The Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) has elected Browne Jacobson partner Bridget Tatham as its next president.
Tatham will lead FOIL, which supports around 8,000 lawyers and paralegals across the UK and Ireland, for 2026, taking over from Keoghs partner Howard Dean.
Tatham has been a partner at Browne Jacobson since 2002 and has more than 30 years of experience as an employer’s liability and public liability specialist, working with clients on complex claims ranging from occupational disease to life changing brain and spinal injuries.
FOIL pointed to Tatham’s current role as chair of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee, saying it would continue to be a key focus for her during her presidency.
Tatham’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for the insurance industry – with geopolitical, financial and environmental challenges all influencing its landscape. FOIL said conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, alongside persistent inflation, continue to characterise the nature, volume and frequency of claims.
It added the rapid rise of AI and evolving technology regulation were “transforming the sector, bringing data security, cyber risk and AI governance to the forefront for insurers and their clients. Sustainability commitments and climate-related litigation are also increasingly shaping underwriting and claims decisions”.
As president Tatham will also focus on developing the next generation of insurance lawyers and highlighting why insurance is an interesting and varied area of law. To support this, all of FOIL’s sector focus teams include a dedicated seat for a Tomorrow’s FOIL member, intended to ensure junior lawyers have a voice and active involvement in shaping the profession.
The impact of the Mazur judgment, which suggested that many tasks routinely carried out by paralegals and Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) members are not reserved legal activities, and the issues it creates around access to justice and legal careers will also be a key focus for the organisation in the coming year.
FOIL said it would continue to keep a close eye as “the picture is constantly changing”, the latest development being CILEX being granted leave to appeal the decision itself.
FOIL draws on the experience of the 8,000 lawyers and paralegals that work at its 61 corporate members to guide its thinking and create legal proposals intended to help support the insurance industry. It also collaborates with trade and industry partners to advance best practices across the insurance sector, and participates in government consultations and lobbying for reforms. Recent areas of focus have included alternative dispute resolution and the privatisation of justice.
David Mayor, a partner at Forbes, will take up the position of vice-president of FOIL, supporting Tatham on all of the organisation’s activities.
Tatham said she was “honoured” to take on the role of president, adding: “I will lead the organisation as it tackles the evolving challenges in the insurance sector. Today’s insurers and their legal teams face significant pressures: from claims inflation and emerging markets to ongoing regulatory developments.”
FOIL CEO Laurence Besemer added: “Bridget is an excellent choice to lead FOIL into 2026. She is an accomplished insurance lawyer and her work as chair of our DEI subcommittee has been instrumental.
“FOIL continues to be a leading voice for insurers and their lawyers. With significant change on the horizon for the defendant insurance legal community, Bridget, myself and the rest of the executive committee, remain committed to driving this important work forward into the next year and beyond.”
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
