The ‘go to set on insurance and reinsurance matters’, 7 King’s Bench Walk is a premier set both in litigation and arbitration, with members having experience in disputes concerning areas including avoidance of cover, points of instruction and a range of coverage issues. Members, including Peter MacDonald Eggers KC were instructed on Axis Capital v ABSA, in which he acted for insurers in relation to a claim for indemnity in connection with claims relating to improper investments in South Africa, which raised issues relating to policy exclusions and the policy attachment provisions. David Edwards KC handles a range of insurance disputes, with a focus on international arbitration, having been involved in arbitrations in London, Bermuda and the United States. Crossing over with the set’s notable expertise in shipping, Julia Gibbon is noted for her work in insurance matters related to marine cargo, innocent owners and business interruption insurance.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'The clerking team is really responsive. I have been particularly impressed by Gary Rose and Eddie Johns.'
'Greg Leyden, Eddie Johns and Gary Rose ensure the clerks' room works exceptionally well. They are honest, reasonable and efficient.'
'Declan Gray is great. Very personable and helpful. He comes back super quick. Gary Rose (his senior) is also helpful.'
'7KBW is the go to set on insurance and reinsurance matters. They have great strength in depth.'
'Indisputably the leader in the field of insurance and reinsurance.'
'7KBW are a premier set in the insurance/reinsurance field and this is evident by the fact that the set is the go-to set in all big insurance/reinsurance matters. The aviation insurance losses arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine are the biggest losses the aviation insurance industry has faced (circa $US 10bn) and it is not surprising that the majority of 7KBW are somehow involved in this matter.'
'7KBW is the stand out leader in high-end commercial insurance work. The sheer number of barristers from 7KBW instructed in the covid test case and in Russian aircraft claims is testimony to 7KBW's pre-eminence in the area.'
'The stand-out set when it comes to high-end commercial insurance work of all types.'

Silks

Leading Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

Peter MacDonald Eggers

Jonathan Gaisman

Siobán Healy

‘Siobán is very bright, hard working and meticulous in her preparation. She is always on top of the details of the case. Her style of delivery at a hearing is measured and effective.'

Dominic Kendrick

‘The doyen of reinsurance aggregation.'

Alistair Schaff

Andrew Wales

‘Andrew is absolutely fabulous on detail and is then able to use that to produce extremely rounded advice, addressing all the various angles.'

David Edwards

‘Has all the qualities of a KC you would ever want – always prepared, good on paper, good on his feet, and a good judge of the mood of the court.’

Richard Waller

‘Richard is a go-to KC. His advice is always extremely clear and of a high standard.’

Stephen Hofmeyr

Adam Fenton KC

‘Very detailed and incredibly intelligent and careful analysis on complex coverage issues.'

Jawdat Khurshid

'A very commercial and user-friendly silk, clients really like him. Exceptionally clever - clear, concise and persuasive both in written submissions and on his feet. All round impressive.'

Richard Southern

‘Extremely bright - able to master the most complicated cases. Always very well prepared. Highly persuasive advocate. Also very pleasant to work with.'

David Bailey

‘David is a genius both with the law and with clients. He is a particularly effective advocate who always has the ear of the court or tribunal.’

Michael Holmes

'An outstanding technical knowledge of insurance and reinsurance disputes, with an answer for everything. A delight to have on your team, appreciated by solicitors and clients alike.'

2022 Silks

Josephine Higgs KC

‘A true insurance expert, with enormous depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise. Brilliant on the law, fantastically responsive, and an absolute pleasure to work with. An incisive, clear and very persuasive advocate, who will be an extremely successful silk.’

Juniors

Leading Juniors

Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.

Alexander MacDonald

‘Alex is a real expert on insurance and reinsurance work, and can trusted to advise on matters which might otherwise be sent to a silk.'

Sandra Healy

‘Sandra is reliable and responsive.�� She has a great client-facing manner and she always comes up with the goods when needed.’

Keir Howie

‘Keir has outstanding ability to analyse complex issues and provide clear legal and, just as importantly, strategic advice. He is very responsive and a pleasure to work with.'

Benjamin Parker

Timothy Kenefick

'Tim is an excellent, hands on senior junior who is a delight to work with. A team player who will roll up his sleeves and get stuck in. Calm and persuasive in manner and with a firm grasp of the commercial reality of a situation, he is excellent with clients.'

Jessica Sutherland

‘Very accomplished in insurance law having a practical approach.'

Simon Kerr

'Simon's strengths include knowledge and experience of insurance matters.'

Sushma Ananda

‘Very clever but also approachable and patient. Understands the questions clients will ask and present complicated concepts in a way that clients can understand. First-class attention to detail but also understands the bigger picture. Very responsive but manages expectation well when she is in trial.’

Marcus Mander

‘Marcus is an excellent senior junior. His responsiveness, attention to detail, clear legal and strategic advice are all of the highest quality.’

Jocelin Gale

Elizabeth Lindesay

‘Liz has a very sharp intellect and her attention to detail is outstanding. She is an absolute pleasure to work with.'

Michael Ryan

Clara Benn

‘Excellent on the law, and on the facts, with solicitors and with the clients. Just excellent all-round.’

Harry Wright

‘Very user-friendly and responsive and a pleasure to deal with, Harry is so very bright and produces reliable work product.’

Sarah Martin

‘Clever, responsive, loyal, reliable, enormously diligent and a tremendously safe pair of hands.’

Tim Jenns

‘He is extremely hard-working and able to produce first class written material in short order. His work ethic and quality is unrivaled. He is also a good cross-examiner and has a bright future ahead.’

Anna Gotts

‘Anna has a strong eye for detail and provides clear, practical advice. She is contactable and easy to deal with. She is able to think quickly and deal with changing circumstances both on paper and at court.’

Stephen Du

‘Exceptionally good. Very responsive throughout. Very careful and diligent and very good detail.'

Henry Moore

‘Henry is both analytical and tactical. His drafting is clear, persuasive and direct. Henry also gives practical advice. He has a good sense of humour and always goes the extra mile.'

Richard Sarll

‘Richard is a go-to barrister for advice on discrete legal points.’

Jason Robinson

‘Outstandingly capable and grasps the issues extremely quickly. Jason produces excellent work product with exceptional turnaround time.’

Daniel Corteville

'Danny is exceptionally smart and a real problem solver. He is good at seeing things from different angles.'