Past events

In-person event

Date: 5 November

Time: 1:00 PM

Location: Lloyd’s Old Library

We are pleased to invite you to an in-person lecture at Lloyd’s Old Library on Wednesday, 5 November at 1:00 PM.  Jeremiah Welch and Will Bennett of Saxe Doernberger & Vita P.C. will explore the recent Archer Western v. ACE American Insurance Co. decision and its implications for LEG3 coverage interpretation under U.S. law. They will analyse how the court’s reasoning, influenced by SCB, redefines “physical damage,” clarifies ambiguity surrounding “improvement” in LEG3 provisions, and contrasts U.S. and U.K. treatment of manufacturing and contamination claims. The session will offer essential takeaways for insurers, brokers, and construction professionals engaging with cross-jurisdictional coverage disputes.

Speakers:

Jeremiah Welch

Managing Partner, SDV West Coast

Jeremiah represents many of the ENR Top 20 construction contractors, advising on and litigating insurance claims arising from heavy civil, industrial, and commercial construction projects. His work involves complex coverage issues across builder’s risk, liability, pollution, and default insurance. Jeremiah has played key roles in major construction disaster litigations, including the Florida University bridge collapse, the Louisiana Hard Rock Hotel collapse, and the San Francisco Millennium Tower case. He is also a trusted advisor to leading insurance brokerages and a frequent national speaker.

Will Bennett

Partner, SDV

Will maintains a nationwide litigation practice focusing on complex insurance recovery actions. Admitted in California, Connecticut, and New York, he frequently leads cases from initial strategy through trial and appeal. His experience spans construction catastrophe, defect, real estate, and pollution liability disputes. Will is widely recognised by national insurance brokerages for his expertise and regularly presents at industry conferences.

We hope you will join us for what promises to be a highly informative and thought-provoking session.

BOOKING FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED

NOTICE TO MEMBERS OF THE 2025 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE

BRITISH INSURANCE LAW ASSOCIATION

To be held on : Tuesday 4th November 2025 at 1 pm

The meeting will be held on Zoom

For the business to be transacted at the meeting, please see the Agenda

REGISTER YOUR PLACE AT THE AGM HERE

Members only may attend

NOTE: Copies of the Agenda, the 2024 AGM Minutes and the Annual Report for the year ended 28 February 2025 have been placed within the members’ area of the BILA website. Please contact the Secretariat should you require a hard copy of any of these documents – Email office@bila.org.uk.

Virtual

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Please join Stephen Midwinter KC (Brick Court Chambers), Alexander Oddy and Fiona Treanor (Partners at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP) who acted for AerCap in its recent c. USD 1 billion win against War Risk Insurers in the Russian Aircraft Lessor Policy Claims [2025] EWHC 1430 (Comm).

This talk will cover the background to this market-wide loss before explaining the key findings in Mr Justice Butcher’s judgment and its relevance to the wider insurance market.  Key topics include:

• The construction of contingent policies and war risk perils
• The test for loss in the context of deprivation of possession
• The application of the grip of the peril doctrine and how to analyse concurrent causes of loss

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Booking for this event has now closed

In-Person Event

Location: Lloyd’s Old Library, One Lime Street, London, EC3M 7HA

Demystifying parts of the Bermuda Form Policy

We won’t be surprised if you find us boring. We will be surprised if some of you don’t. Is your boredom intended or expected?

Please join Gavin Kealey KC (Head of Chambers at 7 King’s Bench Walk) and Mina Matin (Co-Head of Insurance Disputes, US at Norton Rose Fulbright) for a discussion of the following issues:

• The genesis of the Bermuda Form Policy
• Key policy provisions including unraveling the expected / intended provision
• Choice of law Issues including the impetus to silence New York as the governing law of the policy

Location: In-person seminar at Lloyd’s Old Library, One Lime Street, London, EC3M 7HA

BILA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

IN-PERSON EVENT

BOOKING FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED

Join us for an insightful seminar on Warranties and Indemnities (W&I) Insurance at Lloyd’s of London in the PR1!

Event Title: Introduction to Warranty & Indemnity Insurance

The Loss, the Breach, and the Warranty

Date: 10th July 2025

Time: 5:30 pm (please arrive by 5:30 pm for a prompt start at 5:45 pm)

Location: Lloyd’s of London in PR1

Drinks: Complimentary drinks after the seminar at Bunch of Grapes, Lime Street, London

About the Seminar:
Join experts from C. Lewis & Company, CMS Cameron McKenna, and Convex Insurance as they delve into the complexities of loss under W&I policies. They’ll explore the legal and valuation issues surrounding loss calculation, the role of W&I insurance in M&A transactions, and provide a clearer understanding of how to manage and address breach claims.

