We defend professionals and their insurers in complex, high value and sensitive claims, delivering clear, commercial advice that gives confidence in challenging circumstances.
For decades, we have acted for leading insurers, providing coverage advice, claims management and defence litigation across Directors & Officers (D&O), Professional Indemnity (PI), Cyber, Financial Institutions (FI), Employment Practices Liability (EPL), Crime/Fidelity, Management Liability, and other financial lines products.
Our national professional indemnity team combines deep technical expertise with a practical understanding of insurer and insured priorities. We advise across the full lifecycle of claims, from early coverage analysis and strategy through to complex multi‑party litigation, regulatory investigations and appeals.
Our professional indemnity expertise
We provide defence and coverage expertise across all major classes of professionals, including:
- Accountants, solicitors and professional advisers
- Financial and investment advisers, AFSL holders and consultants
- Architects, engineers, construction and design professionals
- Medical and allied health professionals as well as hospitals and aged care providers. See more on our health law experience here.
- Government at federal, state and local levels
- IT and technology professionals
- Brokers, real estate agents and strata managers.
Our experience ranges from complex multi-party disputes in the superior courts to routine litigation in lower courts, tribunals and AFCA complaints. We regularly act in matters involving parallel claims, regulatory scrutiny and significant reputational risk. We also frequently advise insurers in relation to PI claims involving personal injury, such as claims against real estate and strata agents.
How we support insurers and insureds
We understand the personal and professional impact of professional indemnity claims. We have supported Australia’s leading professionals in litigation where their judgement, reputation and standing are directly challenged.
Our sensitive and discreet approach guides insureds through the often complex and demanding process of liability claims or disciplinary investigations.
Clients rely on us for our ability to:
- Provide early, strategic advice on coverage, liability, causation and quantum
- Identify commercial resolution opportunities early to control exposure and costs
- Manage complex, multi-party litigation efficiently and decisively
- Navigate regulatory investigations and prosecutions alongside civil claims
- Work closely with insureds and brokers, ensuring an open dialogue and sensible discussions on problematic indemnity and liability issues.
Work Highlights
Selected examples of our professional indemnity experience include:
- Successfully extricated an architect from an arbitrated claim, prior to the arbitration, on the basis of a contractual term not identified by the claimant
- Avoided hearing a litigated five-party personal injury claim arising from alleged professional negligence on the part of the insurer’s two insured property managers, resolving the matter for an amount considerably less than the likely outcome if the matter proceeded to hearing
- Successfully defending a WorkSafe Victoria prosecution in the Magistrates Court involving a crane collapse on the basis that the insured had no case to answer
- Successfully defended negligence allegations made against a prominent law firm in the ACT Supreme Court with the finding upheld on appeal, clarifying the obligations of lawyers dealing with unrepresented parties
- Provided early advice to an insurer facing a $115 million construction claim, achieving a timely withdrawal from complex multiparty proceedings and avoiding significant defence costs and exposure under cross-claims
- Acted for the insurer defending indemnity claims exceeding $300 million arising from a financial services company’s remediation program, with the matter resolving on confidential terms.
Meet the team
