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Robert Merkin

Profile picture of Rob Merkin
  • PhD Supervision
  • LLM Dissertation Supervision

Rob's research interests are in the areas of insurance, reinsurance and arbitration. He has written a number of books and articles on these subjects, and these are regularly cited as authoritative in courts worldwide. These include the looseleaf works Insurance Contract Law, Reinsurance Law and Arbitration Law, each of which is updated three times a year. Rob is Distinguished Professor in the School of Comparative Law of the Chinese University of Political Science and Law, teaches insurance law at the Universities of Auckland and Sydney and is co-author of the leading texts on insurance in those jurisdictions. He edits the Lloyd's Law Reports, the Journal of Business Law, Insurance Law Monthly and Arbitration Law Monthly, and is on the editorial board of a number of journals in Britain and other countries.

Professionally, Rob is Special Counsel to leading New Zealand law firm Duncan Cotterill, where he advises on a range of matters. He was a consultant to the English and Scottish Law Commissions for their investigation into insurance law 2006-2018 and was adviser to the House of Lords Special Public Bills Committee in 2014-2015 in its review of the Bill which is now the Insurance Act 2015. He has also provided research papers for the Australian Royal Commission on Financial Services 2019 and is presently advising the New Zealand Government on insurance law reform. In 2015 he was awarded an LLD based on publications and became Queen's Counsel (honoris causa). Rob sits as an arbitrator for the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and the Japanese Commercial Arbitration Centre. In May 2020 he was elected as a Fellow of the Arbitrators' and Mediators' Institute of New Zealand.

Rob has served as President of the British Insurance Law Association and is Honorary Life President of the International Association of Insurance Law (AIDA).

PhD Supervision

Rob welcomes expressions of interest from prospective PhD students in the areas of insurance, reinsurance and arbitration, and commercial law generally.

Areas of interest

Rob's research interests are in the areas of insurance, reinsurance and arbitration. He has written a number of books and articles on these subjects, and these are regularly cited as authoritative in courts worldwide. These include the looseleaf works Insurance Contract Law, Reinsurance Law and Arbitration Law, each of which is updated three times a year. Rob is Distinguished Professor in the School of Comparative Law of the Chinese University of Political Science and Law, teaches insurance law at the Universities of Auckland and Sydney and is co-author of the leading texts on insurance in those jurisdictions. He edits the Lloyd's Law Reports, the Journal of Business Law, Insurance Law Monthly and Arbitration Law Monthly, and is on the editorial board of a number of journals in Britain and other countries.

Professionally, Rob is Special Counsel to leading New Zealand law firm Duncan Cotterill, where he advises on a range of matters. He was a consultant to the English and Scottish Law Commissions for their investigation into insurance law 2006-2018 and was adviser to the House of Lords Special Public Bills Committee in 2014-2015 in its review of the Bill which is now the Insurance Act 2015. He has also provided research papers for the Australian Royal Commission on Financial Services 2019 and is presently advising the New Zealand Government on insurance law reform. In 2015 he was awarded an LLD based on publications and became Queen's Counsel (honoris causa). Rob sits as an arbitrator for the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and the Japanese Commercial Arbitration Centre. In May 2020 he was elected as a Fellow of the Arbitrators' and Mediators' Institute of New Zealand.

Rob has served as President of the British Insurance Law Association and is Honorary Life President of the International Association of Insurance Law (AIDA).

Postgraduate supervision

Rob welcomes expressions of interest from prospective PhD students in the areas of insurance, reinsurance and arbitration, and commercial law generally.

Publications