Herbert Smith Freehills taps Paul Lewis to beef up global disputes practice

International law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has appointed insurance litigator Paul Lewis as its new joint managing partner for the global disputes practice and UK/US regional head of practice. Effective from May 1st, Lewis is set to work alongside Anna Sutherland, the other disputes managing partner who resides in Australia.

With a track record in insurance and professional negligence disputes, Lewis is no stranger to Herbert Smith Freehills. He started as a trainee in 1992 and worked his way up the ranks to become a partner in 2001.

Currently, he serves as the global head of the insurance disputes practice and has been praised by Chambers UK as “an absolutely first-rate lawyer who goes above and beyond to support his clients.”

Lewis’s appointment comes on the heels of Herbert Smith Freehills being named the law firm with the highest average claim value in commercial disputes in the High Court for 2022 by litigation analytics provider Solomonic.

Lewis brings extensive experience to the firm’s global disputes team to victory, including his successful involvement in the COVID-19 business interruption test case in the Supreme Court in 2020.

The team he led won several awards, including Litigation and Dispute Resolution team of the Year at the British Legal Awards and Insurance Team of the Year at the Legal Business Awards.

According to Ian Cox, the executive partner of practices at Herbert Smith Freehills, Lewis has showcased impressive leadership qualities by competently managing intricate disputes and supporting the growth of the contentious insurance team.