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Richard Wise

Richard Wise is a legend in the policyholder world - Insurance Litigation for Policyholders, Legal 500 2026

Partner, Head of Insurance Disputes
London, UK

Expertise

Richard is a Partner in Addleshaw Goddard's Disputes Group specialising in insurance, international commercial arbitration and litigation finance. Richard is co-head of the firm’s North America Business Group.

Richard's insurance practice focuses on the representation of major national and multinational policyholders, as well as US corporates insured in London and Bermuda. His experience includes the full range of business insurance. He regularly advises on complex international coverage matters, including 'Bermuda Form' and excess liability coverage disputes. Richard is recommended in the leading legal directories for his policyholder work.

Richard's international arbitration experience includes advising clients in relation to ad hoc proceedings, as well as those brought before the LCIA, ICC, SIAC, LMAA and ICSID. Richard spent two years working in our Singapore office and time on secondment to two leading international arbitration practices in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Richard has practical experience of litigation finance, including CFAs, DBAs, third party funding and ATE insurance, and advises third party funders, insurance brokers, businesses and law firms on related issues. In 2025 our litigation finance team was named ‘Exceptional Legal Services Provider for Litigation Funders (UK & EU-based)’ at the inaugural ILFA Legal Finance Awards.

Experience

Examples of Richard’s recent experience include:

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 financial institution in an €83m insurance coverage dispute concerning a credit insurance policy and in related professional negligence claims
Acting for a US healthcare provider in an insurance coverage arbitration concerning a significant medical malpractice jury verdict
Acting on behalf of a major hospitality group in an action for declaratory relief as to whether coverage is available for losses associated with a sex discrimination lawsuit in California
Acting for Therium Litigation Funding A IC in the widely reported first public challenge to the enforceability of LFAs following the Supreme Court’s decision in PACCAR
Advising an infrastructure owner/manager in relation to property damage and business interruption insurance claims in excess of £100m
Acting for Mumbai-based Zen Shipping & Ports in the Commercial Court and Court of Appeal ([2018] EWCA Civ 1660) in successfully setting aside a freezing injunction on the basis England was not the proper place to bring the claim
Acting for a FTSE 100 global pharmaceutical company in 3 significant Bermuda Form (product liability insurance) arbitrations, concerning claims totalling in excess of US$2bn
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))
Advising in relation to coverage issues arising under a D&O and corporate liability insurance policy in respect of SFO and DoJ investigations into a client's historic business practices.

Professional memberships

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

Testimonials

'Richard Wise - Partner - gifted lawyer with great personal skills. He has a real expertise in the funding and ATE market which features heavy in competition litigation claims.'

Competition Litigation, Legal 500 2026

‘Richard Wise is a legend in the policyholder world’

Insurance Litigation: For Policyholders, Legal 500 2026

‘Richard Wise - great partner, good to work with, and has the client's best interests at heart. Very thorough and well prepared’

Insurance Litigation: For Policyholders, Legal 500 2026

‘Richard Wise who is a real star in the field of insurance litigation. Very bright and full of commercial common sense. But above all, he is very personable and is capable of cutting through the chaff and focusing on the issues that really counts.’

Insurance Litigation: For Policyholders, Legal 500 2026

‘Richard is very conscientious. He wants the best for his clients and goes the extra mile.’