I am an experienced Litigation Lawyer, Advocate (Higher Courts Civil Proceedings), and have a niche expertise and understanding of the insurance sector.
I am a member of the Law Society Specialist Personal Injury Panel and also of FOIL (Forum of Insurance Lawyers). I currently sit on FOIL’s “European Issues” Sector Focus team and have published articles in various regional publications, in trade journals such as ‘The New Law Journal’, ‘PI Brief Update Law Journal’, ‘The Post Magazine’ and ‘The Solicitors Journal’ as well as appearing in a lawyer training DVD for The College of Law, London.
I act for Domestic and European Insurance companies, mainly in connection with defending motor claims cases. I have also established a niche practice in relation to claims involving animals, having acted for the successful party in the leading case of Mirvahedy v Henley, which was decided in 2003 in the House of Lords (the case in which the court defined the responsibilities of keepers of animals under Section 2 of the Animals Act 1971). As a result of this, I am a member of the Equine and Animals Lawyers Association.
I am now Vice President of the Southampton Insurance Institute Council, having been President for 2015/16, and am also Vice Chair of the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce Professional Services Forum.
I have been recognised in Chambers (2020) and am recommended in the Legal 500 (2019)
Insurance Litigation from Trethowans LLP on Vimeo.
He is dedicated, conscientious and knowledgeable, as well as very experienced. He is able to address complex serious injury cases very efficiently and effectively, and goes the extra mile for his clients - Chambers and Partners 2020
Areas of Expertise
Case Study
I represented a French insurer in a multi party case involving an accident in France which was pursued in the U.K. The case involved complex issues such as determining the applicable law under Article 4 (3) of Rome ii in multi-tort cases.
I represented a U.K. insurer in connection with a serious accident on a farm involving a steer kicking out with both rear legs and hitting a person causing them to be knocked backwards and hit their head on the ground. After a trial, the claim was successfully defended and permission to appeal was refused. A further attempt to appeal to the Court of Appeal for permission was also successfully defended.
I represented the successful party in the case of Mirvahedy v Henley in the Court of Appeal and The House of Lords (now the Supreme Court) in what is still a leading authority concerning the Animals Act 1971.
What others say
“If you are looking to establish a long term relationship with a trusted adviser then look no further than Kelvin and his team.” – Richard Temp, Operations manager, Van Ameyde UK Ltd.
“Kelvin Farmaner is robust but tactically very astute” – Legal 500 (2019)
Away from the office
I am a keen runner having run several marathons including London, Edinburgh and Bournemouth as well as half marathons and 10k races. I am a supporter of the World Cancer Research Fund, raising funds via sponsorship as well as other means. I am also a long suffering Torquay United fan.
