Contact

T: +44 (0)20 7337 0378
F: +44 (0)20 7337 0301

Areas of Expertise

Vanessa Leigh

Expertise

Vanessa  advises clients on airline, product liability, insurance, insurance regulatory and commercial litigation and arbitration, in the UK and in many overseas jurisdictions. Her experience includes the following:

  • Major loss handling, disaster planning and management issues: including the GOL mid-air collision in Brazil and the Helios Airways accident in Greece (including criminalisation aspects) and has also represented aviation clients before inquiries and Inquests, including a major Parliamentary inquiry into the total loss of a military aircraft and 14 crew members.
  • Product liability: representing manufacturers and also subrogated product liability claims on behalf of insurers and airlines.
  • General commercial litigation/arbitration: representing airlines, manufacturers and maintenance providers in relation to contractual disputes.
  • Insurance and reinsurance coverage disputes.
  • Financial Insurance and travel regulatory matters.
  • Space liability, including private spaceflight.
  • Satellite insurance: represented insurers and reinsurers on many of the major satellite insurance cases.

Career

  • Joined Gates and Partners in October 2006 becoming a Partner in May 2007.
  • Worked at Barlow Lyde & Gilbert from 1993 to 2006, qualifying as a solicitor in 1995 and working with both the Reinsurance and International Risk Team and Aerospace Team (from 1997).
  • Financial Services Authority Enforcement department on 9 month secondment from Barlow Lyde and Gilbert 2005 – 2006.

Education

  • Solicitor’s Final Examination, College of Law (First Class honours).
  • Bachelor of Law (First Class honours), King’s College, University of London with the highest marks in the year.

Special Distinctions

  • Strand Trust Prize for highest results in LLB (both Part I and Part II).
  • Sweet and Maxwell Prize for highest honours in LLB.
  • Highest marks in year in seven of eight papers for the LLB and awarded various university prizes for the highest marks tort, trusts, property, company and industrial law.

Interests

Music: Rock, early and baroque music, playing several instruments including bass guitar, piano, keyboards and violin. History and gardening.