“I was attracted to Fenchurch Law due to its excellent reputation within the legal insurance market. But I was equally impressed by the business’ commitment to ensuring that when a dispute arises, the policyholder has the same advantage as the insurer, in an industry where traditionally this has not been the case. This purpose together with its forward thinking and unique values, drew me to Fenchurch Law from the start.”

Jessica is a Senior Associate and is a member of the Financial and Professional Risks team. She represents policyholders in high-value and complex commercial coverage disputes. 

Over the past year, Jess has had day-to-day conduct of several major litigated cases and has helped recover over £50 million for policyholder clients, including:

• Acting for a national bakery business in relation to a coverage dispute worth over £150 million, following a substantial factory fire. The claim related to an indemnity for property damage and consequent BI losses and disputed issues on alleged breach of a hot works condition and the application of a non-invalidation clause. It was one of only a few cases where a claimant has been successful in securing an expedited trial in the Commercial Court.

• Acting for a dental practice against two insurers following a major fire which caused significant property damage and BI losses in excess of £8 million.

• Acting for a large national housebuilder in respect of its block notification for defective cladding claims with losses in excess of £40 million.

• Acting for a prominent member of the Mexican legal community in relation to a Kidnap & Ransom Policy following attempted extortion by corrupt government officials in a dispute worth $18 million.

Prior to joining Fenchurch Law, Jess had over 8 years’ commercial litigation experience and worked on many complex and high-value matters with successes in the High Court and Court of Appeal. This included acting for an American luxury property developer in a widely publicised coverage dispute pursuant to the TPRIA 2010. This claim resulted in victories at first instance and in the Court of Appeal. 

Jessica is a member of BILA. 

“I was attracted to Fenchurch by the size, purpose and direction of the firm. Despite being a fairly young firm, Fenchurch has quickly established a very strong reputation within the legal insurance market for first-rate protection of policyholders’ interests. Fenchurch Law’s core values – which emphasise forward-looking personal responsibility – also drew me to the firm, as the entrepreneurial culture is one in which Fenchurch lawyers are able to think outside the box to get the best possible results for their clients.”

Dru is an Associate Solicitor specialising in coverage disputes and is a member of our Financial and Professional Risks team. 

His recent experience includes:  

• Successfully representing a dentistry in its strike out/summary judgment application arising from an £8m insurance coverage dispute. The Court held that the Defendant insurer had impliedly waived disclosure of matters which it had relied upon as entitling it to avoid the policy in full such that its defence had no real prospect of success and was struck out. 

• Representing a national baking company in a c£100m insurance coverage dispute arising out of a substantial fire at a commercial premises. The matter proceeded on an expedited basis and settled shortly before trial. 

• Acting for a Ukrainian company embroiled in a €150m insurance claim of its windfarm following the Russian invasion. 

Dru has a keen interest in Artificial Intelligence and was an inaugural member of the City of London Society’s AI Committee. He heads the Committee’s Insurance & Professional Negligence subcommittee and regularly participates in panel discussions. 

Dru also hosts Fenchurch Law’s Policyholder Podcast, which can be accessed here. 

He also co-leads Fenchurch Law’s Associate Series with Ayo Babatunde. The series is focused on building relations between junior fee earners at Fenchurch Law and young people in the market through informal networking and giving talks at various broking firms.  

Prior to Fenchurch Law, Dru trained at Elborne Mitchell LLP, a busy litigation practice in the heart of the London insurance market. Dru graduated from McGill University, Montreal, Canada with a degree in History and Political Science, before attending law school at BPP London for his GDL and LPC. 

“I was attracted to Fenchurch Law by the opportunity to act for policyholders – who traditionally have not had access to specialist coverage lawyers as compared with the huge choice available to  insurers. I enjoy the intellectual challenge, the problem-solving and the need for precise thought and precise language to secure the best possible client outcome.” 

Fenchurch Law partner, Jonathan Corman, is a member of our Financial & Professional Risks team.  He acts exclusively for policyholders pursuing claims for indemnity against their insurers or defending uninsured claims made against them. 

Jonathan has been an insurance specialist for almost 30 years, concentrating primarily on professional indemnity, as well as D&O, Financial Institutions and construction. 

He has litigated at all levels of the court system, is familiar with the arbitration process, and is a strong believer in mediation whenever it is appropriate. 

Jonathan acted for the successful policyholder in the 2023 Court of Appeal case of RSA v Tughans, which concerned indemnity for a claim relating to the policyholder’s own professional fees. 

Other recent highlights include: 

• Acting for a Ukrainian company embroiled in a €150m insurance for the loss of its windfarm following the Russian invasion. 

• Acting for a construction company in dispute with its PI insurer regarding a £13 million claim involving complex issues as to whether the alleged liability arose from negligent design or (excluded) defective workmanship. 

• Acting for a group of foreign investors who had lost £2 million on a fraudulent investment and who are now pursuing the insurers of the insolvent bond issuer under the Third Parties (Rights against Insurers) Act 2010 (‘TPRIA 2010’). 

• Acting for a financial services company in a £30 million dispute concerning reinstatement of limits under PI policies. 

• Acting for a Bermudian fund manager in dispute with its English PI insurer regarding cover for a multi-million-dollar class action suit in the US. 

• Drafting an urgent ‘block notification’ for a large UK financial services company. 

• Acting for an English bank on a disputed claim under its Crime Policy following a multi-million mortgage fraud. 

Legal 500  has described Jonathan as “at the foremost of his field, and a pragmatic and realistic lawyer who quickly identifies the issues and ways to address them … He is razor sharp and pulls no punches in achieving the best outcome for policyholders”. 

Likewise,  the Chambers & Partners Directory has said that “Jonathan is an absolutely exceptional insurance lawyer; he knows the field inside out and has real gravitas.” 

Jonathan is a member of the British Insurance Law Association and the Society of Construction Lawyers.