Equity capital markets – mid-large cap
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Fintech
- Employment > Health and safety
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Infrastructure: M&A and acquisition financing
- Insurance > Insurance and reinsurance litigation
- Insurance > Insurance: corporate and regulatory
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: patents (contentious and non-contentious)
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- Industry focus > Life sciences and healthcare
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Upper Mid-Market And Premium Deals, £750m+
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Advertising & marketing
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Digital content & social
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Film & TV
- Employment > Pensions (non-contentious)
- Employment > Pensions: dispute resolution
- Dispute resolution > Professional discipline
- Real estate > Property finance
- Real estate > Property litigation
- Dispute resolution > Public international law
- Finance > Securitisation
- Corporate and commercial > VAT and indirect tax
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Corporate and commercial > Corporate tax
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Finance > Derivatives and structured products
- Real estate > Environment
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: non-contentious/regulatory
- Insurance > Personal injury: defendant
- Investment fund formation and management > Real estate funds
- Finance > Trade finance
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals)
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Corporate and commercial > Private equity: transactions - mid-market deals (up to £250m)
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
- Industry focus > Retail and consumer
- Finance > Acquisition finance
- Investment fund formation and management > Private funds
- Corporate and commercial > Venture capital