Diarmuid Laffan

“Diarmuid is a hands-on operator who is not afraid to seize the narrative and craft effective strategy into which the client buys in from Day One.“ – Legal 500

“Diarmuid has great insurance law knowledge and gives clear, practical advice – you want him in your corner.” – Legal 500

Diarmuid is ranked as a Leading Junior in insurance law by the Legal 500.

Recent examples of Diarmuid’s work in this area include:

• Acting for the defendant property insurer in a dispute regarding the destruction of a hotel in Glasgow (Stokenchurch Property Ltd v NIG).
• Advising a reinsurer on a multimillion dollar claim brought by a North American cover-holder following the termination of its binding authority.
• Advising a mechanical and electrical contractor on a £3.4m claim against its professional indemnity insurer; the claim relates to designs for the extension of a London Underground line.
• Advising the professional indemnity insurer of a civil engineering joint venture on a £2.25 million claim by a water company regarding the designs for a water treatment plant.
• Advising a wind turbine operations and maintenance contractor and its liability insurer on liability and coverage issues arising from a major wind turbine fire which led to approximately £2 million worth of damage.
• Advising the owners of a vacant former pub regarding their £1 million claim against their property insurers after the building was burned down by intruders.
• Advising a construction contractor regarding coverage in relation to its proposed £4 million claim under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010 against the professional indemnity insurers of its insolvent former mechanical and electrical subcontractor.
• Advising an online retailer on coverage and its notification obligations following a theft at its warehouse.
• Acting for the claimants in a Commercial Court claim (LM-2020-000155) against their property damage insurer and insurance broker following a catastrophic fire at their city-centre hotel.
• Advising insurers on their application for security for costs against a claimant in a multimillion pound Commercial Court property damage claim.
• Advising a group of consumers on proposed claims against their event cancellation insurers following the disruption of various scheduled events due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Representing the defendant reinsurer as sole counsel in an ad hoc international arbitration concerning the scope of a binding authority.
• Advising an international insurance group on the scope of the duties owed by firms of solicitors to the after-the-event insurers with whom they place clients’ ATE risks.
• Successfully represented, as junior counsel, the defendant reinsurer in a £5 million Dubai DIFC-seated UNCITRAL arbitration, through which the claimant sought an indemnity under the parties’ facultative reinsurance treaty.
• Advising an injured airline pilot in relation to his £1 million claim against his income protection and loss of license insurance.
• Advising a company on the extent to which its employers’ liability insurance responds to an adverse £1 million Employment Tribunal judgment.
• Advising a medical insurance policyholder on the pre-existing conditions exclusion in his policy.