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 a well rounded, experienced practitioner with thorough knowledge of his subject matter. His unflappable, reasoned manner is somewhat unique. He provides 'assistance and responses to our queries in a timely manner and relevant feedback for us to decide on a claim.'
Market recognition
- Recommended lawyer for 'Dispute resolution: arbitration and international litigation (UAE)'
The Legal 500 EMEA 2026 - Hall of Fame for 'Insurance (UAE)'
The Legal 500 EMEA 2026 - Notable practitioner (Band 1) for 'Insurance (United Arab Emirates)'
"He provides strategic oversight and brings deep market insight, with longstanding experience in contentious insurance matters across the region."
"Peter Ellingham stands out for his exceptional client service, deep commercial awareness and sophisticated legal insight. He always delivers practical, business-focused advice."
Chambers Global 2026 - Hall of Fame for 'Insurance (UAE)' and Recommended lawyer for 'Dispute resolution: arbitration and international litigation (UAE)'
The Legal 500 EMEA 2025
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