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Laura Payne

Laura Payne is very smart, to the point and easy to work with - Insurance Litigation for Policyholders - Legal 500 2025

Legal Director, Litigation
London, UK

Expertise

Laura Payne is a Legal Director in Addleshaw Goddard's Disputes group, specialising in insurance disputes.

Laura has experience of acting for major national and multinational policyholders involved in coverage disputes with their insurers. She acts in both court litigation and arbitration, particularly specialising in international Bermuda Form arbitration. Laura also has experience of product liability claims (including group actions) and risk management.

Laura has completed a secondment to the in-house legal team of Diageo, where she advised the business in relation to a number of contentious and non-contentious issues in the GB market.

Experience

Laura's experience includes:

acting for a US client in a series of liability insurance arbitrations concerning losses in excess of $300m arising from one of its products installed in residential homes

acting for a FTSE 100 global pharmaceutical company in two significant Bermuda Form (product liability insurance) arbitrations, concerning claims totalling in excess of US$2bn

acting for GlaxoSmithKline in defence of a large product liability group action in relation to one of its antidepressants, Seroxat

acting for Weyerhaeuser Company in responding to anti-suit injunctions obtained by XL and Catlin ([2018] EWHC 3609 (Comm)), and Hiscox and Starr ([2019] EWHC 2671 (Comm))

representing Rathbone Brothers Plc and an individual trustee / former employee of a Rathbones subsidiary in English Commercial Court and Court of Appeal proceedings in relation to a claim under the excess layer of Rathbones' 2008/09 civil liability insurance programme ([2013] EWHC 3457 (Comm) and [2014] EWCA Civ 1464).

Education

Oxford University, English Language and Literature
GDL and LPC, BPP Law School

Professional Memberships

Association of Insurance and Risk Managers in Industry and Commerce (AIRMIC)
British Insurance Law Association (BILA)

Testimonials

“Laura Payne has an astounding knowledge of the intricacies of the case and is a consistently calming presence.”

Insurance: Mainly Policyholders – Chambers & Partners 2025

'Laura stands out as hard-working and smart. She does a very good job on hard insurance litigation and is very attentive.'

Insurance Mainly Policyholders - Chambers & Partners 2025

Laura Payne produces great work. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of cases, is very commercially minded and is always looking at how things play out in court.'

Insurance Mainly Policyholders - Legal 500 2025

‘Laura Payne is a dream to work with.’

Insurance Litigation for Policyholders – Legal 500 2025

'Laura Payne is a real pleasure to work with. She is the engine room of the team who has an amazing ability to recall all relevant details and documents. Exceptionally bright and hard working.'

Insurance Litigation for Policyholders - Legal 500 2023

'Laura Payne is a really outstanding associate - a master of detail and unbelievably responsive.'

Insurance Litigation for Policyholders - Legal 500 2023

'Brings focus and clarity to complex material'

Insurance Mainly Policyholders – Legal 500 2022