Suzanne is a Partner in our Health Law Tam.
A highly experienced professional indemnity insurance lawyer, specialising in claims against medical professionals and institutions. She is known for her strategic and sensitive handling of complex claims in order to achieve the best outcome.
Experience & expertise
Suzanne has extensive experience in acting for a range of professionals, particularly in the financial, property and medical areas.
Suzanne regularly advises on policy interpretation and coverage issues. Suzanne has been involved in liaising with a range of insurance stakeholders to ensure policies meet the needs of the insured on behalf of insurers.
Suzanne has developed strong capabilities in working with medical professionals, institutions and intermediaries including medical defence organisations, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, private hospitals, medical practices and aged care facilities.
Suzanne’s experience crosses all lines of health law from civil litigation, disciplinary, hospital inquiries, coronial inquests and Medicare / Professional Services Review investigations, in addition to issues of practice and procedure. That depth of experience is invaluable in multi factorial claims.
Suzanne has an extensive knowledge of the law and how it will be applied in practice, which is critical to her pragmatic advice. Suzanne is able to apply the knowledge she has gathered over 20 years of practice to emerging areas, such as cyber law.
She has been called upon to represent hospitals and doctors at parliamentary inquiries where significant reputational issues have been at stake.
Suzanne is an excellent communicator and takes care to ensure that she understands the concerns of her clients at the earliest time, provides advice as to options open and likely outcomes and an agreed strategy is formulated, in order to achieve the best outcome.She is sensitive to the difficulties faced by many professionals particularly where their registration to continue to practice is at stake.
Suzanne takes a robust approach to the defence of a matter where appropriate, but takes care to avoid a matter being ‘fought out’ as a matter of principle, where this will not achieve the desired outcome.
Work highlights
Suzanne successfully negotiated a challenge to a doctor’s ability to continue to practice and adverse publicity in the media, with subsequent Health Care Complaints Commission, Medical Council and a Hospital look back inquiry by having the doctor returned to practice on favourable terms.
Suzanne was able to successfully negotiate a doctor’s resignation from a hospital position to avoid termination for cause while achieving a substantial payment.
Suzanne was pivotal in achieving an early resolution of a multi-party litigation in the Supreme Court for an accountant, by collaborating with co-defendants and pursuing an application for security for costs on a heavily compromised basis, with a significant savings in costs with no adverse publicity.
Suzanne led the successful defence of a Supreme Court claim against a property manager, resulting in the proceeding against her client being dismissed at trial: Gladio Pty Ltd v Buckworth [2015] NSWSC 922.
Professional background
