Andrew Bandurka

Consultant

Andrew Bandurka is a very experienced lawyer and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, who accepts arbitration appointments in insurance, reinsurance and commercial disputes and also acts as a mediator. He is a member of the ARIAS (UK) panel of experts/arbitrators and a member of the International Chamber of Commerce UK panel.

More about Andrew

Andrew Bandurka is a very experienced lawyer and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, who accepts arbitration appointments in insurance, reinsurance and commercial disputes and also acts as a mediator. He is a member of the ARIAS (UK) panel of experts/arbitrators and a member of the International Chamber of Commerce UK panel.

Andrew is a consultant to our insurance/reinsurance department in London.

He advises on large, complex commercial claims, many with an international flavour. These include re/insurance coverage, professional indemnity, products liability and industrial risks claims and defence/subrogation claims in property/BI, casualty, energy/power and construction lines.

Andrew has vast experience of all forms of dispute resolution in multiple jurisdictions. He has a scientific background which underpins his rigorous approach to legal problems.

Andrew has a long history of heading successful teams in market-leading coverage cases including the 9/11 Twin Towers property loss aggregation case (Heraldglen-v-AIOI). the Iraq invasion of Kuwait and related aviation loss aggregation (Scott-v-Copenhagen Re), the Exxon Valdez oil pollution case on follow the settlements (King-v-Brandywine). His other reported court cases include Home-v-Wurtembergische (reinsurance pool run-off), Hassneh-v-Pan Atlantic (arbitrator qualifications) , R-v-Corporation of Lloyd's ex parte MacMillan (Lloyd's litigation) but most of his cases are dealt with through arbitration or mediation/negotiation.

He first graduated in Mathematics and Statistics before taking a Master's degree in Operational Research (a form of applied statistics and computer science.) He worked for British Airways Operational Research before qualifying as a barrister and undertaking pupillage at a leading Midlands chambers. He then worked in-house for aviation loss adjusters and re/insurance coverage advisers International Insurance Services (IIS), before qualifying as a solicitor and becoming a partner at HFW 30 years ago. He is an accredited mediator (Civil Mediation Council registered), an arbitrator (including sole arbitrator), is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and a member of the ARIAS(UK) panel of experts/arbitrators. (arias.org.uk/panel-member/andrew-alan-bandurka) and of the ICC panel of arbitrators.

Testimonials

Legal 500 for 2022/3 quotes clients as saying:

'Andrew Bandurka is a leading light in English insurance and (especially) reinsurance. He has unparalleled experience and commercial nous. He is imaginative. He fosters a collaborative approach in his team which leads to high quality outcomes.’

'Andrew Bandurka is an elder statesman – highly experienced and dedicated to getting the right result for the client – seen it all, and knows how to deal with any problem that comes up.’

Andrew has been a member of the coveted Legal 500 "Hall of Fame" since its inauguration, which is for "individuals who have received constant praise by their clients for continued excellence" and who are "at the pinnacle of the profession", having been recognised as a market-leading lawyer for many years. Legal 500 quotes clients and peers as saying that Andrew "excels in reinsurance, coverage, product liability and professional indemnity disputes.", that his professional negligence work as "fantastic" and "first class", and that he is a "leading individual" who is a "strategic thinker who balances the legal risk with the financial issues in play".

Accritas named him as a "Star Lawyer" when a survey of 4300 senior in-house counsel worldwide identified him as a "real specialist and a real expert" who "gives a very quick idea of whether the law can solve the problem, so he doesn't waste your time with litigation that ends up going nowhere.....But if there is a legal solution, he will find it and deliver it".

Leading legal directory Chambers describes Andrew as a "leading individual" who "offers impressive experience handling complex reinsurance disputes relating to a range of coverage types" and "an excellent lawyer who always provides a speedy yet comprehensive service that delivers good results, and he is smart and creative. I'm always glad he's on my side." Chambers also said he is "certainly the man for a good strong defence", an "incredibly strategic litigator" who "stands out for his expertise" and has a "keen eye for detail, technical excellence and good communication skills", and is "a very tough litigator who specialises in complex insurance and reinsurance disputes". He is "very quick on the uptake and has a tremendous ability to ascertain the values at risk, explain these in a simple manner, and advise when to fight and when to negotiate".

Andrew was named as a Thomson Reuters/Sunday Telegraph "Super Lawyer", and is listed in the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers and the Guide to the World's Leading Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers.

Andrew is qualified in England and Wales.