Alethea Redfern

Insurance & Reinsurance

Alethea has growing experience in relation to a range of insurance and reinsurance disputes. She is well-positioned to advise on construction, breach of claims conditions, and avoidance. Much of Alethea’s court work involves insurers, including subrogated recoveries and defending liability claims both against the insurer and the insured.

As well as her own cases, pupillage seats with Richard Sage and Carlo Taczalski mean that Alethea is comfortable with a wide range of insurance and reinsurance issues.

Examples of her current and recent work include:

• Advice on the prospects of successfully invoking fraud in relation to a suspect insurance claim submitted by livestock farmers with a history of similar claims.
• Advice on the prospects of successfully defending a claim for business interruption losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in FCA v Arch Insurance (UK) Ltd [2021] UKSC 1 (as a pupil).
• Advice on the prospects of successfully overcoming a Berni Inns [1985] 3 All E.R. 473 defence in a claim for property damage caused by an outbreak of fire (as a pupil).
• Research for Andrew Rigney KC on whether a clause excluding coverage for “intentional” breaches of intellectual property would also exclude liability for a reckless breach (as a pupil).
• Drafting a skeleton argument in a substantial dispute concerning a Qatar-based insurer’s entitlement to indemnification under two reinsurance contracts against the risk that certain construction bonds it had issued would be called upon (as a pupil).

Alethea is a member of the London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association.

Selected Cases

Awards

• New College Final Examinations Award, University of Oxford
• Lord Haldane and Lord Denning Scholarships, Lincoln’s Inn
• Academic Scholarships, City University and BPP University
• Finalist in the City University GDL Moot and the Inter-Provider BPTC Moot

Events

• Crown Office Chambers at the Legal Cheek Virtual Pupillage Fair 2024
• Bar Council’s Pupillage Fair 2023

News

• Daniel Shapiro KC, Michael Harper and Alethea Redfern acted for World Challenge Expeditions Ltd in its successful claim against Zurich Insurance Company Ltd
• Crown Office Chambers welcomes three new tenants

Articles

• The Supreme Court’s judgment on whether the Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978 has extra-territorial effect

Qualifications

• English Language & Literature (First Class), University of Oxford
• GDL, City University
• BPTC, BPP University

Memberships

• PIBA
• COMBAR
• TECBAR
• PNBA
• LCLCBA