Date of Birth: 1968Date of Call: 1996
Languages: German, basic French
General Information
M.A. (English) Cantab 1st Class. Outstanding (Certificate of Honour) and Everard ver Heyden prize for advocacy – Inns of Court School of Law.
Practice
John Bignall specialises in commercial law, particularly in the areas of insurance and reinsurance, conflicts of laws, the international carriage of goods by land and sea, civil fraud, professional negligence and general contractual disputes. His practice involves advocacy and advisory work in the English Courts, most frequently the Commercial Court, and before domestic arbitration tribunals.
Selected Cases
Assicurazione Generali SpA v CGU [2004] EWCA 429, [2003] 2 All ER (Comm) 425 – reinsurance - summary judgment – construction of ‘follow settlements’ clause.
Glencore v Alpina – Metro litigation – marine insurance – misappropriation of oil – misrepresentation/non-disclosure – policy construction.
Paramount 1, Paramount 2 – film finance insurance – deceit – misrepresentation/non-disclosure.
‘North Star’ – war risks insurance – constructive total loss of vessel on which explosive charge placed – misrepresentation/non-disclosure – whether assured responsible for explosion.
Royal Clipper - Arbitration Dispute arising from converstion of vessel to cruise sailing vessel
'Kwelm v lEagle Star' Arbitration - Reinsurance dispute arising from the demise of weavers
'P38/P40' - Dispute relating to construction of oil production platform
Sonatrach v Ferrell [2002] 1 All ER (Comm) 627 – arbitration – stay of proceedings – charter-party dispute – floating choice of law clause.
Grupo Torras v Al-Sabah – civil fraud claim for $300 million. ‘
Seven Seas Bridge’ – carriage by sea – damage to frozen seafood following engine room fire.
‘Edco’ – carriage by sea – rust damage to steel coils.
