Patrick has worked in the area of insurance litigation in the UK and Australia since being admitted in 1990. He has extensive experience and expertise in the areas of Professional Indemnity, Directors & Officers, Investment Managers, Fidelity, Reinsurance and Product Liability.
Patrick is the head of the Wotton + Kearney Financial Lines Focus Group. His practices are split evenly between the provision of indemnity advice and the conduct of litigated claims against financial institutions, brokers, accountants, valuers, real estate agents, building professionals and large manufacturing companies. In the conduct of litigated matters Patrick seeks to utilise the ADR process to facilitate an early settlement. Patrick also has extensive experience representing directors and officers during ASIC investigations and prosecutions and at Royal Commissions.
Patrick's recent matters include:
- advising insurers in respect of matters pertaining to the James Hardie Special Inquiry and ASIC prosecution of the James Hardie board;
- advising insurers of various Financial Lines policies in respect of the collapse of one of Australia's largest financial companies;
- advising insurers in respect of a class action against a large financial institution;
- various claims by banks and mortgage insurers against property valuers;
- advising on the application of a PI policy, in particular the number of deductibles payable, in respect of claims by a large number of investors against a large international financial institution;
- successfully acting on behalf of an Investment Managers Insurer in a claim for indemnity by a financial company in respect of claims by a number of investors in a failed property scheme; and
- acting on behalf of a structural engineer in respect of a multi-party action involving allegations of defect design and construction of a large warehouse.
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