Stephen Netherway
Partner
Areas of Expertise
Stephen is one of the UK’s leading insurance lawyers, with over 30 years’ experience in the sector. With a formidable reputation for dealing with the most complex matters he has a market leading focus in business-critical commercial insurance and reinsurance disputes, including coverage and FOS/regulatory claims.
Stephen is experienced in all major classes of first party and third party insurance business, namely: professional indemnity/ negligence, marine, directors & officers and crime/ fidelity, property (and title risk), business interruption (including Covid claims), construction, accident & health, travel and other personal lines classes, life and critical Illness, public and products liability, surety and bonds, trade credit, contingency and cancellation, general commercial liability including employers’ liability, specie and ATE.
Stephen’s focus also includes treaty and facultative reinsurance (life and non-life) disputes and claims, within the professional indemnity/professional negligence sphere. Additionally, Stephen is well versed in broker/intermediary and delegated authority liability disputes.
He has extensive experience in the major trial and appellate UK law courts and has considerable expertise as a recognised practitioner in international and domestic arbitration.
Stephen’s practice encompasses domestic and international work, and is frequently involved in advising both domestic and overseas clients on cross-border or multi-jurisdictional issues and assisting/monitoring overseas proceedings.
Experience
Prior to joining Devonshires in 2019, Stephen was a senior Insurance Partner at CMS UK, being appointed partner in 2001. Stephen was also Head of CMS UK’s Insurance sector.
Publications
- Lead Author of Limited Liability for Professional Partnerships (Jordans)
- Past contributing Editor to Practitioners Book Insurance Broking Practice and the Law (Informa)
Directories
Stephen is recognised in both the Legal 500 for commercial litigation and Chambers for insurance and reinsurance claims and in Euromoney’s World’s Leading Insurance and Reinsurance lawyers. Stephen is recognised in the current Editions of The Best Lawyers UK and Who’s Who Legal: Insurance and Reinsurance.
Conferences
Regular presenter of seminars and webinars on insurance issues. Most recently, presenter at Devonshires’ Building Safety Act conference.
Education
Stephen graduated with his degree in Law (LL.B) from the University of Nottingham.
Personal
Lifelong Reading FC, Worcestershire CCC and, previously, Worcester Warriors supporter.
Awards
Member of the Insurance Team at CMS that won The Lawyer Client Care award.
News Articles
Regularly contributes to Insurance Day’s Legal Focus articles. Recent published commentary include the following articles:
- Alternative dispute resolution up in court
- Maintaining standards in arbitration crucial
- Insurers might have a new route to appealing against FOS decisions
- High Court decision changes the status quo on prior knowledge
- Insurers lose in insurable interest case
- Wording must be clear, court rules once again
- Co-insurance proves tricky in construction contracts
- Expert evidence back in the dock
- Wording interpretations back under Supreme Court scrutiny
- This year will be a tough one for insurers
Professional Membership
Stephen is a CEDR accredited mediator.
Testimonials
Anonymous client“just excellent”, “very hands on and responsive” and “simplifies strategy to achieve the best commercial outcome”
Chambers Legal Directory 2019“Excellent”, “cool under fire”, noted for ability to “see through the complexities of the matter to the core point”
Get in touch
020 7880 4328 |
07770 459 339 |
stephen.netherway@devonshires.co.uk |
London Office
Devonshires Solicitors LLP 30 Finsbury Circus London EC2M 7DT |
020 7880 4343 |
elizabeth.holland@devonshires.co.uk |