Daren has 20 years' experience as an Insurance lawyer, acting for leading Australian insurers and government departments in the areas of Builders Warranty, Property, Motor, ISR, Contract Works, Construction & Engineering and Professional Indemnity.
Daren brings particular expertise in litigious matters involving indemnity disputes, liability disputes and subrogated recoveries. Daren also advises insurers and industry bodies on policy drafting, legislative amendments, claims procedures and regulatory issues.
He is renowned for providing practical, commercially focussed solutions to complex problems, sharp legal and strategic advice and exceptional client service.
Daren’s clients include major and boutique insurers, industry groups and government agencies including the Insurance Council of Australia, iCare, Suncorp, QBE, IAG, Calliden and the Building Insurers’ Guarantee Corporation.
Expertise
Daren’s expertise includes:
- Complex indemnity issues including policies regulated by legislation, proximate cause issues, competing provisions, dual insurance, misrepresentation and non disclosure, good faith, notification and known circumstances
- Complex construction and engineering claims under ISR, contract works, builders warranty and professional indemnity policies, including defects, property damage, machinery breakdown, water ingress events, fire damage etc., defending complex multi-party construction litigation and handling policy indemnity disputes as well as recovery actions
- Motor insurance, specialising in the area of credit hire and credit repair disputes
- Motor settlement and recovery
- Liability disputes
- Repair cost disputes
- Multi vehicle collisions
- Inevitable accident defences
- S51 actions against insurers
- Enforcement actions and financial hardship claims.
Recent projects
- Acting for an insurer in the defence of a builders warranty insurance claim in the NSW Supreme Court involving complex and untested issues including the interpretation of notification requirements under the policy and the NSW Home Building Act 1989 as well as intermingling of insured and uninsured works.
- Acting for an insurer of a contractor in respect of a claim by the Department of Defence concerning damage to military equipment by the contractor caused by faulty machinery.
- Acting in litigation between the insurer of a rubber compound materials contractor and a tyre retreading firm concerning faulty machinery that resulting in defective materials causing substantial damage to equipment and machinery supplied to the mining industry.
- Appointed by a government insurer to redraft policy terms and conditions following reforms to home building legislation.
- Appointed by the Insurance Council of Australia to advise its members in relation to the regulation of credit hire and credit repair operators in Australia.
Recognition
- Recommended Lawyer, Insurance, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific.
location
Sydney
Thinking
