Insurance & Reinsurance
Colleen has experience in relation to a range of insurance and reinsurance disputes including coverage disputes, allegations of misrepresentation, and declinature of cover.
Colleen’s recent work in this area includes:
- Being instructed as part of a team of juniors to assist with a document review in an insurance case arising out of fraudulent “placement” of a (non-existent) reinsurance policy by a sub-broker, with damages in the region of £15 million. During pupillage, Colleen had drafted a skeleton on behalf of the Claimant for the CMC in this matter which addressed, amongst other issues, the appropriateness of a split trial.
- Obtaining strike out of a claim against an insurer for failure to provide cover under an insurance policy on the basis that the claim was brought against the wrong entity.
- Setting aside default judgment in a claim against an insurer for failure to indemnify an insured in respect of property damage sustained during an RTA. Colleen successfully argued that the insurer had a real prospect of defending the claim on the basis that upon inception of the policy, the insured had made qualifying misrepresentations as per the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012.
- Advising the insurer of a housing association on the prospects of recovering its outlay under a property insurance policy in relation to fire damage allegedly caused by a tenant. Issues included whether the insurance policy was for the benefit of both the housing association and the tenant, and the application of the Rowlands principle.
- Advising an insurer on the prospects of declining cover on the basis that the alleged tortfeasor was a labour only sub-contractor as opposed to a bona-fide sub-contractor (during pupillage).
- Advising an insurer on the prospects of declining cover in relation to a proposed claim arising out of contaminated batches of beer, specifically advising on questions of whether there had been damage to property or simply production of a defective product, and whether a financial loss extension applied (during pupillage).
- Settling the Defence to a High Court claim for a declaration that insurers were bound to indemnify the various claimants’ businesses in respect of interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (during pupillage).
- Representing an insurer at the preliminary hearing of a claim brought by an insured for failure to indemnify him in respect of curtailment of his holiday due to illness. Colleen obtained an unless order providing that the insured (a litigant in person) was required to particularise how his holiday was said to be curtailed and what section of the policy provided cover for those circumstances, Colleen having argued that the wording of the policy did not provide such cover.
Selected Cases
View full profile »Awards
- Dean’s Award for Best Academic Performance in MA Law (Conversion)
- Inner Temple Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Award
- Inner Temple Major Scholarship
- Inner Temple Exhibition Scholarship
- Winner of the Aqeel H. Noorali Moot Cup
- Winner of the Oxford Bar Society Non-Law Moot
- Winner of the 2 Hare Court Mock Trial
- Various Collections Prizes from Oriel College, University of Oxford
News
- Members of Crown Office Chambers recognised for their Pro Bono work
- Crown Office Chambers welcomes two new tenants
Events
Blogs
Qualifications
- BA French and German (First Class), University of Oxford
- MA Law (Conversion) (Distinction), University of Law
- LLM Master of Laws (Distinction), University of Law
Memberships
- Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR)
- Technology and Construction Bar Association (TECBAR)
- The Society of Construction Law (SCL)
- Professional Negligence Bar Association (PNBA)
- London Common Law & Commercial Bar Association (LCLCBA)
- Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG)
- Personal Injury Bar Association (PIBA)
