Alice Carse
Call 2008
Instruct Alice
To instruct Alice please contact our clerks on +44 (0)20 7842 5555 or email [email protected].
Alice Carse is a highly regarded commercial barrister, with extensive advocacy experience. Given her experience in high value and complex insurance and reinsurance litigation and arbitration she is recognised by the legal directories as a “a star for insurance related work” (Legal 500), for “her expertise in acting for insurers in high-stakes disputes” and as “excellent senior [junior] counsel for insurance related work” (Chambers UK).
Alice also has extensive experience of cases involving fire, or fire-safety issues. This includes complex, construction-related claims under the Building Safety Act 2022 regime, involving Building Liability Orders, allegations of professional negligence and claims under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010. She handles cases involving property damage and associated insurance issues. Also, Alice is experienced at making and defending claims for injunctive relief, including interim applications and those made on an urgent basis. Alice is recommended for being “bright, hard-working, commercially and tactically sensible and a joy to deal with” (Chambers UK).
Alice is an experienced and accomplished advocate. She has been recognised as an “excellent” and “strong” advocate who “doesn’t pull any punches in cross examination” with a “wealth of advocacy experience” (Chambers UK). She often appears against silks as sole counsel and has appeared as sole counsel in multi-week hearings, interim applications and at appellate level up to and including the Court of Appeal. Her trial work has been described as “meticulous and forensic, and her advocacy [is] measured and focused” (Legal 500).
Recent directory quotes include:
“Notable for her expertise in acting for insurers in high-stakes disputes. She has a wealth of advocacy experience and is particularly noted for her abilities in handling business interruption matters. ‘Alice is fantastic at providing policy advice on paper and in court.’ ‘An excellent senior [junior] counsel for insurance related work, Alice is tenacious but a pleasure to work with’. Insurance – Chambers UK
“She is an extremely good junior for insurance-related matters. She is bright, hard-working, commercially and tactically sensible and a joy to deal with.” Insurance, Chambers UK
“Alice is a star for insurance related work. She has a clear grasp of the area, in terms of knowledge, tactical awareness, commercial realities and client priorities. In addition, she is a strong advocate. She is a delight to work with.” – Insurance and Reinsurance, Legal 500
“Alice is an excellent insurance lawyer. She is very tenacious and her written advocacy is of the highest quality.” – Insurance and Reinsurance, Legal 500
“Alice is an experienced junior counsel for insurance litigation and professional negligence matters” – Insurance, Chambers UK
“Alice is incredibly thorough in her advice. She is hugely collaborative, which is very helpful, and clients really feel that their views are listened to and taken into account.” Acted for Chubb to defend a claim brought by the widow of an insured for an indemnity following a fire at the insured property and the death of her husband”. – Insurance, Chambers UK Bar
“She is a source of clear, considered and well-structured advice, and always happy to discuss content and conclusions reached. Loved by insurer and insured clients for being accessible and empathetic.” – Insurance and Reinsurance, Legal 500 2022.
Insurance & Reinsurance
Alice is a leading insurance junior (Chambers UK and Legal 500) with a busy insurance practice, both as sole counsel and junior counsel to market leading silks. She often appears against silks without a leader. Alice handles very high-value and complex insurance and reinsurance disputes and spent several years working as a junior to Colin Edelman KC.
Alice’s has extensive experience in insurance coverage matters. Her expertise in insurance includes aggregation, claims under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010, non-payment of premium, leakage and pollution exclusions, defence costs, mitigation costs, business interruption (including COVID-19), fire claims (including hot works conditions precedent), cladding-related claims and claims under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012. She is experienced at advising and representing insurers in cases of alleged fraud, including in multi-million pound disputes.
Featured Insurance & Reinsurance cases
Alice’s recent insurnace work includes:
- Advising insurers on cover for mitigation costs under a professional indemnity policy in relation to a large construction project.
- Representing a broker in Commercial Court proceedings relating to a claim under professional indemnity insurance.
- Representing an insured in a complex multi-party construction and Building Safety Act 2022 claim, involving claims against manufacturers of cladding products. The case also involves allegations of professional indemnity and claims against sub-contractors under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010 (with Sean Brannigan KC).
- Representing an insurer in defending a very high value and complex fire claim in the Commercial Court under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, brought by the spouse of a deceased insured and involving allegations of fraud, with Colin Edelman KC.
- Advising and representing an insurer in relation to fair presentation of the risk under an EL policy, in respect of a high value catastrophic personal injury claim.
- Representing an insured construction company in arbitration proceedings relating to defective cladding against the insurer of a cladding sub-contractor under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010.
- Advising on a claim for cover under a warranty and indemnity policy, arising from a complex commercial transaction, with Sean Brannigan KC.
- Fire claims – including advising an on cover in respect of claim arising from a devastating fire and alleged non-compliance with a condition precedent; advising an insurer on coverage issues relating to occupation and use of premises; representing an insurer in Commercial Court proceedings relating to a hot works condition precedent; advising an insurer on cover following a fire at premises used in the entertainment industry.
