Masters of the Bench

Colin Edelman KC of Devereux Chambers was educated at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School, Elstree and at Clare College Cambridge. He was called to the Bar in 1977 and took silk in 1995. He specialises in high value complex commercial disputes with an emphasis on insurance, reinsurance, professional indemnity and energy. He has been involved in high profile litigation and arbitration affecting the London and international insurance markets, including disputes arising out of most of the major natural disasters and financial collapses of the last decade. He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1993 and a Recorder in 1996. He was authorised to sit as Deputy High Court Judge (Queen’s Bench Division) and as Deputy High Court Judge in the Commercial Court in 2008 and 2012 respectively. He ceased sitting as a part-time Judge in 2016. He frequently sits as an arbitrator in domestic and international arbitrations.

He was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund Ltd as of 1 April 2013, having been a Director since 2007 and a Deputy Chairman since 2009. Colin was voted 'Insurance Silk of the Year' at the Chambers Bar Awards in 2007, 2010 and 2015 which also voted him 'Professional Negligence Silk of the Year' in 2014.

He is married to Jacqui and has a daughter, Rachel, and a son, James.