Profile

Catherine is a market-recognised insurance lawyer who is known for her work in advising on a wide range of insurance claims for insurers and the Commonwealth. Her work predominantly encompasses public liability, professional negligence and property damage.

She has specialist experience in historical institutional abuse, major claims involving significant injuries, personal injury in relation to occupiers’ liability, and workplace accidents.

Catherine practises across all Australian jurisdictions and regularly appears as an advocate in the ACT Supreme Court, ACT Magistrates Court, NSW Supreme Court and NSW District Court.

Catherine has been acknowledged in the AFR Best Lawyers list as a leading lawyer for Insurance every year since 2015 (and Government and Dispute Resolution since 2020). She was named AFR’s Lawyer of the Year for Insurance in the ACT in 2023.

Experience

Government

  • Acting for the Commonwealth in numerous claims arising from alleged unlawful detention and failure to provide adequate medical treatment while in immigration detention.
  • Acting for the Commonwealth in a multi-million dollar property damage claim involving multiple recovery targets, arising from transit damage to a specialised Defence vehicle and intelligence kit.
  • Acting for Comcover for over 15 years in personal injury claims.

Professional Indemnity

  • Acting for various national and London-based insurers in professional negligence claims made against lawyers, builders, certifiers, architects and engineers.
  • Acting for private insurers in a range of medical negligence claims against practitioners arising from chiropractic treatment, gynaecological procedures, laser treatment, the use of radiological equipment, optometry and orthopaedic surgery.
  • Acting for directors and officers in defamation claims.

General Liability

  • Advising and acting for religious, not-for-profit, and other charitable organisations in historic institutional abuse personal injury claims arising in NSW, VIC, WA, QLD and the ACT.
  • Acting for London market insurers on personal injury claims arising from incidents involving security guards at nightclubs, construction zones, office buildings, sporting fields and public spaces.
  • Acting for a private insurer in a personal injury claim arising from an alleged false imprisonment and assault and battery in a nightclub.

Coronial Inquiries

  • Acting for aged care facilities in matters involving the death of residents on instructions from commercial insurers.
  • Acting for an insurer of a facility run for young disadvantaged new mothers, in a matter involving the death of an infant.

Healthcare + Life Sciences

  • Advising and training public hospital staff on issues such as risk management, claim notification, professional standards / quality assurance committees, privilege, document maintenance and disclosure.
  • Advising private hospitals in claims arising from allegedly defective surgical hardware devices.
Areas of Expertise
  • Clinical Trials
  • Government
  • Healthcare + Life Sciences
  • Life Sciences
  • Medical Devices
  • Personal Injury
  • Product Liability + Recall
  • Professional Liability
  • Property Damage

Industry Representation
  • Public Sector + Education
  • Construction + Infrastructure
  • Manufacturing + Consumer Goods
  • Professions + Business Services
  • Retail + Labour Hire
  • Healthcare + Life Sciences

Professional Affiliations
  • Australian Insurance Law Association
  • Law Society of the ACT
  • Women Lawyers Association of the ACT