Our insurance advisory and coverage disputes practice is one of the few in Australia offering genuinely end‑to‑end capability across the full insurance lifecycle, combining a comprehensive front‑end advisory practice with deep expertise in policy coverage interpretation and complex coverage disputes together with the management of non-litigated and litigated claims. We advise insurers, brokers, corporate policyholders and government clients on insurance and corporate risks, regulatory obligations, risk transfer structures, insurance programs and health checks, review of and drafting of insurance contracts and insurance policy provisions including endorsements.  

We are engaged in high‑value and technically complex disputes across professional indemnity, D&O, Warranty and Indemnity (W&I) insurance, product liability, property, Crime/ ISR Fidelity, Surety, Life Sciences, IPO liability, travel and life and self‑insured programs. Our national team works seamlessly across offices and business units, partnering with M&A teams on W&I and insurance due diligence, supporting Real Estate and Construction teams on indemnities and contractual risk allocation, and working closely with Disputes teams to manage insurer requirements in major litigation. This integrated model allows us to deliver strategic, commercially grounded advice that aligns coverage positions, transactional risk, and disputes strategy for our clients.

Work we assist with:

• Drafting and reviewing policy wordings, endorsements, exclusions and reinsurance arrangements.
• Reviewing the appropriateness of insurance programs and policy wordings.
• Advising on contractual indemnity, policy coverage interpretation, allocation, dual insurance and contribution issues.
• Providing front‑end advisory support on insurance regulatory compliance, agency agreements, establishing insurance companies for foreign insurers, review of corporate insurance structures and distribution agreements.
• Providing specialist insurance expertise for private and public sectors including infrastructure and general construction projects and PPPs.
• Supporting M&A teams with W&I policy placement, insurance due diligence, and transactional risk allocation as well as claims if there are any.
• Advising Real Estate and Construction clients on contractual indemnities, insurance clauses, and risk‑transfer mechanisms.
• Managing complex coverage disputes under all policy wording types including professional indemnity, D&O, W&I, product liability, property, and ISR insurances including coverage disputes.
• Managing complex and catastrophic claims with reputational risk and high value quantum exposure.
• Assisting corporate clients to understand insurance policy application, reviewing and assessing coverage determinations and management of insurer expectations, including reporting requirements and strategy in major litigation.

Insurance Industry

Our complex liability disputes practice supports corporate and government clients facing high‑exposure, reputational risk and sensitive and technically challenging claims across all industry groups. Such liability disputes include major torts, professional indemnity, D&O, medical malpractice, product liability, class actions, and dust diseases litigation. We have deep experience managing claims against professionals, directors & officers, major property developers and construction companies as well as those in the mining industry and airline industry. We are also specialists in asbestos, silica and other occupational exposure claims, as well as catastrophic injury, institutional abuse and systemic risk matters that require careful navigation of legal, operational and reputational considerations. A core part of our offering is our nationally integrated Sensitive Claims practice, which has a long history advising and representing clients in both litigated and non‑litigated matters involving vulnerable individuals, including children, people with disability and self‑represented litigants. We adopt a personable, responsive and trauma‑informed approach, resolving claims efficiently while respecting the interests of all stakeholders, adhering to Model Litigant principles, and providing rapid incident response and risk‑management advice. As the only top‑tier firm with a well‑resourced national capability, we deliver seamless support to clients exposed to claims across multiple jurisdictions.

Work we assist with:

• Managing major tort and catastrophic claims with high‑exposure liability, catastrophic injury, systemic risk and reputational damage.
• Acting in class actions and multi‑party disputes involving complex liability, causation and damages issues.
• Advising on professional indemnity disputes for corporate entities, government agencies and regulated professionals.
• Handling dust disease litigation, including asbestos, silica and other occupational exposure claims.
• Conducting detailed factual investigations, expert engagement and evidence management in complex disputes.
• Providing trauma‑informed support and strategic guidance in sensitive claims involving vulnerable individuals.
• Facilitating apologies and ‑focused resolutions in accordance with Model Litigant obligations.
• Delivering prompt incident stakeholder response and commercial risk‑management advice following catastrophic or high‑risk events.
• Coordinating productive insurer engagement and effective management of coverage issues in complex liability matters.

