Experience
Peter is a Director in the London Markets and Global Risks team at DWF Law LLP. The team undertake a variety of contentious and non-contentious insurance and reinsurance matters for clients in the London market and across the globe. Peter is instructed by domestic and international clients including commodity traders, shipowners, charterers, P&I clubs, insurers and private individuals, and has worked on matters involving disputes in Africa, Asia and the Middle East as well as the US and Europe.
He has participated in several successful mediations and has extensive experience of all procedural aspects of the arbitration and litigation process including handling cases to trial. Peter also regularly advises insurers on coverage issues under a range of different policies and lines of business, and assists with non-contentious areas such as policy drafting and commercial contracts.
Peter is recognised in the Legal 500 as a "fountain of knowledge" and "an excellent litigator with a calm manner, which inspires confidence from clients and team members alike".
Recent cases
Commodities
- Successfully defending a high profile human rights class action against a mining company in West Africa - Kadie Kalma & Ors v African Minerals Ltd & Ors [2018] EWHC 3506 (QB). The claim sought to hold the client responsible for the actions of the police by bringing allegations of common design, vicarious liability and negligence.
- Representing a leading international energy and infrastructure conglomerate in arbitration proceedings in Antwerp, following insurers' decision to decline cover for the multi-million pound theft of the client's petroleum in Italy.
- Defence of a commodities management company further to the loss of 1900 MT (approximately $10M) of copper scrap from a storage facility in Morocco. Contested issues surrounding alleged breach of terms of Collateral Management Agreement, negligence and bailment.
- Successfully prosecuting an action on behalf of a food production company concerning intellectual property infringements and breach of confidence.
Marine and Shipping
- Acting for a large Saudi Arabian shipowner in arbitration proceedings in London, further to the arrest of its livestock vessel in Chile on allegations of unseaworthiness and uncargoworthiness.
- Representing a private client in LMAA arbitration proceedings for recovery of its deposit further to its proposed purchase of a superyacht in Monaco.
- Providing coverage advice and acting for a large insurer client further to the theft of an Insured's yacht in France.
- Drafting and negotiating a Yacht Construction Contract on behalf of a client in relation to the acquisition of a Benetti superyacht.
- Acting on behalf of large marine insurer and local council in defending proceedings for damage to a fishing vessel upon its mooring at the council's harbour.
- Advising marine hull reinsurers in relation to a reinsurance coverage dispute relating to the stranding and looting of a vessel at Kosong Island, Papua.
- Representing and advising a large marine insurer client on a coverage dispute involving meat contamination in the United States.
- Advising P&I Club and its members on a series of speed and consumption claims brought by charterers.
- Advising a leading UK tyre company on breaches of the terms of Bills of Lading.
Professional Indemnity Defence Work
- Conducting successful arbitration proceedings on behalf of a large insurer client relating to a coverage dispute with an insured insolvency practitioner, making a significant recovery.
- Acting in the defence of a multi-million pound surveyor overvaluation claim involving complex valuation principles, lending structures and contributory negligence issues.
- Defending a broker and administrator in a multi-million pound claim by a transferee concerning allegations of mis-selling of confidential information by the client's agents, breach of FCA regulations and the lost opportunity to renew existing policies.
- Acting for an IFA and subsequently its liquidators in proceedings arising from numerous alleged fraudulent mortgage applications.
Testimonials
- Peter is mentioned in the Legal 500 for Finance: Physical Commodities