Richard Lord QC's Full CV

Commercial Litigation

The core of Richard Lord's practice for over 20 years has been commercial litigation, with a particular specialisation in insurance and reinsurance, dry shipping and professional negligence claims. He has appeared in and advised on numerous cases in tribunals from The House of Lords to the BVI, but his "home territory" is the Commercial Court and London arbitration. He also acts as a mediator and arbitrator, has written textbooks on Bills of Lading and the Arbitration Act and has lectured and written extensively, as well as giving expert evidence on English law for foreign courts. Recent experience includes a several total loss marine insurance claims, political risks and energy (oil rig) claims, two insurance disputes arising out of Hurricane Katrina, and jurisdiction battles in the High Court and House of Lords, as well as more general commercial litigation.

Insurance and Reinsurance

Insurance and re-insurance have always been one of Richard Lord's key specialisations, especially in silk. He has advised and represented most of the leading European and UK insurers as well as numerous brokers, Lloyd's syndicates, U.S. insurers and high profile assureds/reassureds. He has been instructed by many of the leading firms in this field, including Clyde & Co, Norton Rose, Hill Dickinson, Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, Lawrence Graham and Reynolds Porter Chamberlain. Cases have included:

Non-marine claims including

  • claim in relation to death of bloodstock (Derby winning racehorse)
  • claim in relation to alleged theft of $50m of gold in New York
  • claim on nightclub in Norfolk destroyed by fire

Liability insurance

  • claim in relation to liability of chemical analysts
  • various claims in relation to ship repairer's liability
  • Claims arising from Hurricane Katrina including Bermuda form arbitration

Business interruption insurance claims including those arising from Foot & Mouth and SARS outbreaks.

Broker related claims including claims for commission and broker's negligence claims

Other professional negligence claims in an insurance context including long Commercial Court trial (arising out of acquisition of Victory Insurance) concerned with spiral claims negligence, commission

Lloyd's internal disputes including acting for managing agents in Lloyd's litigation

Jurisdiction disputes including numerous disputes as between UK/US jurisdiction,

Various reinsurance disputes including marine claims and P.A. spiral claims

Political Risk Claims

Marine cargo claims, acting for assured and underwriters, including:

  • claim for alleged damage to brewing malt in Peru
  • claim for alleged theft of 30,000 m.t. in Egypt
  • claim for total loss of cargo of Silicon metal near Estonia
  • claim for alleged heat damage to cargoes of maize in various African locations
  • claim for damage to private yacht
  • claim for loss of luxury yacht
  • claim re: damage to shore crane installations
  • claim re: damage to large transformer shipped from Australia to Argentina

Hull claims including

  • claims for total loss of two passenger vessels under tow near South Africa
  • claim in respect of hull corrosion
  • claim re: proceeds on total loss claim
  • claim re: collision between two fishing vessels
  • various other total loss claims

Other Energy Claims relating to Rigs, FPSOs, etc.

Disputes over nature and extent of P&I club cover

Shipping and Transport

Acted in a large number of dry shipping disputes including numerous bill of lading cases, cargo claims, and time and voyage charter disputes, as well as shipbuilding, ship finance and general commercial cases with a marine element. He has been instructed by most of the leading shipping firms including Clyde and Co, Hill Dickinson, Barlow Lyde and Gilbert, Reed Smith, Thomas Cooper and Holman Fenwick Willan, and has acted in numerous reported shipping cases as well as many maritime arbitrations and road transport/CMR disputes

Professional Negligence

Acted on a wide range of disputes especially in relation to accountant's negligence

General Commercial Litigation

Again has a wide range of experience with recent subject matters ranging from "oligarch" battles to thousands of lost garden photographs via Kenyan satellite technology and novovirus on board cruise ships.

Mediation

CEDR accredited mediator with experience of mediation as both mediator and advocate. Richard Lord has wide experience of mediation of commercial disputes, both as an advocate and a mediator, and particularly in the insurance and shipping fields. For example he has recently acted as mediator in disputes involving insurance claims, shipbroking disputes, rotten bananas on a ship and the loss of a valuable painting.

Career

  • Joined Brick Court Chambers in 1984 after two general common law pupillages in 1981/1982. Took silk in 2002.
  • Education Stowe School and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge

Publications

  • Bills of Lading (2006) with Aikens J. and Michael Bools
  • Guide to Arbitration Act 1996 (1996) with Simon Salzedo.
  • Controlled Drugs - Law and Practice (1984)
  • Numerous articles, papers and seminars on fields ranging from shipping an insurance to conflict of laws and climate change litigation.