Josephine Higgs KC

Practice Areas

Josephine Higgs KC has a broad commercial practice with particular expertise in insurance and reinsurance, professional negligence, civil fraud, conflict of laws and jurisdiction, and international arbitration. In 2021, prior to taking silk, she won Insurance Junior of the Year award at the Chambers Bar Awards.

She is regularly instructed in high value commercial disputes in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, and in domestic and international arbitrations (including ICC, LCIA, ARIAS and Bermuda Form arbitrations). She frequently acts in matters with an international flavour, often involving conflicts of laws and jurisdictional issues and matters of international commerce. Jo has extensive experience of large-scale, long-running, complex disputes acting as part of a team of counsel and working closely with solicitors, clients, factual and expert witnesses. Her ability to work well with others is often cited as one of her particular strengths.

Recent cases include: Al Mana Lifestyle Holdings v United Lifestyle [2022] EWHC 2049 (Comm) (high value insurance dispute, jurisdiction challenge); the FCA Covid Business Interruption Insurance test case (acting on behalf of successful policyholders); Patisserie Valerie Holdings v Grant Thornton [2021] EWHC 3022 (Comm) (very high value auditors’ negligence claim acting for claimants); Harcus Sinclair LLP v Your Lawyers [2021] UKSC 32 (Supreme Court decision on restraint of trade and solicitors’ undertakings); Ardon Maroon Asia Master Fund (Cayman Islands Grand Court and Court of Appeal, shareholder dispute); Simetra Global Assets v Ikon Finance [2019] 4 WLR 112 (civil fraud, successful appeal to Court of Appeal).