Ms Sarah McNally > Herbert Smith Freehills LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP Offices
![Herbert Smith Freehills LLP company logo](https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/05/HSF_Logo2_100mm_RGB_800px-1-300x300.jpg?v=1715613896)
EXCHANGE HOUSE
PRIMROSE STREET
LONDON
EC2A 2EG
England
- Firm Profile
- Go to...
Ms Sarah McNally
![Sarah McNally photo](https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2024/07/sarah-mcnally_LRC.jpg)
Work Department
Insurance & Professional Risks
Position
Partner and global practice area lead for Insurance Disputes
Career
Sarah advises clients on the biggest and most complex insurance matters with a focus on construction, business interruption, credit and political risk and warranty and indemnity insurance claims. She is also well known for her work advising professionals in relation to negligence claims arising from these practice areas.
Sarah was one of the lead partners in the successful test case brought by the FCA and decided in the Supreme Court in 2021 concerning COVID-19 business interruption claims. She continues to assist clients with all types of claim arising from the pandemic. Many of her construction cases are technically complex, and she routinely advises on claims concerning the range of DE and LEG clauses in construction policies. She has also acted in many claims concerning political risk, such as expropriation and selective discrimination, and advises on claims and wordings in relation to credit risk policies. Warranty and indemnity insurance claims and tax liability claims also form an increasing part of her practice and she has excellent cross-over expertise into M&A work.
She also has experience in relation to D&O (including in relation to class actions) and public liability, professional liability and property policies. Clients also call on her expertise in relation to non-contentious aspects of insurance, including risk allocation under contracts, M&A insurance issues and policy wordings.
Prior to joining Herbert Smith Freehills in 2005, Sarah practised as a barrister at Crown Office Chambers from 1999–2005. She has appeared in a range of tribunals including the QBD, TCC and Court of Appeal and retains full rights of audience. She is also an experienced mediation advocate.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
(Leading individuals)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.
Lawyer Rankings
- Insurance litigation: for policyholders London > Insurance
- Leading individuals London > Insurance > Professional negligence
- Leading individuals London > Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
- Professional negligence 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