Elizabeth is a senior member of the firm's Insurance Law & Litigation team. She is an experienced litigator, specialising in complex and high value litigation, most notably recovery actions in the civil infrastructure, oil and gas and electricity generation sectors. She also provides complex coverage advice in respect of claims for major loss under Construction All Risks, Industrial Special Risks and Project Specific Liability policies.
Experience
Elizabeth has over a decade of commercial and insurance litigation experience, advising the local and international insurance market on complex and high value litigation in Australia and overseas.
Elizabeth acts for global insurers and their insured customers in complex recovery actions in the civil infrastructure, oil and gas and power generation sectors. Elizabeth is known for her technical ability and strategic nous, her effective management of large teams and technical workstreams and her ability to devise practical and commercial solutions to complicated legal problems.
Elizabeth is instructed regularly to provide complex coverage advice in respect of claims for major loss under Construction All Risks, Industrial Special Risks and Project Specific Liability policies. Most notably, she has provided coverage advice in connection with claims for damage caused by some of Australia's largest flood events and the design and construction of major infrastructure projects in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Elizabeth also has extensive financial lines experience with a specific focus on professional indemnity. She has acted for local and global insurers and their insured customers as defence counsel in a wide range of complex professional negligence claims in Australia.
Elizabeth's areas of expertise include:
- construction and engineering
- disputes and litigation
- insurance
Career highlights
Elizabeth's career highlights include:
- advising large markets of insurers about and acting in several complex recovery actions relating to the catastrophic failure of power generators and transformers in Australia, with losses ranging from $15 million to $150+ million
- acting in defence of a joint venture in relation to a $265+ million professional negligence claim arising from the design of one of the contract packages required to deliver a major railway line in Australia
- advising a global insurer about and acting in recovery actions relating to the design and construction of a major road infrastructure project in Australia with estimated losses of $180+ million
- advising large markets of insurers on complex coverage issues relating to claims for damage caused by some of Australia's largest flood events since 2011
- advising global insurers on complex coverage issues relating to claims for damage caused by the design and construction of several major road projects in Australia
- advising a global insurer on complex coverage issues relating to claims for damage caused by the design of one of the largest container ports in Australia
- acting in defence of a leading provider of security and fire safety products in a $63+ million property damage claim arising from the release of water from a fire sprinkler system over industrial machinery in a furniture factory in Australia
- advising a large market of insurers and acting in a complex recovery action relating to the catastrophic failure of a gas insulated switchgear in a water desalination plant in Australia with losses of $55+ million
- acting in defence of a global insurer in a $30+ million coverage dispute arising from alleged damage to an integrated waste treatment and resource recovery facility in Australia
- advising a global insurer on complex coverage and recovery issues regarding losses of $30+ million allegedly caused by the design of a transport upgrade project in Australia
- advising a global insurer on complex coverage and recovery issues regarding losses of $25+ million caused by a fire that destroyed an Australian Navy vessel and part of a shipyard in Australia
- advising a global insurer on complex coverage and defence issues regarding losses of $25+ million caused by the failure of equipment in an ammonium phosphate fertiliser manufacturing plant in Australia
- acting in defence of a national construction company in a $20+ million property damage claim arising from the collapse of part of a sports stadium in Australia
- acting in defence of an engineering firm in a $20+ million property damage claim arising from the project management and construction of a resort development in Australia
- advising a large market of insurers on complex recovery issues regarding alleged fatigue damage to LNG pipelines and widespread paint and insulation defects throughout an onshore LNG facility in Australia
- advising an international electrical cable supplier on complex recovery issues regarding economic losses caused by the supply of defective LOBAC in an electricity supply network in Australia and enforcement of a judgment against the manufacturer in Malaysia
- advising a global insurer on complex coverage issues regarding environmental remediation of soil and water contamination on a large industrial site in Singapore
- advising a global insurer on complex coverage and defence issues in relation to a recovery action in Canada arising out of settlement of product liability class actions in the United States of America