Leeds Coverage Symposium 2026
Join us on 11 June at Aspire Leeds for Fenchurch Law’s Leeds Coverage Symposium.
Designed for brokers, the Symposium offers practical insight into coverage and claims challenges, helping you navigate and avoid common pitfalls.
This year’s programme focuses on the key cases shaping today’s insurance disputes. Topics include supply chain risks across multiple lines of insurance, D&O Insurance, Construction Risks, Coverage Authorities in day-to-day claim-handling, recent lessons from the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010, and more.
The event will commence with registration and lunch at 1:00pm, followed by the talks. The final session will conclude at 5:15pm, followed by networking drinks at the Banyan Bar.
Register today to equip yourself with the knowledge and expertise to better support your clients.
Location - Aspire Leeds
2026 Programme
1:00 PM
Registration & Lunch
2:00 PM
Welcome, and Talks: Part 1
When insolvency transfers rights – and problems: recent lessons from the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers Act 2010 (“the TPRAI 2010”)
The TPRAI 2010 allows a third party to pursue a claim directly against an insurer in respect of liabilities incurred by an insolvent insured. This process eliminates the requirement for the third-party to commence proceedings against the insolvent entity first.
This session will examine several recent High Court rulings concerning the TPRAI 2010, including Makin v QBE and Archer v Riverstone. These cases highlight that, although the TPRAI is procedurally ‘claimant friendly’, it does not confer any additional substantive rights. Compliance with policy terms and conditions remains critical, and third parties effectively inherit both the rights and the vulnerabilities of the insured.
SPEAKER
Alex Rosenfield, Partner
The Broker Playbook: Exploiting Coverage Authorities in Day‑to‑Day Claim-Handling
This interactive session explores how significant coverage decisions can be deployed in claims-handling scenarios, long before lawyers become involved. Using a series of short, practical case studies, Chloe and Cat will examine how courts analyse notifications, disclosure, causation, fraud allegations and overlapping cover by reference to what was said, when it was said, and how a reasonable insurer would have understood it.
Each case is translated into a realistic claims‑handling scenario familiar to brokers, highlighting common pressure points such as early notifications on claims‑made policies, insurer demands for proof, fair presentation arguments, fraud “concerns” that stop short of formal allegations, and competing policies responding to the same loss. The session focuses on the judgment calls brokers make in correspondence and strategy, and how these authorities can be used to preserve cover, manage insurer resistance and avoid unhelpful narrowing of claims.
The aim is not to make brokers more legalistic, but to show where informed judgement, careful framing and early decisions materially affect outcomes in everyday claims handling across all lines of business.
SPEAKERS
Cat Wyn Willliams, Associate
Chloe Franklin, Associate
Navigating Wayne Tank and Bacardi in practice
This session will take a fresh look at two landmark decisions: (1) Wayne Tank & Pump Co. Ltd v Employers Liability Incorporation Ltd [1974], which held that, in circumstances where there are two concurrent causes of loss, one which is covered and one which is excluded, there will be no cover available, and (2) Bacardi-Martini Beverages Ltd v Thomas Hardy Packaging Ltd [2002], which held that, if a product did not exist prior to the alleged infliction of damage, there is no direct physical damage and instead the product is defective from creation.
Chris and Abigail will consider why these cases continue to pose real challenges for policyholders, and how those challenges might be overcome in practice.
SPEAKERS
Chris Ives, Partner
Abigail Smith, Associate
3:30 PM
Break
3:45 PM
Talks: Part 2
“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst”: steps policyholders need to take to mitigate against supply chain risk
Recent years have shown in spectacular ways how companies can underestimate the impact of supply chain risk on their own businesses. The fallouts from the blocking of the Suez Canal, the war in Ukraine, and cyber incidents including CrowdStrike and the cyber-attacks on M&S and JLR have been not only seismic but have highlighted the interplay between supply chain risk and all lines of insurance, from PDBI to Cyber, and Trade Credit to D&O.
This session aims to assist brokers and policyholders in navigating supply chain risks through a number of worked examples designed to model how the legal and commercial impact of a real-life incident with supply chain consequences can be mitigated with careful planning and the judicious use of insurance as a risk management strategy.
SPEAKERS
Joanna Grant, Managing Partner
Dru Corfield, Associate
Directors Behaving Badly – A D&O Case Study
This D&O / Management Liability case study is based on real-life scenarios to explore the coverage issues that most commonly derail high-value claims. It examines the scope of cover and “capacity” arguments, late notification, and prior circumstances coverage defences. The talk also addresses retirement vs resignation, shadow directorship, defence costs and allocation, and competing aggregation positions. The focus throughout is on insurers’ strategies and how policyholders can respond effectively.
SPEAKER
Daniel Robin, Deputy Managing Partner
Another punch for the construction industry? An introduction to punching sheer failure and its coverage implications
Rob and Duncan will be discussing the emerging issue of punching sheer failure from both a technical and coverage perspective. Duncan (Trainee Solicitor at Fenchurch Law and Chartered Structural Engineer) will be providing a high-level technical analysis of this potential building safety issue from a structural engineering perspective, including:
- what are transfer slabs?
- what is punching shear?
- how the two interact and the potential consequences
- why is this becoming a more prominent issue for the construction industry.
Rob will go on to discuss the potential duty of fair presentation and notification difficulties which may be faced by contractors and construction professionals when emerging issues such as this arise, including the current leading coverage authorities (Berkshire Assets / Delos Shipping and Ahmed / Euro Pools).
SPEAKERS
Rob Goodship, Partner
Duncan Gray, Trainee Solicitor
5:15 PM
Networking Drinks
Drinks will be held at Banyan Leeds, just a 2 minute walk from Aspire Leeds.
Speakers
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Leeds Coverage Symposium
Venue: Aspire Leeds
Date:11 June 2026