Our market-leading national health practice services a wide range of corporate and Government clients in the health, human services and life sciences sectors. Our expertise includes industry focused regulatory advice and investigations, AI governance and advisory, privacy law, cyber and data security, commercial contracting, health and aged care support for transactions, clinical incident response, risk and reputational management, accreditation issues, clinical trials, funding including Medicare compliance, statutory complaints, medical negligence disputes and coronial inquiries. Our team includes life sciences experts who advise biotechnology clients on clinical trials and medical research activities.

Health Law expertise    Human Services expertise

Our firm's reputation in media and communications law is recognised globally. We receive instructions from international media companies and law firms around the world, as well as from Australia's largest and most influential publishers.  

Our media practice is distinguished by: 

• In-depth knowledge and understanding of all forms of content and communications, including print, broadcast and online media, podcasts, social media, SVOD and other 'new media' formats.
• A track record of achieving successful outcomes in a range of high profile, high risk cases.
• Real understanding of our clients, their business needs and the issues facing the media industry.  
• Dedication to the industry and to journalism. 

We have expertise across the full range of issues in media law, encompassing: 

• Defamation and content issues (we offer pre-publication advice 24/7, respond to legal complaints against media clients and defend writs for defamation), contempt and court reporting/access to documents. 
• Communications and reputational risk advice in relation to inquiries and investigations involving significant media and public scrutiny. 
• Risks and disputes arising from AI and large language model (LLM) generated publications
• Australian Communications and Media Authority matters, including broadcasting and online content regulations and cross-media ownership.
• Copyright and licensing. 
• Online content and digital data rights – regulation, liability and risk management. 
• All employment related issues in the industry. 
• Freedom of Information requests. 
• Privacy and breach of confidence, including complaints to and investigations by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, and individual privacy tort claims. 
• Media-related M&A and corporate transactions and media reporting restrictions and injunctions. 

With deep experience across Australia's most high-profile inquiries, our investigations practice is trusted by government, law enforcement and health sector clients to navigate complex, sensitive and highly scrutinised matters.

We act for government departments, health services, statutory agencies, product manufacturers and law enforcement bodies in matters spanning major coronial inquests and investigations, complex misconduct and abuse investigations across both healthcare and non-healthcare sectors. Our work encompasses institutional liability, deaths in care or custody, operational decision‑making and institutional accountability. 

We manage the full lifecycle of investigations and inquests, from evidence gathering and stakeholder engagement to witness preparation, supporting witnesses through hearings with a sensitive, trauma-informed approach.

Work we assist with: 

• Acting for government, local councils, health and law enforcement clients in public inquiries and coronial inquests.
• Conducting complex factual investigations, including interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence.
• Assisting with mass document production and review, and advising on matters pertaining to PII and suppression. 
• Preparing matters for hearings, inquests and inquiries, including issue definition and stakeholder management.
• Advising on coronial processes, from the investigation stage through to inquest.
• Drafting witness statements and supporting witnesses to give evidence at inquiries and inquests.
• Managing sensitive abuse and misconduct investigations with a trauma-informed approach.

We have extensive experience advising across the full spectrum of public and administrative law, including government decision‑making, statutory interpretation, freedom of information and privacy, and acting in merits and judicial review proceedings before courts and tribunals across Australia. Our team regularly acts for Commonwealth and State/Territory departments, agencies and regulators in highly sensitive litigation and risk‑management matters, where reputational considerations are critical. We bring a clear understanding of the public sector context to dispute resolution, managing litigation proactively and with a strong focus on resolution, while assisting government clients to make robust, defensible and effective decisions within the scope of their statutory powers and functions.