Claude LeRoy Stuart, III

For over 40 years, Claude Stuart has immersed himself in the energy industry and become widely recognized as one of the leading American lawyers handling major energy and maritime insurance coverage litigation and corollary counseling for the London Market. He is the first and only American lawyer ever appointed as an ex officio member of and American legal advisor to the Joint Rig Committee at Lloyd’s of London where he presently serves. Named a Fellow of the American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a Life Member of the American Law Institute, a Proctor and Life Member of the Maritime Law Association and as one of America’s Leading Lawyers for Insurance by Chambers USA, Claude has also recently been designated as one of only four nationwide coverage and monitoring counsel for a major professional indemnity program (covering inter alia, energy consultants and adjustors) placed through the London Market.

Primarily representing various syndicates and insurers at Lloyd’s of London (including their American affiliates), with a special emphasis on both onshore and offshore energy package policies, Claude’s work encompasses all coverages contained within the package policies, including:

• Operators Extra Expense (OEE)/Energy Exploration and Development (EED) (well control/redrill/pollution) and related covers
• Third party liability including primary, CGL and excess
• First party property including business interruption, contingent business interruption and loss of production income
• Related marine coverages including P&L, hull and OPA
• Embedded professional indemnity and related covers
• Excess and coverage monitoring under reservations of rights of ongoing litigation
• Interpretation and enforcement of contractual indemnity provisions in the oil patch
• Prosecution of major energy related subrogation/recovery claims

Previously a partner with Phelps Dunbar in Houston, Claude values the unique directions his practice has taken and relishes the broad experience he can bring to his clients as a result. A true southern gentleman in his own right and known in the London Market as “the thinking man’s lawyer”, Claude enjoys the privilege of representing some of the industries’ most sophisticated and forward thinking insurers and brings a unique blend of professionalism, practicality and charisma to the table.