Speakers:

Tom Havers (C. Lewis)

Geoff Tan (CMS Cameron McKenna)

Dan Myers (CMS Cameron McKenna)

Kristýna Mühlfeitová (CMS Cameron McKenna)

Arpen Pansari (Convex Insurance)

This seminar is a must-attend for anyone involved in M&A transactions or W&I insurance, offering valuable insights into the practical application of this area of law.

We look forward to seeing you there!

When visiting Lloyd’s, please remember that all external visitors are required to show an original copy of their photo ID (Driving Licence, Passport, Work ID with company logo and full name) when collecting their visitor pass or name badge.

Kindly sponsored by C. Lewis

BOOKING FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED

If you require any assistance, please email office@bila.org.uk

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We are delighted to have Edije Sodipo giving an online lecture on “The Emergence of a Sector-Led P&I Insurance Model to Build Local Capacity in Africa’s Largest Oil Economy”. This will take place on 1st July 2025 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM and will delve into the growing role of local P&I insurance models within Nigeria’s rapidly evolving maritime sector.

Rather than a government-mandated initiative, the drive to localise aspects of P&I insurance is coming from within the industry — from operators, insurers, and legal experts who recognise the operational risks they face and the benefits of having some control over how those risks are managed. This is about aligning economic stake with insurance responsibility, ensuring that those closest to the exposure also have a say and a share in how that exposure is insured. The approach reflects a pragmatic turn, one grounded in law, in market conditions, and in the real economics of marine risk.

The presentation will trace Nigeria’s journey from inherited legal systems to local authorship and show how the evolution of the oil and gas sector, the rise of indigenous operators, and the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy have set the stage for what comes next: a sector-led P&I club that reclaims risk, retains capital, and redefines control.  The presentation will include:

– overview of the present legal and regulatory landscape in which insurance operates in Nigeria;

– the inheritance of English law and a move towards domestication to foster local opportunity and growth;

– how government policy has helped to reshape the current legal and regulatory landscape as a tool to economic sustainability and wealth creation in the maritime industry;

– opportunities for collaboration.

About the speaker:

Ejide Sodipo is a highly respected authority in commercial and maritime law in Nigeria and is a well-known authority on Protection and Indemnity mutuals.  She initiated Nigeria’s Federal Technical Committee for the establishment of a local P&I Mutual.

Ejide has over 30 years of experience in maritime law and her expertise spans cargo claims, charter parties, international trade, bunker disputes and personal injury.  She is the CEO of Pye-M Systems, a consultancy firm specializing in mutual advisory and legal compliance in Nigeria’s maritime and energy sectors.

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The meeting is summoned by the Committee of BILA. The business of the meeting is (1) to consider and vote upon proposed amendments to BILA’s Constitution pursuant to Rule 17(1) of the BILA Constitution and (2) to elect Rayner Essex to conduct the Financial Statements Review for the year ended 28th February 2025.

The amendments are set out in the Proposed Amendments document signed by the Honorary Secretary. To view the proposed Amendments and current Constitution please login to the member’s area, documents located in the AGM, Minutes and Reports section. If you require assistance, please contact office@bila.org.uk.

Background and Purpose:

BILA’s auditors, Rayner Essex, have advised BILA that they cannot continue to audit BILA’s financial statements at the low fees they have been charging in recent years, particularly since recent planning and procedure changes mean that they cannot strip down the work as far as they have in the past and still remain in compliance with Auditing Standards.  Rayner Essex advise that an appropriate review for BILA would be an Assurance Review (under the International Standard for Review Engagements (ISRE 2400)).

An Auditor must give an opinion on whether the financial statements give:

• a ‘true and fair view’ of BILA’s financial state of affairs, and
• have been properly prepared in accordance with proper accounting practice and relevant law.

For an Assurance Review, Rayner Essex would limit work on the financial statements to be able to report that:

• nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the financial statements do not present fairly, in all material respects.

Having considered the issue in detail, the BILA Committee is of the view that an Assurance Review is a more appropriate and proportionate arrangement than a formal audit given (i) BILA’s size and the simple nature of its financial activity, (ii) BILA’s existing financial systems and controls and (iii) the significantly increased cost of a formal audit.

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In-Person Event at Lloyd’s Old Library One Lime Street, London, EC3M 7HA

Join Angus Rodger, Chris Paparella, Elise Haverman and Natalia Gofman of Steptoe LLP.

They will discuss the main arguments parties have made in the UK courts to avoid agreements to arbitrate, and the general lack of success of such arguments.  They will also discuss a unique arbitration problem that has arisen for insurers in the United States.  A number of US states have statutes that invalidate arbitration clauses in insurance contracts.  Such statutes conflict with the US’s treaty obligations under the New York arbitration convention when applied to international insurance agreements.  The problem is the individual US states regulate insurance but the federal government signs treaties.  A number of courts have ruled that the New York Convention trumps the state anti-arbitration laws, but the US Supreme Court will ultimately have to weigh in to resolve the issue for good.  The question is complicated by the fact that US federal law provides generally that state laws take precedence over federal law when it comes to insurance regulation.

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