Date of Birth: 1979Date of Call: 2001, The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
General Information
BA Jurisprudence (Oxon)
Sunley Scholar, Lincoln’s Inn
Hardwick Entrance Scholar, Lincoln’s Inn
Alan Urbach Memorial Prize for Jurisprudence, University College, Oxford
Exhibition Scholarship, University College, Oxford
Practice
Anna Gotts specialises in all areas of commercial law, including insurance and reinsurance, shipping, sale of goods, international trade, commercial agreements, professional negligence, arbitration and private international law. She has considerable experience as an advocate both in the High Court and County Courts and frequently settles statements of case for arbitration.
Anna acts in a broad range of commercial disputes, both as a junior and alone. Cases in which Anna has recently been instructed include:
• Charterparty and bill of lading disputes
• Insurance and reinsurance coverage disputes
• Disputes in relation to the sale, carriage and storage of goods
• Disputes arising under sections 18, 30 and 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996
• Disputes arising under the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR)
• Jurisdiction disputes
• Agency disputes
Selected Recent Cases
2008:
Instructed as junior counsel in an arbitration concerning an alleged conspiracy to injure and wrongful Rule B Attachment.
Instructed in a LCIA arbitration concerning the termination of a 3D seismic acquisition contract.
2007:
Instructed as junior counsel on behalf of a Middle East government in an ICC arbitration concerning an oil production sharing agreement.
Instructed as junior counsel in a 2 week arbitration concerning the shipment of dangerous cargo.
Instructed in an international arbitration concerning the unauthorised conclusion of a time charter.
Instructed in a jurisdiction application concerning the relationship between the jurisdiction provisions contained in the CMR and those contained in Council Regulation (EC) No. 44/2001.
2006:
Instructed to settle statements of case in a complex multi-party shipping dispute (led by Richard Lord Q.C.). The case concerned the proper allocation of responsibility for loss and damage to cargo allegedly caused by a failure properly and carefully to load, stow and secure the same.
Instructed to advise and settle statements of case in various other shipping disputes. Issues raised include liability for the shipment of allegedly dangerous cargo, liability for short delivery and liability for loss and damage sustained as a result of an alleged breach of the safe port warranty.
Instructed to advise and settle statements of case in various insurance and reinsurance disputes. Issues raised include the scope of the duty of good faith and the proper law of a reinsurance contract.
2005:
The Rays [2005] 2 Lloyd’s Rep. 479
Represented the UK Mutual Steamship Assurance Association (Bermuda) Ltd in a 2 day Commercial Court trial concerning the alleged breach of a letter of undertaking. The case raised issues of construction, estoppel and rectification.
Instructed as junior counsel in arbitration proceedings concerning the reinsurance of personal accident and workers compensation carve out risk (ongoing in 2007).
2004:
Instructed as junior counsel in a construction arbitration.
Instructed as junior counsel in a 4 week international reinsurance arbitration concerning the proper construction and application of a sue and labour clause.
Successfully represented Ronly Holdings Ltd at a trial of preliminary issues concerning the incorporation and application of a contractual time bar. Successfully resisted a subsequent application to amend which raised issues of res judicata and abuse of process.
2003:
Instructed as junior counsel in Hollywood 4 & 5 film finance litigation.
