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Michael Bath
Special Counsel
p: + 61 2 82739953


Area of professional expertise

  • Public and Products Liability
  • Professional Indemnity
  • Property and ISR
  • Construction and Contract Works

Michael commenced practice in 1999 and since that time has practised almost exclusively in the areas of insurance and commercial litigation.  He joined Wotton + Kearney in July 2009 having previously worked at Minter Ellison and Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

Michael advises both local and international insurers and insureds in relation to policy issues across a variety of policy types.  He has particular expertise advising in the areas of Contract Works/Construction Risk, ISR, Professional Indemnity and has acted in disputed matters in the Federal Court of Australia, in all New South Wales jurisdictions as well as a number of interstate jurisdictions.

Michael's recent matters include:

  • advising local and international reinsurers in relation to the application of aggregation clauses to multiple bushfire events;
  • advising local insurers in relation to a variety of subrogated actions including actions against a third party service company following the destruction of farming equipment by fire;
  • acting on behalf of the special purpose liquidator appointed to the FAI companies in proceedings commenced by the liquidator of HIH; and 
  • advising a major engineering firm in relation to the response of a contract works policy to defects arising out of the design and construction of power stations.

Memberships

Michael is an active member of Wotton + Kearney's Construction and ISR Focus Groups.  He is also a member of the Australian Insurance Law Association.


  • Wotton + Kearney's Melbourne office
    has recently relocated
    to Level 6, 550 Bourke Street
  • Wotton + Kearney was voted the Insurance Specialist Law Firm of the Year at the ALB Australasian Law Awards 2009
  • Wotton + Kearney has invested in cutting edge legal technology to allow the efficient and streamlined management of large numbers of documents
  • Our 5 key focus groups are:
    +        Public and Products Liability
    +        Construction
    +        Reinsurance
    +        Financial Lines
    +        Property/ISR