Call: 1996 QC: 2012
Ben has a thriving practice focused on insurance, professional liability and general commercial litigation. As is apparent from his long list of reported cases, he appears in court frequently, acting for claimants and defendants in equal measure - this gives him a real advantage in all aspects of his work.
Ben combines an outstanding academic background with a modern commercial approach. He recognises that his cases and his clients need more than just a first class legal analysis. Typically his clients have either been wronged or are being sued, and want comprehensive and comprehensible advice, on time and on budget. Ben prides himself on being commercially astute and easy to deal with. He brings energy, enthusiasm, insight, determination and sound judgment to his work. In each case he strives to achieve the best possible outcome for his clients.
The quality of Ben’s work and practice has long been recognised in the Directories. He is currently ranked as a leading new silk in insurance and professional negligence by both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 which comment as follows:
“outstanding” (Legal 500 2013 – professional negligence)
“receives praise for his ‘deft handling of clients and enviable strategic insight.’ He acts for both insurers and insureds on a variety of big-ticket cases” (Chambers & Partners 2013 – insurance)
“handles negligence claims against all professions, and is noted for his ‘measured and realistic’ advice which looks at both the commercial and legal implications of a case. Sources were keen to keen to point out his particular expertise in claims against insurance brokers, and attest to the value they place upon his ‘great strategic insight’” (Chambers & Partners – professional negligence).
“very good with clients” (Legal 500 2013 – insurance)
Previous comments in the directories include:
“a very good and dangerous opponent.”
”Ben Elkington does a broad and interesting range of professional negligence work to great acclaim. Clients say he is ‘approachable and very knowledgeable’ and admire his sound judgement and commercial approach, born of the way he ‘thinks through issues very comprehensively’”
“absolutely first-rate”;
“so thoroughly dedicated that he works like a Trojan to get the job done”;
“responsive and easy to deal with”;
“kept busy with high-quality work”;
“singled out for particular praise”;
Ben was previously admitted to the New York Bar and worked for Sullivan & Cromwell in Manhattan. He was a judicial assistant to the Court of Appeal. He is an editor of Jackson & Powell on Professional Liability. He is a committee member of COMBAR, and a member of the PNBA and LCLCBA.
Ben was top of his year in Bar Finals in 1996. Before that he took a First in Law from Cambridge, followed by a Masters in Law from the University of Virginia. He is a scholar of each of (i) Cambridge University; (ii) Trinity College, Cambridge; (iii) Gray’s Inn; and (iv) the Inns of Court School of Law. He was one of the first of his year of call to take silk.
Ben lives in London with wife and 4 young children. When not at work he can usually be found with his family on the Isle of Mull making camp fires in the rain, walking, and trying (and generally failing) to catch salmon and trout.
Education
M.A. (Cantab.) LL.M. (Virginia)