Insurance

Deacons operates a successful, growing insurance practice in Australia and Asia Pacific. Insurance is a core focus of our firm – we work with more than 20 of the leading insurers throughout the region. We act for and advise major local and overseas based insurers, brokers and agents, reinsurers, Lloyds, coverholders, third party administrators, government and semi-government bodies, and a variety of corporations and employers.

Our services

Deacons provide a comprehensive range of services across all insurance practice areas:

General insurance

• policy drafting and interpretation
• providing advice on:
  • regulatory aspects of the insurance industry
  • application and interpretation of insurance legislation
  • matters relating to insurance brokers and intermediaries
• general liability insurance, including:
  • claims handling for insured occupiers and contractors and developers
  • product liability claims
  • acting and advising on claims under specialist policies such as fire & accident, marine cargo, industrial special risks

Life insurance
(including Whole of Life, Endowment, Term policies, disability claims)

• policy drafting and interpretation
• advising on the application and interpretation of legislation including the Life Insurance Act
• acting for insurers in relation to disputed claims

Liability

• assessing and defending claims against insured professionals, directors and officers
• policy drafting and interpretation
• advising on the application and interpretation of legislation
• acting for insurers in relation to disputed claims
• acting for brokers in relation to their dealings with clients and insurers

Statutory insurance
(including workers compensation, compulsory third party insurance)

• file and portfolio management advice, including preparation of file management plans
• acting for clients in pre-litigation negotiations

• Newsletter: Insurance & Financial Services Bulletin - September 2008

  Welcome to the September issue of Insurance & Financial Services Bulletin.

  30 Sep 08 David Chew, Katherine Czoch, David Goldman, Tricia Hobson, Leisa Mikkelsen, Nicole Wearne , and Brooke Morrow

• Newsletter: Insurance Update - September 2008

  This edition of Deacons Insurance Update considers the latest D&O insurance case, recent NSW Workers Compensation decisions, a company’s expensive lesson with respect to unregistered mobile machinery, contribution between insurers, the effects of partial indemnity on the recovery of costs, the latest home warranty claims decisions and the inherent risks of insuring a surgeon.

  24 Sep 08 David Chew, Katherine Czoch, David Goldman, Pat McCabe, David Muir, Ganga Narayanan, Barry Richardson, Nicole Wearne , Sam Adair, Bruce Ballment, James Halliday, Joseph Taouk and Gemma Thomas

• Deacons Insurance Update Index

  A complete list of cases and articles featured in issues of Deacons Insurance Update.

  11 Sep 08

• Newsletter: Insurance Update - June 2008

  This edition includes the latest in Insurance Regulation, an important NSW case on thresholds for gratuitous services, some recent cases on legal professional privilege, the defence of fair comment in defamation, pedestrians expected to take more care when using footpaths, no extended duty of care owed in negligence for commercial premises, a victory for HIH insureds and the latest in TPD cases.

  27 Jun 08 Katherine Czoch, Carey Lynn, Marnie Mcconnell, Leisa Mikkelsen, Barry Richardson , Bruce Ballment, Julie Darley, Michael Iacuzzi, Eric Lowenstein and Brooke Morrow

• Deacons in the press: Insurance law leading lawyers 2008

  Tricia Hobson, Deacons Sydney insurance partner, is noted as a leading lawyer in an Insurance Law 2008 feature in Australasian Legal Business, Issue 6.4, and by clients for her "real intuition for discerning the salient issues confronting the industry".

  5 May 08 Tricia Hobson , Mary-Anne Webb

• Deacons in the press: Country Profile: Australia - Testing Times for Australian Insurance Industry

  Deacons insurance law partner, David Muir, participated in a roundtable discussion on the prospects for the insurance industry, reports Asia Insurance Review, April 2008.

  2 May 08 David Muir , Mary-Anne Webb

• Deacons in the press: Tricia Hobson leaves Ebsworth & Ebsworth for Deacons

  Deacons' Sydney insurance law practice instantly grew by more than a third with the arrival of Tricia Hobson and her team of five, reports Lawyers Weekly, 18 April 2008.

  24 Apr 08 Tricia Hobson , Mary-Anne Webb

• Newsletter: Insurance Update - April 2008

  This edition of Deacons Insurance Update includes articles on competent professional practice, issues in indemnity and subrogation policy interpretation, the accruing of causes of action in economic loss claims, the unauthorised acts of third parties, the latest pub and club appeals, indemnity clauses and when it didn’t matter that “No” should be “Yes”.

  1 Apr 08 Toby Biddle, Katherine Czoch, Michelle Jenkins, Leisa Mikkelsen, David Muir, Barry Richardson , Eric Lowenstein, Brooke Morrow, Katherine Goldberg, Julie Darley, Michelle Mulder, Michael Iacuzzi

• Deacons in the press: Snobs? Not us, says uni - 17/12/2007

  Deacons lawyer Ann Marie Martakis participated in a Unipal program at University of Melbourne to encourage Melbourne's western suburbs' students to the university and break down elitist perceptions, reported The Herald Sun, 17 December 2007.

  17 Dec 07 Mary-Anne Webb

• Newsletter: Insurance Update - December 2007

  This issue explores the discussion paper on the regulation of Direct Offshore Foreign Insurers, exercising reasonable care in response to a foreseeable risk, claims for physical and psychological injuries, whether workers compensation insurers have a duty to act in good faith to a worker of its insured, psychiatric injury claims and causation, expert evidence and privilege, the effect of policy exclusions for criminal proceedings, manufacturer’s warranties, a club’s liability for personal injury caused by the criminal actions of a third party and professional liability exclusion clauses.

  14 Dec 07 David Muir, Barry Richardson , Bruce Ballment, Matthew Ellis, Katherine Goldberg, James Halliday, Michael Iacuzzi, Eric Lowenstein and Darryl Smith