Wordings & Contracts Forum

The LMA's Wordings & Contracts Forum was established to support the LMA's Non-Marine Committee in its responsibility for approving LMA wordings. Click here for the Forum Terms of Reference, 2020 meeting dates  and the Role of the Committee.

The Forum is structured into two groups:

  • Steering Group : meets monthly and comprises a core number of Wordings Managers representative of some of the LMA member organisations
  • Principals' Group : meets quarterly and consists of a 'database' of wordings/technical specialists who can be called on for their specific areas of expertise.

The Forum reports to the LMA's Non-Marine Committee (NMC) on a monthly basis with a list of Wordings in Production, and refers drafted policy wordings/clauses to the NMC for approval.

The current Chairman of the LMA Wordings & Contracts Forum is Nigel Davies from AEGIS. The current Deputy Chairman is Martin Roberts from Liberty Specialty Markets. Martin chairs the 'Principals' Group' Forum Meetings. Both can be contacted via the LMA Executive.

Model Wordings

In conjunction with the LMA, and as approved by the Non-Marine Committee, the Wordings & Contracts Forum issues “LMA” referenced (prior to 2003 “NMA” referenced) model wordings and clauses from time to time. These models are available for market use and published on the Lloyd's Wordings Repository. All model wordings and clauses are purely illustrative and established and distributed for the guidance of members, who are free to agree different conditions or amend as they see fit. Click here for further details.

A list of LMA wordings issued this year can be accessed from our Wordings page.

Recent Wordings-related market bulletins

Wordings & Contracts Forum - Role of the Committee

The LMA's Non Marine Wordings & Contracts Forum was established to support the LMA's Non-Marine Committee in its responsibility for technical and wordings matters, which reflect the full range of underwriting activity in the non-marine market, with a specific role to develop or revise policy wordings or clauses for adoption as LMA approved wordings.

In order to develop policy wordings/clauses for adoption as LMA approved wordings, the Wordings & Contracts Forum works alongside the permanent LMA Business Panels and (as necessary) ad hoc groups / working parties formed to address specific wordings/technical matters.

In July 2009 the LMA's Non-Marine Committee adopted a formalised protocol for the drafting and adoption of new model wordings. This structure is intended to streamline the procedure and reduce timeframes by creating greater certainty regarding the role and responsibilities of each party involved in the drafting and accreditation process.