Amanda Savage QC

“Amanda is fantastically clever and brilliant in court.” – Legal 500, 2022

“Very much a go-to barrister; her regulatory experience and background feeds into her formidable ability.” “Amanda is always spot on, extremely engaged, and clear and consistent in her views.” – Chambers & Partners, 2022

“She is a spectacular advocate who has held her own against established silks for years.” – Legal 500, 2021

“Her pleadings are always well crafted and thorough.” “She’s extremely pleasant to deal with, very hard-working, and I was impressed when I worked against her.” – Chambers & Partners, 2021

“Bright, engaging and smart.” – Legal 500, 2020

“A formidable advocate” who is “very hard-working, very pleasant and very focused.” “Her strategic overview is really valuable and insightful. When there is a mass of documents, she is the person who will cut through it and say, ‘this is the path we should take.'”  – Chambers & Partners, 2020

Rated in both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 as a leading junior in this area, Amanda has variously been described as: “fantastic on paper and strong in mediation”, “extremely popular and deservedly so”, “an extremely thorough junior who presents her work in apple pie order”, “smart and reliable” and “doesn’t sit on the fence and is hard-hitting and practical”.

Professional liability forms a significant part of Amanda’s practice and she has extensive experience of professional liability claims, particularly those involving lawyers, including wasted costs claims and claims against barristers.

She is an editor of Jackson and Powell on Professional Liability (Sweet and Maxwell, 9^th edition, 2022).

“Relates very well to clients in stressful and difficult situations, and is a very strong, compelling advocate.” – Legal 500, 2022

“Amanda has excellent attention to detail and is particularly skilled at drafting pleadings, while also being good on her feet in court.” – Legal 500, 2021

“She is clever and incisive.” – Legal 500, 2020

Insurance forms a sizeable and increasingly significant part of Amanda’s practice. This area of her practice dovetails well with Amanda’s experience of claims against insurance professionals and her expertise in the professional liability field. She has advised and acted on insurance disputes involving the construction of policies and coverage issues (both between insurers and between insurers and the insured) both generally and in the professional indemnity context, including cases involving notification issues, what constitutes a ‘claim’ and dishonesty exclusions (particularly involving cases of actual or suspected mortgage fraud).

Amanda has also acted and advised in disputes arising out of combined commercial insurance policies, critical illness and permanent health insurance policies. She was involved (during part time secondments at CMS Cameron McKenna and RPC respectively) in commercial litigation relating to insurance for film finance (contingent expenses insurance) and with the LMX PA Spiral arbitrations.

Examples of past and ongoing instructions include:

• Acting for the ARP (leading Will Harman) in multi party dispute concerning potential cover for numerous negligence claims brought in respect of failed enterprise investment scheme and film investments.
• Acting for Insurers in dispute involving the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representation) Act 2012 and what constitutes a “misrepresentation” for those purposes
• Acting for a number of professional footballers in relation to insurance issues arising out of claims against insolvent IFAs who advised on and/or promoted Business Property Relief tax schemes.
• Acting for insurers in relation to a declaration that it is not obliged to indemnify the policy holder in respect of potential liability arising out of an accident at the property in respect of which the insured was carrying out work, and can avoid the business trade insurance policy
• Acting for a major insurance company in a claim brought against them for loss of stock and business interruption following alleged theft of jewellery and gold stock, issue s good failt, non disclosure and construction of warranties
• Advising and conductig indemnity con in respect of repudiation of professional indemnity policy arising out of fraud
• Acting (with Graham Eklund QC) for insured against insurers in dispute involving interpretation of conditions precedent to liability and allegations of breach of condition relating to an intruder alarm – appeared at trial and in the Court of Appeal
• Advising and acting in respect of several arbitrations between insurers as to when a “claim” was made against a solicitor;
• Advising and acting in respect of numerous arbitrations between insurers involving questions of successor practices including in the  context of sole practitioners and he effect of ‘holding out’ on the definition of “sole practitioner” and “transition” within the MTC Rules
• Advising in a coverage dispute between insurers and insured, involving considerations of insolvency law and the nature of a potential claim against company administrators
• Defending underwriters in relation to a claim brought by a tour operator involving multiple holiday insurance claims
• Acting for an individual in a dispute arising out of a repatriation and health cover insurance policy
• Advising on policy interpretation in an employers’ liability claim
• Acting in permanent health insurance and critical illness policy dispute

Amanda’s practice also involves acting for insurers in subrogated recovery actions involving property damage.

Amanda undertakes a broad range of general commercial litigation, including disputes regarding the supply and sale of goods, shareholder and partnership disputes, and a variety of commercial contractual disputes, including in the insurance field. She has a particular interest in disputes concerning the construction of contracts.

