Insurance.
From policy drafting to coverage litigation — specialist insurance law across construction, energy, and professional indemnity lines.
Insurance disputes are among the most technically demanding areas of legal practice. They require lawyers who can parse complex policy wordings, understand the underlying commercial activities that generate claims, and navigate the procedural requirements of multiple jurisdictions. A construction all-risk claim on a Gulf mega-project may involve London market policies, Dubai-based brokers, and French reinsurance treaties — each governed by different laws and dispute resolution mechanisms.
GSDA Legal Consultants advises insurers, reinsurers, Lloyd's syndicates, brokers, and policyholders on the full range of insurance-related legal matters. Our particular strength lies in construction and engineering insurance (CAR/EAR), professional indemnity, energy sector insurance, and directors' & officers' liability — the lines of business where our sector expertise and insurance law knowledge converge.
We handle coverage analysis, policy drafting, claims management, subrogation, and contentious matters including coverage disputes, bad faith allegations, and broker negligence claims. Our approach combines technical insurance law expertise with a practical understanding of the commercial relationships between policyholders, brokers, and insurers.
Our lawyers have experience with London market wordings, Middle Eastern takaful products, and European regulatory frameworks governing insurance distribution and solvency — enabling us to advise across the insurance value chain wherever our clients operate.
Industry challenges
Problems We Solve.
Coverage Disputes on Mega-Projects
Complex construction all-risk claims involving multiple insured parties, layered programmes, and disputes over the application of exclusions, sub-limits, and aggregation clauses.
Late Notification & Prejudice
Policyholders who discover coverage only after the notification deadline has passed, or insurers who allege late notification as grounds for coverage denial.
Cross-Border Policy Interpretation
Policies written under English law but applied to losses occurring in civil-law jurisdictions, creating conflicts over interpretation principles and applicable standards.
Subrogation Recovery Complexity
Insurers pursuing subrogated recovery against third parties across jurisdictions with different limitation periods, procedural requirements, and standards of proof.
Takaful & Sharia Compliance
Structuring Islamic insurance products that satisfy Sharia board requirements while providing commercially competitive coverage terms.
Broker Liability Exposure
Claims against brokers for failing to place adequate coverage, misrepresenting policy terms, or failing to notify policyholders of material coverage restrictions.
Our expertise in insurance.
Coverage Analysis & Dispute Resolution
Analysing policy wordings, assessing coverage triggers, and representing clients in coverage disputes through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation.
Construction & Engineering Insurance
CAR/EAR policies, advance loss of profits, third-party liability, and professional indemnity cover for construction projects — from policy placement to claims management.
Energy Sector Insurance
Upstream and downstream energy insurance, including offshore construction, operator's extra expense, control of well, and business interruption coverage for energy assets.
Professional Indemnity
Advising professionals — lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers — and their insurers on PI policy terms, claims notification, and the defence of negligence claims.
D&O Liability
Directors' and officers' liability policy drafting, claims management, and coverage disputes, including Side A, B, and C coverage and allocation issues.
Insurance Regulatory Compliance
Advising insurers and intermediaries on licensing, solvency requirements, conduct of business rules, and distribution regulation across European and Middle Eastern markets.
Reinsurance
Treaty and facultative reinsurance placement, follow-the-settlements disputes, and the resolution of coverage disagreements between cedants and reinsurers.
Takaful & Islamic Insurance
Structuring Sharia-compliant insurance products, advising on takaful operator governance, and resolving disputes under takaful contracts.
Frequently asked questions.
Do you act for policyholders or insurers?
We act for both — policyholders pursuing claims, insurers defending coverage positions, brokers facing negligence allegations, and reinsurers managing treaty disputes. This dual perspective gives us insight into both sides of insurance disputes.
Can you help with a construction all-risk claim?
We have extensive experience with CAR/EAR claims on major construction projects. We assess coverage, manage the claims notification process, and represent our clients in coverage disputes with insurers or in subrogated recovery actions against third parties.
Do you advise on takaful products?
We advise on the structuring of Sharia-compliant insurance products, including takaful operator governance, participant fund management, and the resolution of disputes arising under takaful contracts.
Can you handle cross-border insurance disputes?
Yes. Our multi-jurisdictional presence allows us to manage insurance disputes involving policies placed in London, losses occurring in the Gulf, and proceedings in European or Middle Eastern courts and arbitral tribunals.
Do you advise on insurance regulatory matters?
We advise insurers, reinsurers, and intermediaries on regulatory licensing, solvency requirements, and conduct of business compliance across French, DIFC, and Saudi regulatory frameworks.
What about broker negligence claims?
We represent both brokers defending negligence claims and policyholders pursuing brokers for failures in coverage placement, risk disclosure, or claims handling advice.
Can you help with D&O insurance disputes?
We advise on D&O policy terms, coverage triggers, defence cost advancement, and allocation disputes between insured directors, their companies, and D&O insurers.
Do you handle reinsurance disputes?
We act in reinsurance disputes involving follow-the-settlements obligations, treaty interpretation, aggregation, and the allocation of losses between cedants and reinsurers under treaty and facultative arrangements.
GSDA recovered USD 23 million under our CAR policy when two other firms advised the claim was excluded. Their technical reading of the London market wording was decisive.
Risk Manager, Gulf Infrastructure Developer
The GSDA advantage
Why clients choose GSDA for insurance.
Specialist knowledge at the intersection of insurance law and our core sectors — construction, energy, and professional services.
Experience with London market wordings, Middle Eastern takaful products, and European regulatory frameworks in a single practice.
Integrated dispute resolution capability for coverage litigation, arbitration, and multi-party insurance claims.
Trilingual team that can manage claims processes and policy negotiations in English, French, and Arabic.
Practical understanding of the broker market, underwriting process, and reinsurance arrangements that underpin risk transfer.