Chris Neilson

Chris is a Partner in the Insurance disputes practice.

He specialises in complex commercial disputes with a particular focus on insurance disputes where he has acted both for and against insurers and reinsurers across a number of lines of business including construction, property and business interruption, trade credit, power generation, D&O, W&I, professional indemnity and technology. Chris has advised clients in relation to disputes arising in a number of different jurisdictions including Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, India, Portugal and Jersey.  Between 2016 and 2019 Chris was based in Singapore as a Senior Associate at an international law firm. In the course of his career Chris has undertaken secondments to three major insurers.

Chris has experience of litigating claims before the English courts and in arbitration. He is well versed in all methods of alternative dispute resolution. 

Key Experience

• Advising an airline on issues arising from stranded aircraft resulting from the conflict in Ukraine.
• Advising businesses across all sectors on the potential for recovery from insurers for business interruption losses resulting from Covid-19.
• Acting for a group of claimants in claims against former tax advisors arising out of the participation in film sale and leaseback schemes.
• Successful defence of a trade credit insurer in a coverage dispute (SIAC arbitration) with its joint policyholders, a major Singaporean Bank and an international commodities trader.
• Advising an international reinsurer on a coverage dispute under an EAR Policy between a market of Korean insurers and the insured owner and operator of a Korean power plant.
• Advising a market of London and Singapore insurers in a coverage dispute with their policyholder arising out of the insurance of a bill of exchange discounting facility issued by the policyholder to an exporter for purchase of commodities.
• Advising a market of Indonesian insurers and international reinsurers on a claim for damage to contract works arising under a CAR Policy for significant land reclamation works.
• Acting for trade credit insurer in a coverage dispute with its insured bank involving multiple financing of commodity shipments.
• Acting for Insurers in successful defence of coverage dispute arising out of warehouse fire. Successful at first instance and at Court of Appeal: Milton Furniture Limited v Brit Insurance Limited ([2014] EWHC 965 (QB) and [2015] EWCA Civ 671).
• Successful defence of a claim for breach of software licence including award of indemnity costs against the claimant: AFD Software v DCML Ltd [2015] EWHC 453 (Ch).
• Acting for a policyholder in successfully overturning its insurer's coverage determination arising out of a fire during extensive refurbishment works.

Career History

Partner, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Managing Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Senior Associate, RPC (London and Singapore)
Associate, CMS Cameron McKenna LLP
Trainee, CMS Cameron McKenna LLP
College of law, Legal Practice Course
City University, Post Graduate Diploma in Law
University of Bristol, Politics