Insurance Defence - Australia
What the Team is Known For
Colin Biggers & Paisley caters to an extensive roster of insurer clients on high-profile contentious matters, notably including high-stakes class actions and construction disputes. The firm is especially well-regarded for handling big-ticket D&O and professional indemnity disputes as well as fielding expertise with regard to coverage issues. Additionally, the team is active in asbestos litigation, personal injury and transport-related claims. Colin Biggers & Paisley advises both Australian and multinational clients from within and beyond the Asia-Pacific region and is particularly noted for assisting on work originating from the London market.
Strengths
"They take a confident, firm and robust approach. I have confidence knowing the lawyers have the ability to deal with complex issues, in both defence of matters and in terms of coverage."
Work Highlights
Colin Biggers & Paisley represented RCR Tomlinson as defence counsel in the defence of three shareholder class actions commenced in the NSW Supreme Court over the USD1 billion collapse of RCR.
Notable Practitioners
Greg Skehan is particularly well-known for his work on complex contentious insurance issues, particularly those arising in a construction or engineering-related context.
Patrick Monahan is based in Melbourne and is widely acknowledged to be one of the standout practitioners in the insurance sphere, where he acts particularly prominently on D&O liability and financial services sector-related insurance issues.
Keith Bethlehem is based in Sydney and is widely regarded as a go-to lawyer where D&O, financial institution and cyber risk-related issues are concerned.
Jonathan Newby often acts for insurers in coverage dispute and in the defence of professional service providers as well as in the defence of directors and officers liability. His work includes, but is not limited to, D&O class actions for the collapse of a company as well as regulatory investigation, combustible building cladding issue and geotechnical engineer's professional liability matter on the collapse of a dam. "Jonathan is excellent at dealing with strong personalities. I trust him to advise upon complex issues." "Jonathan Newby is a very technical lawyer and he manages expectations well."
