Jane Childs

Partner
Jane Childs has an exceptional ability to absorb and retain complex information and uses this to effectively engage with experts and to provide an excellent service to her clients.
— Insurer Client
London
About

Jane Childs has been at the forefront of advising the financial lines insurance market on rate-fixing scandals, prospectus liability issues and a range of retail mis-selling and misconduct claims for the past two decades.

She also handles significant D&O claims involving US securities class action exposure, wide-ranging regulatory investigations and complex offshore trust and administration liability issues.

Jane advises W&I insurers on a myriad of coverage issues and leads the International Financial Lines Disputes Group of DLA Piper in the UK.

Areas of FocusInsuranceLitigation, Arbitration and Investigations
Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising PI and D&O insurers on coverage for a range of consumer redress schemes dealing with mis-selling and misconduct across the UK insurance and banking sectors.
  • Providing coverage and strategy advice to insurers of D&O and prospectus (POSI) insurance for a UK retail bank whose directors face billions of dollars of group litigation claims in the US and the UK as well as global regulatory investigations.
  • Advising insurers on D&O Policy issues for outside entity directors of an international telecommunications company, who are facing fraudulent trading and breach of fiduciary duty claims in the US, London and Luxembourg, in excess of EUR1 billion.
  • Advising D&O insurers on response of policy issued to high profile global commodities trader who faces US Class Actions and multi-jurisdictional investigations into possible bribery and corruption.
  • Advising W&I insurers on alleged financial statements warranties breaches regarding undisclosed liabilities of an international online insurance business and loss of USD40million investment.
  • Advising W&I insurers on alleged breach of applicable law warranties in connection with the acquisition of a portfolio of healthcare sector properties and losses in excess of GBP20million.
  • Providing coverage advice to W&I insurers on a range of tax warranties and indemnities including losses arising out of the miscalculation of US tax relief, misclassification of goods, and tax penalties.
Languages
  • English

Awards

  • Jane continues to be ranked in Legal 500, UK 2025 as a 'Leading Partner" for Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation
  • Jane is recognised as "an expert in complex financial lines matters such as rate-fixing scandals and retail mis-selling" - Legal 500, UK 2025
  • Jane is "excellent technically and is highly organised - she keeps her clients updated on everything"; "Jane is such a pleasure to work with. She is responsive, clear and unflappable in the face of time pressures"; "Jane is a pleasure to work with and brings a high level of sophistication. Her approach is not adversarial which lends itself well to seeking commercial resolution" - Chambers, UK 2025
  • Jane leads the insurance and reinsurance team who are valued by clients as " very knowledgeable, accessible, engaging and a pleasure to work with. They maintain frequent and informative communication" – Legal 500, UK 2025
  • Clients of Jane say she is “extremely experienced and is one of our go to people” - Chambers, UK 2023 
  • Jane is rated as “very thorough and extremely responsive” - Chambers, UK 2022 
  • Jane is acknowledged as having “notable expertise in D&O and W&I policies” and clients describe her as “very technical, with a great attention to detail” - Chambers, UK 2021
  • Jane has been recognised by the market for over a decade as an “expert in financial lines” - Legal 500, UK 2012
  • Jane is regarded by insurance clients as an "outstanding lawyer" for her "market appreciation, thoroughness and gravitas" - The Gracechurch London Market Insurance Law Report, 2016
Education
  • University of Auckland, Bachelor of Commerce (BCom)/Bachelor of Law (LLB) with Honours

Prior Experience

  • 2006-20, Partner, Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation, London office of an international law firm
  • 2003-05, Senior Associate, Financial Lines Coverage Claims, London office of an international law firm
  • 1997-2003, Associate, Professional Indemnity and Financial Lines Coverage Claims, London based international law firm
  • 1994-97, Solicitor and Barrister, Commercial Litigation, New Zealand based law firm

My latest insights

Publication
Abstract_Stairs_P_0051

Getting to grips with the proximate cause when thinking about causation

5 July 2024 .11 minute read

Publication

Project Angel: Court of Appeal (by majority) confirms High Court’s construction of W&I...

13 May 2024 .9 minute read

Publication

Case Comment – University of Exeter v Allianz

19 December 2023 .4 minute read

View All
CallvCardLinkedInPrint

Connect

Phone

+44 796 855 8683
(Work, London)