With the heads of team, Raghad Hammad and Simon Isgar, holding expertise in contentious and non-contentious insurance and reinsurance, the firm has built a clientele of UAE regulators, as well as insurance companies, around Asia.

Praised for its ‘genuinely sector-led and execution-focused’ approach, Clyde & Co LLP maintains its position as a leading force in the Middle East insurance market, offering specialist expertise across the full spectrum of insurance and reinsurance matters. The firm fields one of the region’s largest dedicated insurance teams and is regularly engaged in key sector developments, regulatory work, and complex disputes. A litany of global insurers, large corporates, and banks often turn to Michael Morris for his expertise in commercial litigation, trade-credit, and political risk insurance. He oversees the team alongside Peter Hodgins, who advises on transactional and regulatory issues. Alfred Thornton is a notable contact for energy, construction, and engineering-related insurance disputes, and Michael Ducker leads on medical malpractice matters. Other key members of the team include Roshanak Bassiri-Gharb, who specialises in corporate insurance matters, and Wayne Jones, who remains active across the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious insurance matters. Tom Bicknell focuses on non-contentious matters for clients in the insurance sector.

DWF Middle East LLP offers a comprehensive insurance practice with recognised strength in handling technically complex matters. The team acts for major regional and international insurers in claims, coverage issues, corporate insurance work, and regulatory compliance, with experience spanning financial and commercial lines, cyber, marine, political risk, and trade credit. Victoria Clucas advises on property, energy, and construction risks, as well as multi-jurisdictional coverage disputes. Brian Boahene represents clients in courts across the Middle East, while Bill Evans is noted for his expertise in subrogated recoveries and cross-border insurance disputes. Adam Pryor frequently handles professional liability and coverage matters, and Bhavesh Dattani leads the firm’s insurance regulatory practice.

HFW’s insurance team is active across both the local UAE courts and the DIFC Courts, handling a significant volume of complex insurance and reinsurance disputes. Alongside its contentious work, the firm advises policyholders on medical and group health programmes and supports insurers, MGAs and brokers in establishing operations on the DIFC and, increasingly, the KSA platforms. Steering the practice is Sam Wakerley, who earns praise as an ‘expert in the field of insurance claims disputes’. Justin Whelan focuses on property, energy, casualty, and professional indemnity claims, including policy coverage issues and subrogated recoveries, while John Barlow brings regulatory insight to his work with insurers and reinsurers on claims, disputes, and product development. Charles Cockrell and Richard Gimblett are key contacts for aviation-related insurance matters across the region, and Thomas Neighbour remains active across the firm’s broader insurance litigation portfolio.

Kennedys’ insurance team draws on the firm’s international platform to advise on both contentious and non-contentious matters across the full range of insurance and reinsurance lines. The Dubai team is regularly instructed by local and international insurers on coverage issues and insurance-backed commercial disputes, with particular experience in the aviation, construction, energy, financial, and healthcare industries, as well as the marine, political risk, and trade credit sectors. Spearheading the team is Peter Ellingham, who advises on claims handling and coverage disputes involving fraud, property damage, business interruption, and policy interpretation. Rishi Sengupta focuses on insurance and reinsurance disputes, Mehdi Seadon acts in property, energy, construction, aviation, and trade credit matters, and Reem Bangina is also a key practitioner within the team.

Lauded for its ‘deep sector expertise, commercial acumen, and responsiveness in high-stakes matters’, Stephenson Harwood Middle East LLP advises insurers, reinsurers, brokers, and corporates on a broad spectrum of insurance matters, including product liability, professional indemnity, business interruption, and speciality risks. The practice also offers alternative risk transfer solutions, captive insurance support, and an active marine insurance capability, alongside advising on insurance-related M&A transactions. Practice head Mohamed El Hawawy brings significant experience in acting for insurers on coverage, regulatory, and high-value disputes. ‘Top-tier specialist’ Saif Almobideen focuses on marine insurance, acting in casualty, pollution, collision, and cargo matters, while Mahmoud El Sayed regularly represents clients in complex coverage disputes across the region.

Al Tamimi & Company handles a significant volume of property and business interruption claims, frequently acting in multi-jurisdictional disputes involving insurers, reinsurers, brokers, and policyholders. The team is also active in corporate insurance, licensing, and transactional mandates, advising both regional and international insurers, private equity houses, and investment funds. Yazan Al Saoudi leads the group alongside Anand Singh, who has particular expertise in transactional and regulatory matters for the insurance sector. Sakher Alaqaileh is a key contact for claims in the automotive and retail sectors.

Norton Rose Fulbright advises insurers and reinsurers across the Middle East on both contentious and non-contentious matters, drawing on the firm’s wider corporate, M&A, and regulatory capabilities. The team is active in cyber incident response, warranty and indemnity coverage, and financial lines work, with a strong portfolio of D&O and professional negligence defence matters. Shabnam Karim leads the contentious practice, acting in complex multijurisdictional insurance disputes, while Adjou Ait Ben Idir heads the non-contentious offering, focusing on insurance M&A and W&I mandates.

Reinsurance claims are a strength for the practice at Pinsent Masons. Gregg Hammond is a specialist commercial and insurance lawyer leading the team in the advisory of non-insurers and reinsurers, and in February 2025, Marie Chowdhry joined as a partner to support Hammond’s navigation in complex cases related to the DIFC.