Richard White

Expertise

Richard has over 40 years’ experience of surety, trade credit, credit lines business, litigation, insolvency and restructuring. 

He worked as a solicitor in private practice from 1975 until 1995, was managing director of Zurich GSG Limited from 1995 to 2011, deputy chief underwriting officer and thereafter global head of technical underwriting for Zurich’s Credit and Surety and Political Risk business between 2011 and 2017. He has been involved in major projects and corporate transactions in the UK and internationally and leading surety cases and drafted the ABI model form of performance bond and explanatory guide.

Richard has conducted of a number of leading cases in relation to surety, including:

• Mystery of Mercers of the City of London v New Hampshire Insurance
• Perar BV v General Surety & Guarantee
• Trafalgar House Constructions (Regions) Limited v General Surety & Guarantee.

Experience

1. Achieving successful outcomes for major disputes acting on behalf of sureties and insurers.
2. Negotiating successful restructuring arrangements for insurers in relation to credit exposures to distressed corporates.
3. Drafting the standard ABI guarantee bond and explanatory notes (widely used).
4. Drafting comprehensive recourse/indemnity documentation for insurers incorporating structures and covenants now widely used across the surety industry.
5. Advising on claims arising from surety bonds and other guarantees and on recoveries.