Peter is an experienced Insurance & Financial Services Lawyer who has developed a strong command of insurance law and civil procedure. He is an expert adviser on life and general insurance (public liability/personal injury/statutory insurance recovery) issues, servicing a wide range of insurer clients with respect to the management of litigated disputes.
Peter advises financial services clients on complex life insurance and accident & health disputes (litigated and non-litigated), the construction of commercial contracts and insurance policies. Peter has advised clients on compliance with AFSL (Australian Financial Services License) and relevant Code of Practice requirements and on engagements with regulators including ASIC and APRA. Peter has also advised clients on privacy law issues and assisted with AFCA submissions in response to claims.
Peter has a deep understanding of the evolving regulatory framework in which insurers now operate, and what that means for financial institutions more broadly. He has presented countless seminars to life and general insurer clients regarding current issues, trends and developments in case law and has previously provided claims triage services on a fortnightly basis to several major insurer clients including AIA (Australia) Ltd and Resolution Life Ltd.
More recently, Peter has had the benefit of working in London, UK for renowned international law firms Simmons & Simmons LLP and Clyde & Co., working within dynamic and fast paced litigation and arbitration teams. Clients included large international insurers, working on public liability, indemnity and regulatory matters in the Aviation/Marine space across multiple jurisdictions around the world.
Experience
- Peter has acted for most major life insurer and superannuation trustees in Australia over the years.
- He has aslo acted for major general insurers defending statutory insurance recoveries as well as personal injury and property damage litigated disputes. Peter prides himself on combining a strong technical command of the law with a practical, client-centric approach.
- He has advised on indemnity issues, defence strategy and commercial approach. He has also advised insurers on their rights and obligations when assessing claims, engaging with reinsurers and superannuation trustees in the process. Regarding the latter, he has substantial experience advising superannuation trustees about their rights and obligations when reviewing insurance claims and complying with relevant superannuation law.
- Peter has undertaken secondments with various life insurer clients in Australia including ANZ Wealth (Sydney) and AMP Limited (Melbourne). These experiences have given Peter valuable insights into what commercial clients are looking for from their legal advisers.
- Peter has otherwise managed and supervised a number of lawyers and paralegals, particularly during his time at Turks (2010 to 2021) (Partner from 2017 to 2021) in Australia and more recently as a Senior Associate at Clyde & Co in the UK.
Memberships
- Former Chairperson, Australian Life Underwriters and Claims Association - Victoria branch