Claire has specialised in insurance law for the past 17 years, with a focus on general liability and financial lines including personal injury, workers liability/recovery and property damage as well as professional indemnity as her core practice areas.

Claire regularly acts and defends for insurers and large self insured corporations across various industries including retail, consumer goods, construction and infrastructure.

Claire has acted and defended claims instituted against the largest owners of shopping centres in Australia. She has successfully defended a vast number of claims ranging from small to catastrophic injury claims. She has acted for residential and commercial occupiers, architects, engineers, cleaners, construction site contractors and host and labour hire employers and claims involving indemnity disputes and dual insurance/contribution issues.

With her extensive experience and deep knowledge of the sector, Claire has earned an enviable reputation as an efficient and organised lawyer focused on the provision of superior client outcomes.

  • Successfully defending large scale construction litigation involving builders, architects, engineer and State of New South Wales in the Supreme Court of NSW.
  • Successfully defending a claim by an insured against its insurer for indemnity pursuant to its policy of insurance in the Federal Court.
  • Acting for and defending claims instituted against the largest owners of shopping centres in Australia.
  • Acting for a financial institution in recovery proceedings against the external auditors who failed to detect defalcations of an employee carrying out the annual external audit.
  • Acting in the Judicial Inquiry into the conviction of Phuong Ngo ordered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court pursuant to section 79 of the Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001.
  • Acting for host employers and labour hire companies in personal injury claims.
  • Acting for the deemed manufacturer of glass furniture in a claim involving the application of Australian Standards and the Australian Consumer Law.
  • Acting for a large Australian owned company in an alleged bullying claim against a background of pre-existing psychiatric injury.
  • Defending a claim involving a relatively minor injury which had catastrophic consequences due to the Plaintiff’s pre-existing and rapidly deteriorating medical condition of Multiple Sclerosis.
  • Acting for the supplier of mobility scooters in a claim involving the supply of allegedly defective products causing injury.
  • Acting for a New Zealand based manufacturer of aerobridges which allegedly failed and caused $4 million damage to a Singapore Airlines jumbo jet.
  • Acting for the manufacturer of circular saws which were subject to a product recall, in various claims of personal injury caused by the retractable guard ‘jamming’.
  • Acting on a number of claims arising from accidents occurring in building sites, and specifically those involving scaffolding, form working and steelworks.
  • Providing advice on the application of various exclusions in a fire claim involving the loss of tyres and plant.
  • Negotiating a nuisance settlement of a multi million dollar property damage claim involving the destruction of a prime mover, trailers and goods allegedly from the provision of a defective prime mover which was subsequently heavily modified by the purchaser following supply.
  • Acting for the head contractor in a personal injury claim involving the owner, head contractor and sub-contractor (employer of the Plaintiff) involving contractual claims and dual and triple insurance issues.
  • Acting for a mechanical engineer in nervous shock claim instituted by the deceased’s wife following a bus accident.
Areas of Expertise
  • Personal Injury
  • Professional Liability
  • Property Damage (Third Party)

Industry Representation
  • Construction + Infrastructure
  • Manufacturing + Consumer Goods
  • Professional + Business Services
  • Retail + Labour Hire

Professional Affiliations
  • The Law Society of New South Wales
  • Australia Insurance Law Association
  • Australian Professional Indemnity Group
  • The Association for Women in Insurance
  • Young Insurance Professionals
  • NSW Claims Discussion Group