Essex Law Students Explore Lloyd’s of London

On Tuesday 9 December 2025, students from Essex Law School had the opportunity to visit Lloyd’s of London, one of the most significant institutions in the global insurance and marine insurance market. We arrived at the Lloyd’s reception at One Lime Street, London, and were welcomed into a structured visit that offered both historical and practical insights into the Lloyd’s Market.

The visit included an overview of Lloyd’s unique marketplace model, a tour of the Old Library, and access to several ceremonial rooms on Gallery 11, providing valuable perspective on the institution’s heritage as well as its modern commercial relevance.

We were guided by Ray Koh (Raymond Koh), Solicitor and Chartered Manager at the Lloyd’s Market Association, who generously led the session, addressed our questions, and explained how underwriting, risk placement, and claims operate within Lloyd’s specialized international framework. His professional insight greatly enriched our understanding of how complex risks - particularly in marine insurance, shipping, and international trade -are structured and managed in practice.

Observing the operation of Lloyd’s as a marketplace rather than a traditional insurer added important context to the legal principles we study in international trade and maritime law, especially under English law, where Lloyd’s continues to play a central role in global risk management.

We are grateful to Dr Belma Bulut Sahin and Dr Durand Cupido, from Essex Law School for arranging and leading this visit, and for consistently bridging academic study with real-world commercial and legal practice. Experiences like this reinforce the importance of understanding not only the law itself, but also the commercial ecosystems within which it operates.

Many thanks to our LLM International Trade and Maritime Law student, Jamal Uddin for contributing this blog, and the photographs.