High-Profile Group Led by Ed Smerdon and Mark Kendall Joins Sedgwick

Smerdon to Head the Firm’s London Office

London, July 12, 2010 – One of London's leading insurance teams has joined forces with the London office of the international litigation and business law firm Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP, which has one of the sector’s largest worldwide insurance law practices.  High-profile insurance lawyer Edward Smerdon will become the managing partner of Sedgwick’s London office. Highly regarded London-based insurance attorney Mark Kendall also joins as a partner. Together the pair represents a significant and loyal London market client base. They are joined in the move by Tristan Hall, who has become a Sedgwick partner, and associates Lucy Dyson, Jason McNerlin and Duncan Strachan.

The move is a significant boost to Sedgwick's London presence, and positions the firm to execute growth plans and deliver services to the insurance community between its Bermuda, U.S. and U.K. hubs.

"Ed and his team provide unparalleled legal and client service to the London insurance market,”  said Sedgwick's Chair Michael Tanenbaum. “Their depth of legal insight combined with their longstanding relationships in this close-knit industry will enhance our ability to provide a complete service offering to our London insurance market clients, whether their legal needs are in the U.S., Bermuda, U.K. or Europe.”

Ralph Guirgis, outgoing managing partner of Sedgwick’s London office, commented, "We have spent a considerable amount of time looking for a high-impact partner to lead and grow the London office. There is no doubt in my mind, and our partnership agrees, that Ed is that partner. He is a key player in this market, and I expect a seamless transition to Ed as the managing partner of the London office.”

Smerdon trained and became a solicitor in 1992 at what is now Berrymans, where he specialized in employers', public and product liability work.  In 1994, he moved to Pinsents (now Pinsent Masons) where he specialized in professional liability, particularly lawyers' liability. In 1996, he moved to Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC) and specialized in insurance/reinsurance coverage disputes. The cases he was involved in included the directors and officers' (D&O) claims arising out of the collapse of Barings bank. He became a partner at DAC in 1999. In 2001, he moved to Reynolds Porter Chamberlain as a partner, where he has been to date. He has continued to specialize in insurance/reinsurance work with particular emphasis on D&O, financial institutions and energy sector work. He is the consulting editor of the book, "Directors' Liability & Indemnification" (Globe).

He has received directory recommendations in Chambers UK for his "free-thinking, problem-solving approach and in-depth market knowledge." In insurance and professional liability, he is ranked as one of the “Leading Individuals.” Directories also describe him as an expert in insurance and reinsurance and a leading figure in D&O liability. The current Legal 500 observes that Smerdon is an “acknowledged market leader” in insurance and reinsurance litigation.

"Our ambition is to build up a specialized law office that is truly dedicated to the insurance markets and able to compete on its own terms for London-sourced work with the city's established firms,” added Smerdon.  “This move will enable us to act as a London insurance boutique but with the added resources of an international law firm that shares our commitment to this industry.  We will be able to connect with Sedgwick's international office network in a manner that will see us compete with the leading names in the global insurance market, taking particular account of Sedgwick's strengths in key U.S. litigation hubs from coast to coast and in Bermuda."

Kendall is a leading lawyer in insurance and reinsurance, whose practice incorporates policy coverage and disputes, product development and wordings, as well as international dispute management and U.K. litigation.  His particular area of focus is physical risks and general liability, including international property and casualty, with a particular leaning toward energy risks and power generation; product liability and recall in all major sectors; and construction and contractors (all risks). He commentates regularly in the national media on insurance and product issues and is a member of the Product Liability Forum (British Institute of International and Comparative Law).

Smerdon and Kendall will add to the core strengths of the London office, focusing on high-quality coverage and defense claims across major lines of business, reinsurance, commercial disputes, non-claims coverage and other non-contentious insurance work.  Internationally, Sedgwick’s insurance-related practice groups comprise one of the largest global insurance industry teams of trial lawyers and policy advisors dedicated to the institutional needs and success of insurance carriers.