Shoosmiths LLP

Head of Commercial Insurance, Commercial Litigation

Paul is head of the insurance team at Shoosmiths, which sits within the commercial litigation practice. He specialises in all aspects of insurance-based litigation. He has a particular interest in policy cover disputes between insurers/insured, including breach of warranty, misrepresentation/mistake, non-disclosure and fraudulent claims acting for both the insured and insurers.

He has a broad depth of experience in most classes of insurance business to include commercial risk, professional indemnity, employers’ and public liability personal injury claims and product liability for some major household brands.

Paul regularly advises on subrogated recoveries for insurers and recoveries for corporate clients including fire claims, product liability, and liability for flooding, pollution and contamination issues, as aspects of ULR, RTA and subsidence actions.

Paul has some 27 years litigation experience, 16 of which he has spent specialising in insurance and commercial litigation. In acting for both insurers and commercial clients, his background means that he has great depth of knowledge and understanding from all perspectives.

His recent cases include:

• acting for a major utility contractor in a multi-million pound policy cover/estoppel dispute, following failure by the client’s claims managers to notify the correct insurers, some 5 years earlier, following a serious spinal injury case. The claim also includes a claim for professional negligence;
• acting for a financial services provider in connection with the refusal by their professional indemnity insurers to cover a claim for alleged negligent financial advice following the collapse of the Icelandic banks;
• acting for a major international film studio in a serious spinal injury case.

Paul is the co-author of “Piercing the corporate veil – Managing Business Risk,” published by Kogan Page in 2012.

Paul joined Shoosmiths in 1998. Before this he spent twelve years in a niche practice advising on insurance-based issues and general commercial litigation.