Dean has over 3 decades of legal experience. He initially gained his insurance and reinsurance experience in London, working on a range of London insurance market related matters. He now focuses on providing advice on strategic projects and major disputes in the Asia Pacific region.
Dean Carrigan is rightly recognised as the leading elder statesman in the market, who has demonstrated an ability to give robust and pragmatic advice to the most demanding of clients.
Legal 500, Insurance, 2024
Dean is simply the best. You can always trust him to navigate any problem and deliver pragmatic solutions.
Chambers and Partners, Insurance, 2024
Full Profile
Dean acts for vendors and purchasers in acquisitions and mergers of insurance companies in the region, and in respect of court approved business transfer schemes. He also provides regulatory and compliance advice to insurers/intermediaries and has acted for regulated entities in a number of regulatory investigations. He has extensive experience of dealing with regulators such as APRA, ASIC and the ACCC in relation to insurance sector companies wishing to conduct business in Australia and has particular expertise in the interface between the industry and regulators.
He has been involved in a number of significant, complex and reputationally critical insurance and reinsurance disputes including in respect of engineering, construction and valuer professional indemnity claims; industrial special risks coverage disputes; trade credit and political risk claims; and warranty and indemnity claims.
Dean is a core member of the firm's resilience team. The team delivers solutions to clients with the aim of building organisational resilience.
Dean is named as a leading insurance lawyer (Band 1) in Australia in Chambers Asia Pacific and Legal 500 Asia Pacific. Dean is also recognised in Best Lawyers in Australia 2021 for insurance law.
Experience
Mergers and acquisitions – Acting for CUNA Mutual on the sale of its Australian life and general insurance operations
Portfolio transfers – Acting on a number of intra-group and arms-length Federal Court of Australia approved portfolio transfers for transferors or transferees
Distribution and bancassurance – Advising on a number of insurance distribution and bancassurance arrangements
Regulatory – Providing extensive advice on Australian insurance regulatory issues including assisting with the establishment of insurance operations and with reinsurance collateral arrangements
Policy drafting – Advising a major Australian financial institution on the drafting of its bespoke liability and bankers' blanket bond (plus D&O) coverage programme
Policy drafting – Drafting and negotiating insurance liability and property policies on behalf of major corporations including Rio Tinto and Glencore
Transaction liability claims – Advising insurers on a major Federal Court of Australia proceeding arising from a significant dispute giving rise to transaction liability policy claims
Negligence claims – Acting for insurers and insureds in the defence of proceedings regarding negligence allegations
Political risk claim – Assisting a mining house with a large and complex claim under a political risk policy arising from its forced abandonment of a mine in the Solomon Islands due to civil unrest
Property claims – Advising insureds on insurance claims arising from natural catastrophes including the Queensland floods and the Christchurch earthquake