6 March 2018: Duncan Cotterill is pleased to announce the appointment of internationally-renowned insurance law expert Professor Rob Merkin QC to special counsel.
Professor Merkin will serve as an extension of the Duncan Cotterill team from his base in the UK, providing expert guidance and consultation as needed, with plans to visit New Zealand at minimum three times a year.
Duncan Cotterill Litigation Partner, Jonathan Scragg says, “We are fortunate to have someone of Rob’s calibre as part of our team, adding another string to our bow with specialist international experience in insurance and connections that span the globe.”
As past president of the British Insurance Law Association, Vice-President of the International Association of Insurance Law, and having served as a consultant to the English and Scottish Law Commission, Professor Merkin is highly respected as both an authority and thought leader on insurance law. In 2015 he was made a QC honoris causa by the Crown and acted as Special Adviser to the House of Lords Special Public Bills Committee on the Insurance Bill (now Act).
Closer to home, Professor Merkin was appointed to the Hotung Fellowship by the University of Canterbury in 2012 to deliver a series of lectures on earthquake insurance and remains a lecturer in insurance law at the University of Auckland.
“I know the Duncan Cotterill team well and am thrilled to be joining them in a more formal capacity to offer my expertise where it may be useful. I feel very at home in New Zealand and have spent a lot of time here over the course of my career, so I look forward to returning on an ongoing basis,” Professor Merkin says.
He is also an accomplished author, having been awarded the annual prize from the British Insurance Law Association on three occasions.
“We’re confident Rob will help us to further strengthen our insurance credentials by providing unprecedented knowledge and advice to our team, whilst also helping us to extend our international footprint.” says Mr Scragg.
