Chris Smith

Full Profile

Chris is an Australian qualified Legal Director in London’s Aviation Liability department. He manages a large caseload for a number of major international airlines and their insurers, primarily focusing on defending personal injury/death, baggage, delay and cargo claims. Chris’ experience includes claims with a broad range of complexity, including major losses. He handles claims in the UK and across the world, applying international treaties and/or the applicable domestic law.

Chris also has experience acting for a number of airlines and their respective insurers in the recovery of both insured and uninsured losses resulting from damage to aircraft and cargo. He also has a growing insurance coverage practice.

Chris is an assured speaker and has presented in the UK and internationally.

Prior to relocating to the UK, Chris practised in Australia for five years, gaining experience in a number of insurance-based claims, involving a range of issues including workers’ compensation, public liability, personal injury, life insurance, superannuation, and shipping law. His Australian practice included acting for a large Australian airline in the defence of workers’ compensation claims.

Experience

• Advising on a major loss involving 21 deaths and 169 injuries to passengers and crew.
• Acting for an international airline and their insurers in the defence of high profile multi-million-pound claims brought in the UK from the death of UK passengers in a major loss in 2015
• Co-ordinating an international airline’s response to a subpoena to produce a number of documents, served on them by the US Department of Justice, following a high-profile major loss
• Acting for several major international carriers and their insurers in responding to and defending claims for, inter alia, bodily injury, baggage and cargo damage and/or delay, and damage to aircraft.
• Successfully concluding a complex personal injury claim involving the traumatic amputation of the claimant’s legs, brought against two related airlines and their insurers.
• Advising insurers on coverage issues for two aircraft, which were suspected of being used for illegal purposes, after they were totally destroyed by missile fire
• Providing assistance to an airline trade association in intervening in a judicial review application challenging the UK government's Covid-19 quarantine restrictions