Advanced Reinsurance Contracts and Disputes Masterclass Training Course

Ben Ogden is a partner at Ince & Co. He acts for insurers, insureds and brokers in a variety of insurance disputes. He has significant expertise, gained over many years, of professional indemnity insurance, and political, trade and credit risk insurance. His professional indemnity work has focussed on lawyers, where his experience encompasses all aspects of legal practice; as well as insurance brokers, dealing with complex placements and coverage issues. He has regularly considered issues of dishonesty in the context of PI claims. He has also acted for (and against) other professions.

His political and trade credit risk work has included significant policy drafting as well as handling a range of disputes (for insurers and insureds) involving different subject matter – whether it be non-payment, asset deprivation, or quantification. The claims have arisen in different jurisdictions and have been varying values. Ben has acted in a variety of commercial disputes connected to the acquisition or operation of businesses. Notable sale and purchase disputes have arisen from the warranties given on the acquisition of a shipyard and the sale of a Lloyd’s agency. He has acted in many cases alleging secret profits, most notably two long trials (and the subsequent appeals) in relation to commissions. The majority of Ben’s work has been in Court and he has significant trial experience, but he has regularly used ADR as a means of settling disputes.

In addition to his practice, Ben lectures regularly on insurance law and about alternative dispute resolution, of which he has considerable experience representing clients.

Simon Cooper is a Consultant at Ince & Co LLP. He has experience of advising clients in the London and international insurance and reinsurance markets and has extensive experience of acting in large scale disputes in the English Commercial Court and appellate Courts, in ad hoc arbitrations and in overseas jurisdictions. Many of these disputes have involved multiple parties and complex issues of fact and law. Simon also has comprehensive experience of mediation and other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Simon’s practice focuses on reinsurance, financial lines and professional indemnity business but has included most areas of non-marine business.

Christopher Foster, Head of Holman Fenwick Willan's worldwide insurance group, is a solicitor advocate with over twenty-eight years' experience in contentious insurance and reinsurance matters, often with an international element, and commercial litigation generally. Christopher acts for insurers, reinsurers, and major insured entities and their captive insurers. His experience includes COVID-19, California wildfires; Greensill; the invasion of Kuwait; WorldCom; Exxon Valdez oil spill; Madoff; hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Juliette, Ivan, Wilma, Maria and Irma; the Hatfield rail crash; the Winterthur XL baseball arbitration; hip implants; the Lloyd's litigation; the alleged Algosaibi frauds; Australian bushfires; PPI; film finance (including tax schemes); abuse claims; the PA spiral; asbestos; pollution; the bankruptcy of Enron; pharmaceutical liabilities; 9/11; Venezuelan political risks; disruptions caused by volcanic ash; and Graff on its Bond Street robbery. Christopher is the author of the arbitration chapter in the Insurance Institute of London’s book, Alternative Dispute Resolution in Practice, and a member of the Insurance Committee of the City of London Law Society.

Duncan Strachan is a Partner at DAC Beachcroft LLP. He specialises in complex and international (re)insurance matters across multiple lines of business.  His current caseload advising on major energy losses in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia; monitoring US securities class action suits against non-US entities; and advising on exposure to climate change litigation.  Duncan’s focus is on international disputes and policy coverage analysis, with particular expertise in Latin America and the Caribbean, due to his familiarity with the legal and political landscape across the region. Duncan is also fluent in Spanish and regularly presents to insurers and reinsurers across the world.

Andrew Bandurka Arbitrator, Mediator and Consultant. Andrew has more than 30 years' experience in handling reinsurance disputes. He was a partner at leading international reinsurance firm, HFW and he retains a consultancy there. 

Andrew has handled many high profile reinsurance cases, including leading the successful teams in some of the most important  'market' test cases to reach the appellate Courts, such as the Kuwait invasion aggregation case (Scott-v-Copenhagen Re), the Exxon Valdez follow settlements case (King-v-Brandywine) and the 9/11 Twin Towers aggregation case (Heraldglen-v-AIOI). His other reported reinsurance cases include Home-v-Wurtembergische (reinsurance pool run-off) and Hassneh-v-Pan Atlantic (arbitrator qualifications). Andrew is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, is on the ARIAS(UK) panel and the ICC panel of arbitrators and he is an accredited mediator.

William Reddie, Partner, Holman Fenwick Willan LLP, advises on a range of corporate and regulatory matters, focussing on clients in the insurance sector. His experience includes M&A, joint ventures, (re)insurance arrangements, commutations and transactions specific to the Lloyd's market, and insurtech products. Will has provided regulatory advice on Part IV authorisation issues, distribution arrangements, passporting structures, intra-group arrangements and the use of appointed representatives. He has also advised several entities on the acquisition or disposal of run-off business by way of a loss portfolio reinsurance and subsequent Part VII transfer

Sherry Goodman-Smith is a specialist in complex insurance and reinsurance policy coverage disputes. She joined DAC Beachcroft's Global Insurance practice as a partner, based in London, in 2021.

Sherry spent the previous eight years at Simmons & Simmons, most recently as Of Counsel. There she advised London market insurers and reinsurers on large-scale coverage issues, with a particular focus on product liability and recall, international casualty and complex property claims. She has also advised on coverage issues arising from more niche insurance policy wordings, including kidnap and ransom, intellectual property liability, and fine art claims.