EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE
Vanessa has 15 years’ experience in insurance claims acting for defendant’s and plaintiff’s as well as working for a major CTP insurer.
She acts on a range of insurance and personal injury matters including CTP, workers’ compensation, public liability, recoveries and medical negligence.
She has undertaken two secondments with the NDIA which included:
- A feasibility study which involved an audit of historical matters, detailed legal advice as well as a proposal for operation of the legislation
- Legal and operational support to the Compensation Recoveries branch including review of complex legal advice for dissemination and review of section 116 decisions
- Design and implementation of a participant survey to understand compensation issues
- Development of resource material including letters, FAQ’s and facts sheets, to support participants with matters related to compensation recovery
- Extensive experience in common law personal injury litigation including appeals in relation to residual earning capacity (Howard v Aikman [2015] ACTCA 64) as well as contributory negligence and a reduction in general damages (Smith v Pangallo[2017] ACTCA 61)
- Undertaking a range of pro-bono matters for individuals and charities including Women’s Legal Centre (ACT) and Goodomen Goodeze.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Examples of major matters Vanessa has acted in include:
- Recent decisions before the AAT regarding interlocutory matters including the Applicant’s objections to summons (Bakker v Australian Capital Territory [2023] AATA 2770, Bakker v Australian Capital Territory [2023] AATA 3200).
- Common law decisions including:
- A determination on disclosure of documents under the Civil Law (Wrongs) Act 2002 (ACT) – Cleary v Rinaudo (2013) 8 ACTLR 71
- An appeal in relation to residual earning capacity – Howard v Aikman (2015) 74 MVR 184
- Contributory negligence and a reduction in the assessment of general damages under the Civil Law (Wrongs) Act 2002 – Smith v Pangallo [2017] ACTCA 61.
RECOGNITION
Awards
Vanessa is ranked as a Recommended Lawyer – Workers Compensation (Defendant) in ACT by Doyle’s Guide since 2020.
Vanessa is ranked in the peer-reviewed Best Lawyers® in Australia list for Alternative Dispute Resolution 2025.