Joanna Grant

Career

The firm’s Managing Partner, Joanna, is a highly regarded policyholder side coverage specialist. Joanna also leads Fenchurch Law’s Construction & Property Risks team, advising policyholders in high-value commercial coverage disputes relating to all types of property risks including under Commercial Property Policies and Building Defect Guarantee Policies. Her practice area includes a Financial & Commercial Risks element, including in particular advising on Trade Credit and Warranty and Indemnity Policies.

She is recommended by Chambers & Partners, where she is individually ranked for representing policyholders in insurance disputes and is recognised by Legal 500 as a leading individual with one referee commenting: Joanna Grant is a brilliant litigator. Tenacious, brilliant with the detail but never losing sight of the commercial objective. You would always want her on your team.’ Business Day gave Joanna top billing in its top ten list of ‘policyholder lawyers in UK 2023 providing substantial insurance influence’, referring to her as an “experienced insurance lawyer” whose expertise is “pivotal” in property-related claims.

A significant part of Joanna’s caseload in the past two years has related to Covid-related BI claims. In 2023 she acted on four cases being managed by the Commercial Court as part of its Covid List, and currently has a number of cases due to be heard by the Court of Appeal in 2024. During 2023, she successfully recovered amounts considerable in excess of £100m + for her policyholder clients who include large commercial clients with household names.

Joanna also has particular experience in combustible cladding cases, advising building owners, managing agents and groups of leaseholders living in high-rise buildings in respect of their insurance claims for the cost of replacing the ACM cladding and/or other defects.

Joanna joined Fenchurch Law in 2016 after 18 years at Allen & Overy, where she gained broad experience in complex multi-jurisdictional proceedings and arbitrations acting for financial institutions and global corporates, including advising policyholders on political risk, crime, and D&O policies.

Joanna graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA (Hons) degree in Oriental Studies and a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, before completing her CPE and LPC. She is a member of the British Insurance Law Association, the Society of Construction Law and Women in Property.