Cruise Law: Claims, Litigation and Risk Management

Sarah practices in marine-related and travel personal injury claims. She handles a variety of claims for tour operators, hotels, cruise, yacht and ferry lines (including, hotel guests, crew and passengers) as well as their insurers. She advises on complex jurisdictional issues concerning cross border claims, and specialises in high value catastrophic and fatal accident claims, as well as gastro intestinal illness claims including norovirus, salmonella and giardia. Sarah has undertaken investigations on land and onboard vessels, including an investigation into an alleged sexual assault, and has worked on a number of high profile cases including the well-publicised case of Nolan and 42 Others -v- TUI UK Limited [2015].
She is expanding her portfolio in the mental health arena as she recognises the importance of this subject
to employers and employees in the industry. Sarah has acted and won an occupational stress at work claim for one of her clients. Sarah regularly presents to clients on topics relevant to the travel and maritime sector and writes articles to update clients on topics of current interest. She sits on the firm's sustainability board which oversees the Hill Dickinson Foundation and charity partnerships. She also sits on the firm’s Trainee Committee. Sarah was named as a “key lawyer” in the 2021/2022 Legal 500 for travel and for personal injury.

Gemma is a Partner in Clyde & Co’s Energy, Marine & Natural Resources practice group. Having first qualified as a barrister in 2001, Gemma then cross-qualified as a solicitor in 2005. She has 20 years’ experience in the sector.
She provides a comprehensive range of wet and dry shipping and related trade services for clients across the maritime sector, dealing with all issues arising out of the interaction between ship, port and cargo interests. From claims relating to collisions, unsafe ports, pollution and environmental incidents, bailment and goods in transit to fatal accidents, HSE and MCA intervention, slippers and trippers, her detailed understanding of operational and legal issues affecting the marine industry as a whole enables her to give expert commercial advice.
Gemma advises a wide range of clients including commercial operators and their insurers on both contentious and non-contentious matters, across the whole of the maritime and offshore industries, advising cruise lines, shipowners, charterers, shipyards, P&I clubs, port and terminal operators, underwriters and traders, insurers and reinsurers.
She also advises on personal injury and loss of life cases and class actions arising out of illness and disease outbreaks as well as extensive occupational disease experience, again in respect of the sector. She draws upon her practical experience and real commercial understanding when handling marine casualty work. She regularly attends ports and vessels as part of an immediate casualty response service and liaises with the relevant authorities. She also drafts/advises on health and safety procedures, policies and risk management and trains management and personnel.
Gemma is practical, straightforward and commercial, delivering an efficient and effective service in line with those standards set by the industry and clients. Gemma’s understanding of the marine industry goes beyond the interpretation of the law, it extends to practical and operational expertise emanating from years of working in partnership with marine industry leaders. Providing solutions is at the heart of what she does.

Kim began her career in travel in 2004 at TUI, working as Customer Service agent for their Thomson and Crystal Ski brands.
In 2013 she progressed to Customer Relations Manager at Travel Republic and took over complete control of the team, including all legal, arbitration, personal injury cases and their Crisis and Duty Office. At the beginning of 2015 she was invited to sit on the ABTA Customer and Legal Affairs Committee and has spoken at ABTA Complaint Handling seminars, Travel Law Seminars and the Travel Convention ever since.
Keen to expand her skill base she enrolled on the CILEX Legal Training Programme in 2016, awarding her with a Higher Diploma in Law in 2019. She moved her career into the luxury market within the same year, starting at Scott Dunn as their Senior Guest Relations and Legal Compliance Manager, navigating the whole pandemic until 2023 when she joined Swan Hellenic as Global Head of Guest Relations. During her time at Swan Hellenic, she has re-shaped the guest operations from the ground up and will continue to support them in offering world class service. 
 

Jennie has worked for Gard P&I Club in their UK office for 29 years in Claims.  She joined as a Secretary in 1996 and after 10 years of working for the Claims Handlers began handling claims herself.  She is currently a Senior Claims Executive.  The bulk of the claims Jennie handles are people claims so crew, passengers, and Stevedores. 

Gemma advises on a wide range of marine and non-marine insurance matters including passenger and crew claims, employer’s liability, public liability claims, property recovery, occupational disease, limitation defences and inquests.

She is a Senior Associate in Clyde & Co’s Energy, Marine & Natural Resources practice group and joined in March 2019. Gemma qualified as a solicitor in November 2017. Gemma has 15 years’ experience of working in the Defendant personal injury insurance industry.

Gemma handles marine related cases; regularly advising on contentious and non-contentious matters to P&I clubs, their members, ship owners, port and terminal operators and insurers. She draws upon her commercial understanding and experience when handling marine casualty work. She assists owners, charterers, operators, brokers and insurers in a wide range of jurisdictions with respect to shipping related personal injury claims which can include passenger and cargo ships and port/terminal operations. She also assists a Partner on injury and non-injury matters.

She completed a remote secondment with British Marine in London for six months in 2020. Whilst there she dealt with P&I and FD&D matters primarily based in the USA but also around Africa. She received outstanding feedback from the client complimenting her on the quality of her work and the manner in which she interacted with the team and also clients. Gemma worked with the maritime team in the Clyde & Co office in New York City in June 2024 gaining valuable insight and knowledge into their work and clients.

Gemma has strong technical skills and has comprehensive knowledge of this area of law. Her advice is accurate, concise and easy for clients to follow and provide instructions in response. Gemma is more than capable of leading matter and client interactions. She has been holding her own interactions with clients since qualification and she is also confident with undertaking such interactions on more complex matters. 

Stephen specialises in Defendant litigation with nearly 20 years’ experience in large loss claims. He also has experience in Claimant litigation, criminal prosecutions and inquest work.

Stephen predominantly now handles marine insurance and direct instruction claims on behalf of businesses, ship owners, insurers and P&I Clubs. His expertise encompasses matters involving  marine casualties, passenger & crew claims, incidents within ports and marinas, EL, PL, disease, fatalities, health and safety, cross-jurisdictional claims, vessel foundering, vessel damage, vessel arrest, race boat collisions, cargo recoveries,  goods in transit, defective products, breach of contract, sales of goods and policy coverage.

Alexandra Pearson is a Senior Associate in the Catastrophic Injury and Large Loss team in the Manchester office. She has over 12 years of experience working on Defendant personal injury claims at various levels and now specialises in international travel claims.

Alex has experience dealing with a variety of claims including, brain injuries, significant spinal injuries and fatal accidents.