Gareth is an experienced commercial litigator, admitted in Australia and New Zealand, specialising in financial lines insurance, first party property / business interruption, contract works, reinsurance and commercial litigation.
Within the financial lines and general litigation practices, Gareth has acted in defence of claims against directors and officers and professionals. This includes acting as defence and coverage counsel in class actions, insolvency claims, negligence claims, Australian Consumer Law and contract claims, as well as public inquiries and Royal Commissions.
Gareth's first party property and business interruption experience includes policy drafting (ISR and cyber BI), working on claims in the mining, commercial property, manufacturing and energy sectors and catastrophe insurance and reinsurance claims arising from major catastrophes including earthquakes, bushfires and windstorms. Gareth has experience in dealing with captive insurers, catastrophe pools and treaty and facultative reinsurance programmes, and also frequently acts in subrogated recovery claims and litigation against third party wrongdoers.
Gareth is recognised as a recommended lawyer in Insurance by Legal 500.
Expérience
Royal Commission– Involvement in the Royal Commission into the Pike River coal mine disaster
Property – Providing advice in relation to major industrial special risks claims resulting from the Christchurch earthquakes
Property – Advising insurers on ISR and CAR claims, including major BI and CBI losses.
Professional indemnity – Acting as class action defence counsel in class actions commenced against an Australian financial institution
Directors & Officers – Advising insurers on D&O claims including, among other things, securities class actions, public inquiries, insolvency and D&O claims
Professional indemnity – Defending professional negligence claims against architects, brokers and accountants
Policy wordings – Drafting industrial special risks, directors and officers', and professional indemnity policy wordings for captives and insurers