Major Claims
Successful management of very large claims requires particular expertise. Our Major Claims practice group is a dedicated group of experts who specialise in advising and representing Australia’s major insurers and self insurers in multi-million dollar catastrophic injury claims.
The practice group is centred in Sydney and provides services to clients Australia-wide.
The group is headed nationally by partner, Annabelle Duffy who has over 25 years’ experience in managing insurance claims, including more than 15 years specialising in catastrophic injury claims.
The group comprises two partners, one special counsel, six lawyers and three paralegals. The team is supported on the ground from our insurance teams in our other offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle.
The team has successfully managed hundreds of multi-million dollar claims. Team members are highly experienced in all aspects of major claims involving catastrophic injuries and complex medical, quantum and intricate liability issues.
The practice encompasses motor accident and other transport claims, as well as industrial and public liability claims resulting in brain damage, burns, amputations, paraplegia, quadriplegia, psychiatric injury and devastating injuries to children.
Many of these claims involve complex liability issues which benefit from our lawyers’ comprehensive understanding of accident reconstruction and engineering concepts, as well as their in-depth general claims experience.
Our lawyers are renowned for their expertise in accurately assessing the appropriate reserve for claims, often when only very preliminary medical information is available, as well as their particular focus on solving problems involving ongoing treatment and rehabilitation issues. In claims where insurers have responsibility for interim treatment, the team provides sound advice directed at maximising claimants’ functional recoveries which can ultimately reduce claims costs very significantly.
The team’s strategic advice and proactive matter management is always directed to early claims resolution whenever this is appropriate, frequently without recourse to litigation. The senior lawyers in the team are widely respected for their legal knowledge and negotiating skills, and the few claims which are the subject of contested litigation often result in successful verdicts for insurers.
