Practices
Insurance Leigh has significant experience and expertise in general insurance litigation acting for most major Australian insurers as well as a number of English insurers and underwriters.
His specialty is in property damage liability claims (defence and recovery) and professional indemnity. He also has expertise in policy interpretation and defending fraudulent claims.
His practice spans high frequency litigation as well as multi-million dollar litigation.
Leigh is highly regarded for his project management expertise which comes to the fore in his conduct of long and complex trials. He has also worked across most jurisdictions in Australia and has significant experience in both New South Wales and Victoria.
Leigh has an eye for detail and an excellent track record. He understands the imperative to achieve commercial outcomes, and looks for early and creative settlement opportunities where appropriate. He is also responsive and personable in his dealings with clients and insureds.
Experience
Public and products liability
- $5 million recovery action against an energy company in respect of a bushfire.
- $30 million recovery action against a light globe manufacturer for a fire causing substantial damage to a commercial property.
- Defending a long-running claim against an insured in the County Court of Victoria relating to an alleged defective product. The trial ran across two years and included numerous applications and mediations. Complex issues of indemnity and liability, with multiple experts engaged.
- Appeal Court series of cases in respect of dual insurance issues arising from water damage to a commercial premises.
Professional indemnity
- Acting for a Lloyd’s insurer to defend a $10 million valuer’s negligence claim in the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
- Acting for a London insurer in respect of its joinder to $100 million Supreme Court proceeding relating to alleged breaches of the insured’s auditing duties. Issues for determination included complex questions of policy scope, interpretation and aggregation.
- The defence of a $20 million proceeding in respect of contaminated land. The claim included defending and issuing several interlocutory applications in the Supreme Court of the ACT. Voluminous discovery required the use of specialised document management software.
- Recovery action in the Supreme Court of New South Wales in respect of breaches of duty by an environmental consultant. The recovery involved reviewing a long and complex factual background and engagement of expert opinion.
