WRB 2012 EX.23.1

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statement on Form S-8 of W. R. Berkley Corporation of our reports dated February 28, 2012, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of W. R. Berkley Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the related consolidated statements of income, stockholders’ equity, comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2011, and all related financial statement schedules and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011, which reports appear in the December 31, 2011 annual report on Form 10-K of W. R. Berkley Corporation.