Connect with meSophie is an insurance litigator who assists insurers and their insured clients with financial lines and professional liability claims. She brings well-rounded, international insurance experience to managing clients’ claims, having worked as a solicitor in the United Kingdom for 6 years.
Sophie specialises in defending claims and disciplinary investigations against professionals of all ilk, but is particularly adept at managing claims against solicitors, brokers, real estate agents, architects and architectural designers.
Sophie has also been recognised as a leading lawyer for insurance law by The Best Lawyers in New Zealand 2022 and 2021.
Professional Liability
- Defending claims against solicitors arising out of estate planning and distribution.
- Defending a £6 million claim against a firm of solicitors arising out of the transfer of two properties that were then unavailable to be used to support investments at Lloyd’s.
- Defending a claim against a financial advisor arising from advice about an endowment policy that did not perform as expected.
- Defending brokers against allegations of non-disclosure and misrepresentation.
- Defending architects and architectural designers against allegations about the adequacy of plans and calculations, specification of products and delays, and weather tightness issues.
- Defending real estate agents against civil claims and disciplinary allegations.
- Defending a claim against surveyors regarding the location of a building platform.
- Assisting on the defence of the “Group 3” defendant solicitors in the TAG litigation, which was rated as one of the top UK trials of 2008 by The Lawyer magazine.
Areas of Expertise
- Financial Institutions
- Management Liability
- Professional Liability
Industry Representation
- Construction + Infrastructure
- Financial Institutions + Services
- Industrial + Commercial Property
- Professions + Business Services
Professional Affiliations
- New Zealand Insurance Law Association
- The Insurance Network