What the team is known for
King & Wood Mallesons maintains its high reputation for assured handling of a comprehensive range of policyholder work, especially M&A-related warranty and indemnity matters, and enjoys particularly close ties with clients from the financial services sector. Active on professional indemnity claims, including those made against other law firms, and class actions, and also known for its front-end practice focusing on regulatory issues. Well placed, thanks to its multi-jurisdictional network of offices, to advise on insurance issues on an Asia-Pacific regional basis. Key clients include Comcover, QBE and Suncorp.
Strengths
A client reports that "the King & Wood Mallesons insurance team are responsive and offer excellent technical expertise, providing advice in a clear and concise manner that can be distributed throughout our business," going on to say: "While they are excellent technically, they also offer a very commercial approach and are willing to think outside the box to achieve our goals."
Describing the handling of a specific mandate, another client recalls: "The work product and its delivery were at all times excellent. The guidance was clear, proactive and commercially sensible. Nothing was too much trouble, and the team was uncomplaining, cheerful and highly responsive, despite enduring long periods without sleep over many weeks."
Work highlights
King & Wood Mallesons represented The Star Entertainment Group with regard to claims made under its industrial special risks policy for business interruption losses suffered in consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The matter generated Federal Court proceedings which were widely viewed as a test case so far as this type of insurance in these particular circumstances were concerned.
Notable practitioners
Travis Toemoe is based in Sydney and specialises in the handling of major insurance disputes but is also active across a wide range of advisory and transactional mandates. A client describes him as
"a friendly and relaxed lawyer whose strengths include his technical knowledge and responsiveness and his understanding of what’s important to me," going on to say:
"He’s been given some challenging matters, both technically and politically, and has managed them all successfully, offering decisive courses of action." 