David Edwards specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration, both as an advocate and as an advisor, in particular in insurance and reinsurance where he is acknowledged as one of the leading silks at the bar, banking and finance, professional negligence, commercial arbitration and shipping and international trade.

David Edwards was named Chambers and Partners Insurance Silk of the Year at the 2013 Chambers Bar Awards having been shortlisted for the same award previously. He has been listed in the top tier of insurance and reinsurance silks in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 for many years, and is also listed as a leading silk for international arbitration and commercial litigation.  The guides variously describe him as “supremely intelligent”, “a formidable advocate”, someone who is “without exception always completely prepared” and “very easy to work with, and … very collaborative”.

David Edwards appears most frequently in the Commercial Court or the Chancery Division, and on appeal in the Court of Appeal and the House of Lords (now the Supreme Court). A good deal of his work is done in confidential arbitration. His practice is international, and he has substantial experience of working together with foreign lawyers (particularly United States lawyers) and dealing with cases governed by a foreign substantive law (in particular New York law).  He is well known as an expert in Bermuda Form arbitrations. In addition to his practice as an advocate, David Edwards has sat and accepts appointments as sole or as party-appointed arbitrator in ad hoc or institutional (ICC and LCIA) arbitrations. He has also been instructed to give expert evidence on English insurance law for the purposes of foreign proceedings.

In 2017 David Edwards was appointed by the Lord Chief Justice as a Deputy High Court Judge, assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division.