Peter Ellingham
Peter.Ellingham@kennedyslaw.com
+971 4 350 3699
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Profile
Peter is a Partner in Kennedys’ Dubai office. He qualified with Kennedys in 1990 in England and Wales, became a Partner in 1996 and was based in our London office before relocating to Dubai in 2012.
Peter specialises in insurance and reinsurance and dispute resolution, advising insurers (including reinsurers) and insurance intermediaries on issues of policy interpretation, claims avoidance, claims handling, litigation defence and alternative dispute resolution.
Peter is experienced in and advises across a wide range of insurance sectors, which is typical of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
Peter has co-authored Practical Law Multi-Jurisdictional Guide – Insurance Guide 2016 – Dubai and Getting the Deal Through, Insurance and Reinsurance – United Arab Emirates, 2016 and 2017.
Peter also contributed to the fourth edition of Kennedys’ Global Legal Handbook, one of our most popular guides, which outlines the main legal and procedural issues that case handlers may encounter when dealing with claims across 53 jurisdictions globally.
Qualifications
- Qualified in England and Wales in 1990
"Peter Ellingham is the leading insurance lawyer in the region."
Market recognition
- Recommended Lawyer for 'Dispute Resolution: Arbitration and International Litigation(United Arab Emirates)'
"Peter Ellingham and Rishi Sengupta are always willing to clarify the points and have a discussion on the claims. This helps clients as it opens up discussions to reach a good conclusion."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Insurance (United Arab Emirates)'
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 - Leading Individual for 'Insurance (United Arab Emirates)'
"Peter Ellingham leads the team; he is highly experienced in a broad number of issues concerning fraud, policy interpretation, claims avoidance and litigation defence."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 -
Notable Practitioner (Band 1) for 'Dispute Resolution (UAE)'
"Peter Ellingham is the leading insurance lawyer in the region."
"Peter would be the first name on any insurer's list."
"Peter has been extremely thorough, clear and precise in his advice."
"He is a top performer."
Chambers & Partners Global 2023 -
Recommended Lawyer for 'Dispute Resolution: Arbitration and International Litigation (United Arab Emirates)'
"Peter Ellingham heads the practice and has extensive experience in the insurance and dispute resolution space."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2022 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Insurance (United Arab Emirates)'
"Resident managing partner Peter Ellingham advises insurers and reinsurers on matters ranging from fraud and theft, to claims avoidance and litigation."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2022 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Dispute Resolution: Arbitration and International Litigation (United Arab Emirates)'
"Peter Ellingham of Kennedys in Dubai is an English native lawyer who has practised in the UAE for several years. He is still very European minded and this is of great value and help for European companies who need local legal advise. He also has great local skills, enabling him to guide his clients through the jurisdiction and its usages."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2021 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Insurance (United Arab Emirates)'
The Legal 500 EMEA 2021 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Dispute Resolution: Arbitration and International Litigation (United Arab Emirates)'
The Legal 500 EMEA 2020 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Insurance (United Arab Emirates)'
The Legal 500 EMEA 2020 - Recommended Lawyer for 'Dispute Resolution: Arbitration and International Litigation (UAE)'
"Peter Ellingham handle[s] insurance work, including claims concerning D&O, marine and fire policies."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2019 - Notable Practitioner (Spotlight Table) for ‘Insurance (United Arab Emirates)’
“Clients recognise his availability and responsiveness, saying: ‘He was even available at the weekend, and even when he needed to take time to think, he was quick to respond.’”
Chambers Global 2018 - Ranked Lawyer for ‘Dispute Resolution (United Arab Emirates)’; ‘Insurance (United Arab Emirates)’
“Clients say that Peter Ellingham ‘always provides great support, be it the advice given or the overall client service.’”
Chambers Global 2017 - A Leader in their field for ‘Dispute Resolution (United Arab Emirates)’; ‘Insurance (United Arab Emirates)’
“‘Peter was excellent. He put the claimant at ease and gave us very good advice on the jurisdiction, talking us through alternatives instead of encouraging litigation.’”
Chambers Global 2016
Awards
Work highlights
- While in UK, handled group litigation, for example multi-million pound claims against tax advisors, and claims by approximately 1,000 policyholders involved in an insurance scheme for small contractors.
- Advised on policy response and claims defence in connection with high profile fires in Dubai. This included advising the Dubai office of international insurers on the defence of a fire claim, which lead to a groundbreaking decision that distinguished between first and third party liability for insurers in Dubai.
- Handled the defence of a high value professional indemnity claim against construction and financial professionals in the United Arab Emirates, including claims on high profile developments.
- Advised insurers on the successful defence of a directors’ and officers’ (D&O) claim in Muscat, which illustrated the different scope of cover available under a D&O policy in GCC jurisdictions when compared with common law jurisdictions.
- Advised a hotel chain and its insurers on the handling and ultimately successful rejection of an alleged food poisoning claim in Dubai.
Insurance and reinsurance