Purpose/creation of the Trust
Since its creation in 1984 the BILA Charitable Trust has enhanced the efforts of BILA successfully to bring together the worlds of practical and academic law and insurance.
It does so by more specifically providing encouragement and financial and practical support to those engaged in studying or researching the interrelationship between law and insurance and helping to share the fruits of that work.
Support and benefits provided by the Trust
Beyond the choosing and awarding of the annual BILA Book Prize – first awarded in 1987 (see accompanying website page for details of all past winners) – the Trustees have delivered many benefits to researchers, students and to members of BILA alike.
- Keynote Lectures/Events: Of particular note among those arranged by the Trust over the past 25 years have been a lecture by Sir Andrew Longmore in 2001 which heralded the development and implementation of the Insurance Act 2015; a lecture by Sir Bernard Rix in 2007 and a discussion in 2009 led by Sir Anthony Evans addressing London’s role as a centre for effective insurance dispute resolution; (now) Lord Thomas in 2012 on the evolving role of brokers; and most recently in November 2024, Sir Stephen Males on the interpretation of insurance contracts.
- BILA Journal Online: In 2004, in conjunction with Barlow Lyde & Gilbert plc, the Trust retrieved material, created and launched “BILA Journal Online”, for the first time enabling BILA members and invited students and researchers to access in electronic format all issues (over 130 in number) of the BILA Journal dating back to 1964, with a later Trust-funded initiative in 2020 enhancing the facility to permit more effective searching of material.
- Research funding, awards and sponsorships: The Trust continues to provide financial support, prizes and other assistance to a wide range of academics, researchers, students and young academics or professional lawyers. This has taken the form of assisted passage to participate in international insurance law events, the making of AIDA Europe Young Author Awards, to sponsoring and judging university insurance law mooting competitions.
Maintaining support and extending engagement
Support provided by the Trust and support needed for the Trust to maintain and extend these activities and so widen and renew the engagement and investment in the study and development of insurance law and its application in practice remains as vital as ever.
In 2025 the Trustees are in discussion with the BILA Committee and, among others, with representatives of academic institutions presently offering insurance law research opportunities with view to maintaining and extending the support the Trust may provide for which funds are crucially needed. To assist the Trust’s efforts in this regard ideas and donations would both be greatly welcomed: HERE.
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To discuss any queries or for assistance re any support for the Trust, please contact:
Alison Green (Trust Chair) or Tim Hardy (Trust Vice Chair) or the other Trustees,
Professor Rob Merkin KC and Peter Macdonald Eggers KC
by email: office@bila.org.uk.