Stephen Netherway was made a partner in CMS Cameron McKenna in 2001. He is currently Head of our Insurance and Reinsurance Group and our Financial Institutions Insurance Sector Group.
Stephen’s practice focuses on advising in respect of a wide range of contentious disputes including a focus on issues concerning insurance and reinsurance related matters. He has considerable trial experience in the major trial and appellate courts in the UK and also has a recognised domestic and international arbitration practice. He also has acted as monitoring and coordinating counsel for a number of US and other overseas legal proceedings.
In the insurance field, Stephen focuses on brokers and intermediary/cover holder disputes, as well as advising a wide range of professionals including actuaries, solicitors, accountants, managing and members' agents and financial advisers and their insurers in the defence of claims. Stephen advises on consumer law issues, particularly medical/health insurance and also in respect of travel insurance and travel bonds. Stephen also advises in respect of contingency risk business. Stephen also provides contentious and non contentious advice in the life science/healthcare and product liability sectors, including in respect of clinical trials insurance work, as well as the defence of complex claims in that sector such as wrongful birth claims.
In the field of reinsurance, Stephen advises on inwards and outwards reinsurance issues, including broker related issues, both on a treaty and facultative basis and both in a non-marine and marine context. Stephen has advised extensively in respect of accident & health business issues and particularly in respect of the PA LMX and Unicover domestic and international market disputes.
Stephen has substantial and recognised arbitration experience; in this context he has also acted in respect of associated court proceedings involving arbitral issues such as anti suit injunctions, appeals and challenges to arbitral awards (including to the higher appellate English Courts), and in respect of applications seeking assistance of the English Courts to aid arbitral processes.
Stephen's other contentious experience includes fraud and injunction work, surety and guarantee/bonding work, defamation and confidentiality issues and disputes, maritime issues and admiralty disputes (ship arrests), personal injury claims (including next friend and court of protection work) and major contractual/tortious disputes in a variety of industry sectors, all often of a cross border nature.
In addition to Stephen's contentious practice, Stephen regularly advises on policy and programme drafting for consumer and commercial insurance and reinsurance business, and on risk management issues.
Stephen's major reported cases include the Lloyd's litigation in the early 1990s, Mander v Prudential, Gyngell Dobinson & Gregory and ors, The Travel Insurance litigation. NRG v Bacon& Woodrow, Farraj v King's Hospital Trust and ors, Lincoln v Sun Life & Phoenix and Goshawk v ROP, Inc. Many other cases are not reportable because of their confidential nature including because such disputes arise in a confidential arbitration context.
Stephen has been recognised by Chambers as a leader in reinsurance and as a legal expert in professional negligence in the directory of legal experts compiled by Legal Business and the Legal 500.
Stephen is the lead author of Limiting Liability for Professional Partnerships and a contributor to Insurance Broking Practice and the Law. He also writes widely for the market and business press and speaks regularly on legal and risk management issues affecting the insurance and reinsurance business domestically and abroad. Stephen was a member of the team that won The Lawyer Client Care team of the year award in 2001 for a training programme conducted for a major broking house.