Our History
EC3, the traditional insurance district of London, is home to the oldest and most respected insurance market in the world, centred around Lloyd’s of London – which continues to lead the world in the placement of specialist insurance risks.
Lloyd’s of London’s modern reputation for excellence owes much to its response to the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, when leading underwriter Cuthbert Heath famously instructed his San Franciscan agent to “pay all of our policyholders in full, irrespective of the terms of their policies”.
An outstanding approach to claims payment is fundamental to the health of any insurance market. Many leading insurers continue to follow Cuthbert Heath’s approach and aim to ensure that honest policy holders with genuine claims are paid in full, as quickly as possible. Occasionally, the claims process doesn’t run as smoothly as it should do, and intervention is required to resolve the issues. Some, less scrupulous, insurers will only pay claims when they have no way to avoid doing so, and they may need to be compelled to behave correctly.
In the aftermath of the 2007 financial crisis the attitude of many London market insurers to claims hardened and some began routinely to seek to avoid paying valid claims. From 2007 it became increasingly apparent to the founders of Fenchurch Law that policyholders were often inadequately represented because their solicitors were not providing specialist services. Our firm was created in 2010 to allow policyholders access to the same specialist legal advice that insurers have enjoyed for decades. Our lawyers deliver the highest quality specialist legal advice exclusively to policyholders.
Every member of our team is a genuine insurance specialist and has extensive experience of the London insurance market. Equally importantly, every member of our team is passionate about serving the needs of policyholders and delivering the best possible outcomes. Many of the lawyers at Fenchurch law previously worked on the insurer side of the market in a variety of roles, including claims adjusters and defence lawyers.
As a result of our unrivalled expertise and unique insight into the insurance market, Fenchurch Law is regarded as the ‘go-to’ law firm for brokers and policyholders with difficult or complex insurance policy disputes. We are delighted that our client base and our work on complex and high-profile cases continues to expand as our reputation grows.
On your side
Our services
Specialist
Our practice groups
Our people
Our clients and their brokers draw confidence from the quality of the Fenchurch Law team.
Insurance amid uncertainty: Implications of the Iran conflict for Policyholders
On 28 February 2026, the US and Israel launched a coordinated military operation against the Iranian regime. Iran has since responded with missile and drone attacks across the Gulf, creating risk…
Legal 500 Insurance Disputes Comparative Guide – 3rd Edition (UK Chapter)
The 3rd Edition of The Legal 500: Insurance Disputes Comparative Guide has now been released. The guide offers a practical overview of insurance disputes law and practice across multiple…
When Policies Collide – Untangling “Other Insurance” Clauses
At our recent London Symposium, Associate Abigail Smith discussed the potential challenges posed by other insurance clauses in insurance policies. The session covered: The genesis of these clauses;…