Garbhan Shanks

Practice Areas

Garbhan specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration. He leads the Insurance and Reinsurance team which mainly represents policyholders and captives in coverage disputes against (re)insurers.

Garbhan has over 25 years' experience of litigation, arbitration and mediation in commercial disputes, often with international and civil fraud elements, with a particular focus in insurance and group actions.

Garbhan primarily acts for policyholders in the financial services, pharmaceutical, energy, retail, manufacturing, construction, utilities and transport sectors to recover insurance indemnities properly due under construction all-risks, product liability / recall, professional indemnity, property, business interruption, D&O, employers' liability, public liability, political risk / political violence / credit risk, corporate crime (1st and 3rd party) and cyber / privacy insurance policies.

He also specialises in reinsurance coverage disputes and has acted in leading cases Wasa v Lexington (House of Lords judgment concerning US pollution losses) and Aioi v Heraldglen (arising from the 9/11 World Trade Centre losses). Garbhan recently represented reinsurers in a $500 million LCIA political risk expropriation coverage arbitration, and a $100 million political risk coverage dispute relating to the 2021 Zuma riots in South Africa.

Garbhan's commercial disputes practice involves both defendant and claimant work, such as miss-selling, professional negligence and breach of contract / warranty claims. He also has an established expertise in funded claims, group actions, asset recovery and civil fraud matters.

Garbhan has acted in numerous ad hoc and institutional arbitrations, particularly those governed by the LCIA, ICC and SCC Rules, which has become an increasingly popular option for my clients, especially with enforcement to mind.

Industry Sector Expertise

Insurance and Reinsurance