Kate Vernon

Full Profile

Kate qualified as a solicitor in 2010. Having previously practiced in professional indemnity, Kate joined Clyde & Co’s Manchester property and liability team in 2017.

Kate’s work includes complex multi-party claims and litigation arising from property damage, product liability and construction and engineering disputes. Kate also pursues subrogated recoveries. Kate has extensive experience of achieving resolution of claims at mediation.

Kate’s professional indemnity experience gives her particular insight when considering disputes with a professional liability angle.

Kate’s core expertise is policy coverage work. Kate regularly advises on all aspects of policy coverage including policy response, misrepresentation, late notification, breach of policy terms, exclusions and claims for contribution between insurers. Kate is also involved in the investigation of potentially fraudulent first party claims.

Experience

• Defending a series of large loss claims arising from fire damage allegedly caused by the supply and installation of defective solar panel systems.
• Settling at mediation a multi-party litigated dispute arising from the collapse of a retaining wall between commercial premises.
• Successfully defending a litigated fire claim relating to allegedly negligent electrical work, including recovering the insurer client’s costs of the litigation.
• Securing a 50% contribution from another insurer to damages, claimant’s costs and defence costs in respect of disputed double insurance in relation to a litigated multi-party claim.  
• Successfully defending a product liability claim relating to the provision of allegedly defective equipment in the frozen food industry.
• Resolving litigation against an insurer by a consumer resulting from the insurer’s decision to void the consumer’s property insurance policy due to an alleged misrepresentation.