BOOK REVIEW MARINE INSURANCE LAW By Ozlem Gurses Routledge Taylor & Francis Group ISBN: 978 0 41572 701 3 And as an ebook www.routledge.com AN EXPERT INTRODUCTION WITH CLEAR EXPLANATIONS THROUGHOUT GIVING A COMPREHENSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE OVERVIEW TO MARINE INSURANCE LAW An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers As with all the Routledge text books, this particular title is probably the best on the market as an introduction to the way in which “Marine Insurance Law” operates in England and Wales for those new to this developing and quite complex area of substantive law. Dr Ozlem Gurses adopts a clear and simple approach with a legal vocabulary which is carefully measured throughout the book. One of the main reasons why we consider the Routledge series of legal textbooks to be of outstanding value both in terms of cost and in content is the way in which their authors (all legal experts) explain substantive legal issues in such a readable fashion, and ‘Marine Insurance Law’ is no exception. For both tutors and students at undergraduate and postgraduate level, a decision on which textbook or revision book to use is always difficult but it is clear to us from the feedback we have received from students that the Routledge texts lead the legal field. Many of their titles also have excellent links for further reading at the end of each chapter which is a splendid additional tool for all levels of academic research. We would also say that the formats used by Routledge for their books are very much of a mainstream formula for legal texts today which eases the student into methods of legal reasoning for those just beginning their legal studies and for all undergraduates: they certainly helped us with our preparation in the past so do ensure you look very carefully at all the titles they have on offer! Gurses uses excellent detail with the footnotes to make the subject come alive and we found the text easy to read and understand. In his Preface, the author explains how English marine insurance law goes way back to the 15th century and he pays tribute to Lord Mansfield’s contribution during the 18th century. He goes on to say that “the 2,000 or so cases decided between the middle of the 18th and the end of the 19th century were codified by the Marine Insurance Act 1906.” That Act was not definitive, of course, but it does illustrate the way in which much of our laws are gradually now being codified over many decades by the use of consolidated legislation. Gurses also describes the passage of the Insurance Bill 2014 which has become the Insurance Act 2015 receiving Royal Assent on 12th February 2015 since the book was published. This Act reforms the duty of good faith in business insurance, warranties and fraudulent claims amongst other changes which are being implemented at the present time so do keep up to date with further developments in the new Parliament after May 2015. All the main key areas of marine insurance law are set out clearly in each of the 15 chapters, with a most useful short ‘chapter contents’ list at the beginning of each chapter making the book of particular help to those new to the subject - the title remains an ideal first introduction to Marine Insurance Law for undergraduates and anyone interested in this growing area of substantive law for 21st century.

• published: 13 Apr 2015
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