Bea is an Associate in HFW’s Shipping Litigation team with a particular interest in marine insurance.

Bea has collaborated with numerous insurers, reinsurers and brokers across the London market on both contentious and non-contentious cases. Her current case load includes advising on sanctions issues, policy coverage, and intricate aspects of war risks cover including detentions and total loss of vessels. Bea has been particularly involved in various matters relating to the current conflict in the Persian Gulf.

Most recently, Bea has acted in a key decision on the duty of fair presentation under the Insurance Act 2015 where the Court found in favour of the defendant insurer, upholding its avoidance of a Charterers’ Liability policy following the insured’s failure to disclose a series of fires prior to renewal (see Cometsambre SA v Lloyd’s Insurance Company SA HIG 5321 [2026] EWHC 1837 (Comm) (21 July 2026) in which HFW acted for the successful defendant).

Bea has been ranked as a key lawyer in Legal 500 2025-2026 for Transport, Shipping with clients stating “Bea Bray was a particular standout for us. Although she qualified relatively recently, her knowledge, approach, and support were at the level of a far more experienced lawyer. She is an exceptionally capable individual, and her passion for her practice areas is abundantly evident.”

During her training, Bea gained valuable transactional experience in HFW’s Ship Finance team, working on ship sale and purchase deals and high-value vessel financing transactions. She also spent six months in HFW’s Dubai office, where she acted on a range of contentious cases.

Bea is qualified in England and Wales and is currently studying for her CII Diploma in Insurance.