Instructions include:

Advising and acting in dispute between former shareholders of Group company concerning the distribution of sale proceeds following the sale of the Group Companies and the application of a ratchet mechanism under the Articles of Association, together with the appropriate dividends payable (dispute determined by expert determination).

Acting for a well known estate agency group in relation to the interpretation of contractual arrangements with a leading property website and the agency’s obligations in light of the impact of Covid-19.

Advising and acting for shipping and trading companies in a claim arising out of the failed enforcement of an Arbitration award following a dispute with the chartered under the COA.

Acting for a commercial poultry farmer and producer in contractual dispute against grain feed and grain provider.

Advised and acted for former financial director, accountant and auditor of the company, accused of deceit and conspiracy to defraud.

Advised and acted for a large supplier of pipes and valves to contractors operating in the oil and gas, power and process industries in litigation involving the construction of contracts and the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993.

Junior counsel (led by John Powell QC) for a company in administrative receivership in a multi million pound commercial fraud case brought against a former major supplier and its directors.

Amanda’s first introduction to product liability claims was whilst a pupil, when she was instructed in the Hepatitis litigation. Since then, Amanda has been instructed in several product liability claims including: for a large national company in a claim brought against it for a contribution to a claim arising out of the manufacture, design and installation of a trailer lift axle system, for a Scottish print company in an action against a well known manufacturer of printing presses. Amanda also acted (with Fiona Sinclair) for Renault Trucks UK in the successful defence of a contribution claim arising out of the design and construction of locking systems used in fire appliances: London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority v. Meritor Light Vehicle Systems (UK) Ltd [2003] EWHC 2411. She has acted in claims against several well known car manufacturers and their distributors in claims arising out of the manufacture, sale and supply of defective vehicles and parts.

Amanda has considerable experience of disciplinary work. She has advised and appeared in disciplinary proceedings before the SDT and the ACCA Disciplinary Committee, and has particular expertise and experience of acting for barristers in matters before the Bar Tribunal. Amanda is particularly well placed to act in such cases, being able to bring to bear her previous experience and insight gained through sitting, for a number of years, as a judge on the Bar Tribunal Disciplinary Panel (often on 5 member panels dealing with serious misconduct). During that time Amanda also sat in the High Court, with a High Court Judge, as the Bar member hearing appeals from the Bar Tribunal to the Visitors of the Inns of Court.

Instructions include:

• Advising and representing a barrister charged with failing to observe his or her duty to the court or behaving in a way which was likely to diminish the trust and confidence in the profession, arising out of conduct in matrimonial proceedings
• Acting for a barrister charged with dishonesty and misleading the court in respect of the drafting of an Order
• Acting and representing for a barrister charged with behaving in a way which was likely to diminish the trust and confidence in the profession, arising out of the drafting of an order
• Advising and representing a barrister charged with dishonesty and lack of integrity in relation to communications with the other side to child proceedings
• Advising a barrister charged in connection with disciplinary proceedings arising from sexual offences
• Representing and a barrister alleged to have acted in a manner likely to diminish the trust and confidence of the public in relation to non attendance at court.
• Acting for a Representing an insolvency practitioner at 5 day hearing before the ACCA Disciplinary Committee in respect of allegations of misconduct and breach of duty of care arising from several cases in which the respondent had acted as Nominee and Supervisor, Trustee or Liquidator.
• Advising in disciplinary proceedings against a solicitor accused of falsifying time records, misleading his firm and failing to act in the best interests of his client.
• Junior Counsel (to Simon Monty QC) representing the principal respondent at the 9 week hearing dealing with dishonesty and other charges arising out of the TAG litigation (SRA v Denison and Others).
• (sitting as Visitor) in Mehey v BSB, Craven v BSB. [2014] 1 WLUK 747

Amanda is a member of the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers.

Amanda has been instructed on a number of claims involving property damage caused by fire, explosions, subsidence and construction and repair work. Many of such claims are subrogated insurance recovery claims and her work in this area dovetails with her insurance practice, as well as her professional liability work.

Amanda is instructed by the claimant in respect of two claims, each worth several million pounds, involving the collapse of concrete underpinning and the failure of concrete foundations and floor slabs respectively.

Other examples of substantial claims include:

£14 million fire damage claim in a building merchant’s premises arising from the negligent installation of a flue to a wood-burning stove (insufficient and inadequate supports to the flue to resist torsional twisting) (led by Graham Eklund QC)

Acting for car dealer and distributors in respect of fire damage and consequential loss caused by electrical defects within cars for sale on the premises

Acting for a number of claimants in the Buncefield Litigation, including a substantial claim for insured and uninsured losses suffered by  a printing business.