Stephen Netherway

Areas of Expertise

Stephen is one of the UK’s leading insurance lawyers, with over 30 years’ experience in the sector. With a formidable reputation for dealing with the most complex matters he has a market leading focus in business-critical commercial insurance and reinsurance disputes, including coverage and FOS/regulatory claims.

Stephen is experienced in all major classes of first party and third party insurance business, namely: professional indemnity/ negligence, marine, directors & officers and crime/ fidelity, property (and title risk), business interruption (including Covid claims), construction, accident & health, travel and other personal lines classes, life and critical Illness, public and products liability, surety and bonds, trade credit, contingency and cancellation, general commercial liability including employers’ liability, specie and ATE.

Stephen’s focus also includes treaty and facultative reinsurance (life and non-life) disputes and claims, within the professional indemnity/professional negligence sphere. Additionally, Stephen is well versed in broker/intermediary and delegated authority liability disputes.

He has extensive experience in the major trial and appellate UK law courts and has considerable expertise  as a recognised practitioner in international and domestic arbitration.

Stephen’s practice encompasses domestic and international work, and is frequently involved in advising both domestic and overseas clients on cross-border or multi-jurisdictional issues and assisting/monitoring overseas proceedings.

Experience

Prior to joining Devonshires in 2019, Stephen was a senior Insurance Partner at CMS UK, being appointed partner in 2001. Stephen was also Head of CMS UK’s Insurance sector.

Publications

• Lead Author of Limited Liability for Professional Partnerships (Jordans)
• Past contributing Editor to Practitioners Book Insurance Broking Practice and the Law (Informa)

Directories

Stephen is recognised in both the Legal 500 for commercial litigation and Chambers for insurance and reinsurance claims and in Euromoney’s World’s Leading Insurance and Reinsurance lawyers. Stephen is recognised in the current Editions of The Best Lawyers UK and Who’s Who Legal: Insurance and Reinsurance.

Conferences

Regular presenter of seminars and webinars on insurance issues. Most recently, presenter at Devonshires’ Building Safety Act conference.

Education

Stephen graduated with his degree in Law (LL.B) from the University of Nottingham.

Personal

Lifelong Reading FC, Worcestershire CCC and, previously, Worcester Warriors supporter.

Awards

Member of the Insurance Team at CMS that won The Lawyer Client Care award.

Professional Memberships

Stephen is a CEDR accredited mediator.