Connect with meSophie specialises in the defence of claims and disciplinary investigations against all professionals, with a focus on professional indemnity and liability, particularly claims against solicitors, brokers, real estate agents, architects, and architectural designers. She also advises on General Liability claims. She brings well-rounded, international insurance experience to managing clients’ claims, having worked as a solicitor in the United Kingdom for 5 years.
Sophie leads the firm’s Financial Lines Team as well as its real estate (disciplinary and defence) team.
She has served as a committee member of Wellington Women in Insurance, an organisation established to provide education and networking opportunities for insurance professionals. Sophie has been ranked by Chambers & Partners since 2021, where she is described as “extremely good. She’s very fast to respond, understands the industry and relates to clients well”, and has also been recognised as a leading lawyer for insurance law and litigation by The Best Lawyers in New Zealand since 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.
- Financial Institutions
- Management Liability
- Professional Liability
- Construction and Infrastructure
- Financial Institutions and Services
- Industrial and Commercial Property
- Professions and Business Services
- New Zealand Insurance Law Association
- The Insurance Network