Fox & Partners successfully supported its client in securing a major High Court victory in a blockbuster reinsurance team move dispute concerning Willis Re’s recruitment of 22 people from Guy Carpenter, including our client, John Fletcher, the CEO of Guy Carpenter’s Bermudan office.
Guy Carpenter brought claims alleging wide ranging wrongdoing and unlawful means conspiracies, accused Mr Fletcher of acting as a recruiting sergeant, and sought swingeing injunctive relief, including a prohibition on recruiting employees and dealing with numerous clients until April 2027. Our client admitted limited breaches of duty at the earliest opportunity in his Defence and Birt J’s findings went no further than the facts he had admitted.
Following a fully contested trial conducted on an expedited timetable, the Court rejected all injunctive relief sought. Birt J found that Willis Re intended a lawful exercise and characterized breaches by the defendants as “getting carried away”. He found our client’s evidence to be “honest and straightforward”, and accepted submissions that the Guy Carpenter witnesses cross-examined by Mr Fletcher’s impressive counsel team, consisting of Craig Rajgopaul KC, Emmeline Plews and Rhys Jones of Blackstone Chambers, were keen to “toe the party line for Guy Carpenter”.
The Judgment in Guy Carpenter v Willis [2026] EWHC 361 (KB) is available here. We thoroughly recommend a read, particularly for all of those responding to or contemplating a recruitment exercise involving members of the same team.
The Fox & Partners’ team was led by Caroline Field.