- Advising insurers on cover under professional indemnity policies for liabilities arising under the Building Safety Act 2022.
Alice’s recent reinsurance work includes:
- Acting in several sets of arbitration proceedings relating to the application of inuring reinsurances.
- Acting for war risks reinsurers in the Russian Aviation Operator Policies claims.
- Acting in arbitration proceedings relating to reinsurance of professional indemnity insurance, led by Rachel Ansell KC.
- Advising an insurer on reinsurance cover relating to travel insurance and COVID-19.
Alice also has experience of advising on the liability to insurance premium tax and has represented HMRC in FTT proceedings relating to insurance premium tax in CAR insurance.
Alice is a member of BILA and was a member of the BILA Young Professionals Committee. From 2016 to 2019 she was a member of the COMBAR Executive Committee. Earlier in her career she spent time working in-house at an insurer client in order to gain first-hand experience of the market. Also, she completed a four month secondment at a solicitors’ firm in the professional negligence and London markets insurance team.
Alice assisted lead counsel with updating the reinsurance chapter of MacGillivray on Insurance Law (Centenary edition). Alice was a co-contributor of an article to the British Insurance Law Association Journal (125th edition) entitled “Consumer Insurance: the risks of contracting on unfair terms”.
Construction and Property Damage
Alice is often instructed in construction and property damage claims involving insurance coverage issues. Much of this work involves fire, or fire-safety issues but Alice also handles cases involving leaks, pollution water damage and subsidence.
Alice is instructed in claims under the Building Safety Act 2022 regime. These tend to be complex, multi-party claims and often involve allegations of professional negligence and claims against sub-contractors under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010. Alice is ideally placed for this work, given her experience in insurance, construction and property damage work.
Featured Construction and Property Damage cases
Recent Building Safety Act 2022 work includes:
- Representing an insured in a complex multi-party construction and Building Safety Act 2022 claim, involving claims against manufacturers of cladding products. The case also involves allegations of professional indemnity and claims against sub-contractors under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010 (with Sean Brannigan KC).
- Representing a developer in defending a claim of alleged fire-safety defects following a fire and making a Building Liability Order application (with Alex Hickey KC).
- Defending claims for Remediation Contribution Orders in the TCC.
- Advising insurers on cover under professional indemnity policies for liabilities arising under the Building Safety Act 2022.
Alice’s other construction and property damage work includes:
- Representing a property owner in a multi-£million claim against a developer in the TCC, relating to fire-safety defects, following a fire which destroyed one of several buildings.
- Representing a housing association in a TCC claim relating to subsidence.
- Representing a construction company in a multi-£million cladding claim in against insurers under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010.
- Advising on a multi-£million contract dispute between developers relating to cladding, including coverage issues, with Ben Pilling KC.
- Defending a TCC claim for the alleged supply of defective materials used in the construction of roads and pavements.
- Defending a TCC claim for fire damage brought by the neighbours of a property which was destroyed by arson.
- Advising on a claim against an insured construction company for damage to water mains caused by piling works.
Commercial Litigation
Alice has represented clients in a wide range of commercial disputes, both in litigation and arbitration. She has appeared as sole counsel against KCs on numerous occasions.
Alice’s work includes disputes relating to restrictive covenants, team moves, confidential information and bonus claims. She has a lot of experience in making and defending applications for injunctive relief. Alice’s business protection work includes claims to protect confidential information and copyright material in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court. Her work on restrictive covenants and business protection extends to the enforcement of post-sale restrictions in commercial transactions.
She has been recognised by the directories for her expertise in industrial action, including on some of the most high-profile industrial disputes in recent years, where she is experienced at making applications for interim injunctions to halt strike action. She has experience of representing parties in sports law disputes.
Alice also has experience of handling allegations of fraud. In her insurance work she defended (as junior) a claim in the Commercial Court claim in excess of £30m on the basis of fraud and misrepresentation.
Professional Negligence
Alice is experienced in professional negligence disputes, mostly involving construction professionals. Whilst a great deal of this work relates to fire and fire-safety defects in buildings, Alice also has experience of cases involving brokers, solicitors and conveyancers.
Featured Professional Negligence cases
Representing a broker in Commercial Court proceedings relating to a claim under professional indemnity insurance.
Representing an insured in a complex multi-party construction and Building Safety Act 2022 claim, involving claims against manufacturers of cladding products. The case also involves allegations of professional indemnity and claims against sub-contractors under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010 (with Sean Brannigan KC).
Advising on allegations of professional negligence in fire-safety cases.
Advising on allegations of professional negligence against an insured construction company in respect of the design and execution of excavation works.
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Instruct Alice
To instruct Alice please contact our clerks on +44 (0)20 7842 5520 or email [email protected].
Would you like to know more?
For help and advice talk to a member of our clerking team. They can advise on the best options for your matter.
Call: +44 (0) 20 7842 5555
