What We Provide : Advice and Assistance
There is much more to membership than simply cover for legal costs.
We provide practical advice and assistance, as well as a means of funding litigation. This means you do not have to be involved in litigation to benefit from membership.
To help keep Members up-to-date with legal issues, we produce a regular bulletin - SOUNDINGS. It summarises recent legal developments that may be relevant to Members' operations or the way they handle claims.
To help Members protect their commercial position, we also provide advice on drafting contractual terms. This advice will usually refer to a particular clause or contract the Member is concluding. But we also issue advice to the membership as a whole on terms of general importance - for example, war risks clauses.
We help avoid disputes by giving Members advice on the interpretation of clauses and the merits of their legal position. Even so, disputes may still arise out of the best drafted contracts. When a dispute cannot be avoided, we can help by resolving the dispute through negotiation or, if litigation is unavoidable, by managing the legal process effectively and efficiently.
Meeting your global needs
The Club benefits from a worldwide network of offices. It is represented in Greece, Asia and the Americas. Our Members also benefit from close association with the UK P&I Club, which covers over 20% of the world's shipping. There is no obligation to join the UK P&I Club, but our links mean that you automatically enjoy easy access to the UK P&I Club's global network of legal and commercial correspondents.
We have Members from all over the world. London is the main focus of litigation, but Members have recently been engaged in litigation further afield, including arbitration in Germany and Italy, as well as court proceedings in India, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.
Wherever possible, when appointing lawyers, we will follow the Member's preferences. We keep up-to-date with the charging policies and rates of the major law firms, noting which firms have particular areas of experience and expertise. That way, we can assist Members with the choice of the most appropriate lawyer to deal with the case. We can also help ensure that the lawyer's fees are reasonable so that Members receive value for money.
Many case handlers are qualified English barristers or solicitors. Others have practised as attorneys in the United States or are qualified to practise in other jurisdictions. Some play a leading role in the development of maritime contracts and are influential in maritime industry bodies. We are Supporting Members of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association and active in the Society of Maritime Arbitrators. We are represented on BIMCO's Documentary Committee and contribute to the drafting of BIMCO's recommended clauses.
Wherever you are based, wherever a dispute is to be fought, we can provide local contacts and expertise, and around the clock support from international experts.