Call: 2007
Sushma Ananda is a commercial barrister who has been described in the directories as “very bright”, “a feared opponent” and “great on her feet”. Her practice encompasses commercial law generally, with a particular emphasis on insurance and reinsurance, international arbitration, professional negligence, shipping and international trade.
She won Insurance Junior of the Year in the 2023 Chambers & Partners UK Bar Awards and is ranked as a leading junior in the directories in Insurance & Reinsurance, International Arbitration, Shipping and Commodities. In October 2010 Sushma was cited by Legal Week as one of the “Stars at the Bar”. Sushma was also called to the Singapore Bar in February 2015.
Sushma has been instructed in a wide variety of commercial disputes both as sole counsel and as a junior (including to several silks out of Chambers). Sushma has appeared in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Commercial Court, county courts and in many international arbitrations (including LMAA, LCIA, ICC, ARIAS, SIAC and Bermuda Form arbitrations). She has undertaken advocacy on her own in many of these forums, including successfully appearing against counsel significantly more senior than her. Sushma also often works as part of a wider counsel team in complex commercial disputes leading to lengthy trials.
Sushma’s highlighted cases and current instructions include:
Sushma also accepts arbitration appointments. She has acted as an arbitrator appointed by the LCIA Court in several arbitrations. She is also on the panel of arbitrators for the Lloyd’s Arbitration Scheme, Tiers 1 and 2.
She is also a Non-Executive Director of the Bar Mutual.
Sushma’s experience in this field includes acting in a financial products mis-selling case brought by a private investor against a major international bank and in an unauthorised futures trading case against the London branch of a leading international bank.
In addition to the specific commercial practice areas of shipping, insurance, and professional negligence, Sushma also acts in a wide variety of general commercial disputes.
Sushma is a go-to junior in the fields of insurance and reinsurance. She is ranked in The Legal 500 and in Chambers & Partners (in Tier 1 and Band 1 respectively), and won Insurance Junior of the Year in the 2023 Chambers & Partners UK Bar Awards. She has been involved in many of the recent important cases in this field. Sushma has a particular expertise in business interruption insurance, liability insurance (including policies written on the Bermuda Form) as well as reinsurance. For example, Sushma has unparalleled expertise in relation to COVID-19 insurance and reinsurance claims. She has also been involved in disputes relating to the Russia-Ukraine aircraft litigation. A substantial proportion of Sushma’s work in this field is in the arbitration forum.
International arbitration, involving international parties, and, on occasion, different governing laws, is a mainstay of Sushma’s practice. She has been involved in arbitrations under a variety of arbitration rules including LMAA, LCIA, ICC, ARIAS and SIAC, and covering a wide range of commercial matters including insurance and reinsurance, shipping, and commodities. In the insurance field, Sushma has been involved in a number of Bermuda Form arbitrations. Sushma is a member of the LCIA and a Supporting Member of the LMAA. She is ranked by the Legal 500 in the field of international arbitration.
Given the confidential nature of arbitration, details of the specific cases in which Sushma has been involved are not provided.
Many of the commercial cases in which Sushma acts as counsel involve issues of private international law.
Sushma also advises and acts in respect of disputes involving the sale of goods, both domestic and international.
Another significant practice area for Sushma is professional negligence. Sushma is frequently instructed to act in professional negligence cases concerning the conduct of insurance brokers, solicitors, accountants, auditors and valuers.
Sushma has a keen interest in this area of law and has been instructed in a wide variety of disputes, both on her own and as junior counsel, to advise, settle pleadings and attend hearings both in arbitration and in the High Court. She is ranked in The Legal 500 in the fields of Shipping and Commodities.
Insurance, Chambers UK Bar 2026
Shipping, Legal 500 2026
International Arbitration: Counsel, Legal 500 206
Insurance and Reinsurance, Legal 500 2026
Insurance, Chambers UK Bar 2025
Insurance and Reinsurance, Legal 500 2025
International Arbitration: Counsel, Legal 500 2024
Shipping, Legal 500 2025
Commodities, Legal 500 2025
Insurance, Chambers UK Bar 2024
Shipping, Legal 500 2024
Commodities, Legal 500 2024
Insurance and Reinsurance, Legal 500 2024
Professional Negligence, Legal 500 2024
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Member of Lloyd’s Arbitration Scheme Arbitrators Panel – tiers 1 & 2
Trinity College, University of Cambridge: BA in law, first class (2003-2006). During her time at Cambridge, Sushma was awarded a number of law scholarships and prizes by the University and Trinity College: Norton Rose Commercial Law Prize, Prize for Top First in Commercial Law, Clifford Chance European Union Law Prize, Prize for Top First in European Union Law, Trinity College Senior Scholar, Trinity College Lizette Bentwich Prize 2005, 2006, Trinity College Tripos Prize 2006,
Inns of Court School of Law, London: Bar Vocational Course, Outstanding (2006-2007). During the Bar Vocational Course, Sushma was awarded the Marchant and Hardwick Scholarships and the Buchanan Prize for performance on the Bar Vocational Course by The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn.
She also received the Whittaker Scholarship from Trinity College, University of Cambridge. She was also called to the Singapore Bar in February 2015.
For more information please contact our clerks on +44 (0)20 7910 8300 or [email protected]