WILLIAM ROBINSON
Junior lawyers, graduates, and paralegals at Wotton + Kearney are exposed to these different areas of law. Our firm is split into three practice areas:
Managing Partner – Perth Wotton + Kearney
Criminal Government Academia Others
My accidental journey to insurance litigation began whilst at law school in Melbourne where my team and I were competing in the International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot. After the final rounds of the competition, a Partner at Phillips Fox (now DLA Piper) who was judging the • Financial Lines Litigation – this area involves Moot asked if I’d be interested in working as a defending all manner of professionals, from paralegal at his firm. lawyers, doctors, engineers, architects, directors & offices, who are alleged to Despite having absolutely no idea what Phillips have been negligent in the performance of Fox specialised in (turns out it was insurance their professional duties. Their professional law), I jumped at the opportunity. Little did I indemnity policies (or directors’ and officers’ know at the time, but this relatively swift decision insurance) will provide cover and (most would focus the direction of my life and journey importantly) Wotton + Kearney’s specialist in the law for the next decade. I spent 7 years at services when faced with difficult times in their Phillips Fox/DLA Piper working across a variety professional career. of insurance litigation – from Trade & Transport, Marine Insurance, Public Liability and Class • Property & Energy – this part of our firm Actions. It gave me a wonderful base on which focuses on providing complex and detailed to grow as a junior lawyer and eventually led to coverage advice to insurers under ‘’first me joining Wotton + Kearney. party’’ insurance policies. These policies are engaged when major mine sites and After a number of years in Wotton + Kearney’s other industrial assets are shut down due to Melbourne office, I was asked if I would move a variety of factors, often leading to heavy to WA to lead our Perth office as its Managing business interruption losses (think billons, not Partner. Having visited WA previously (and just millions). knowing the surf on offer down in Yallingup), I was very keen to make the trip West, which I The most satisfying aspect of insurance litigation have called home for the last 6 years. is the variety of claims, industries, and areas of We have around y30 staff and 3 partners in law that we are exposed to each day, combined Perth, making us one of the largest insurance with the incredible people we work with and serve as our clients. We do not work on one big litigation firms in WA. matter for many years, subjecting our paralegal Was that a bushfire or an insurance claim? and graduates to the despair of large discovery. Our aim is to develop well-rounded, valueImagine walking into work each day not knowing driven litigators that love what they do. whether you will be investigating exploding candles, inmates rioting at a maximum-security prison or entire country towns being wiped out by bushfires.
Courts
From wintry Melbourne to sunny Perth
• General Liability Litigation – which involves catastrophic injury claims sustained in all areas of life (sporting events, rollercoasters, whale watching, shopping centres) and property damage, fire, and other claims where our ‘’insureds’’ are being sued for damage allegedly caused by their negligent actions.
Commercial
LIFE IN INSURANCE LAW
That’s pretty much the life of an insurance lawyer at Wotton + Kearney. We don’t do ‘’crash and bash’’ or ‘’workers’ comp’’, but a vast array of insurance-related disputes and litigation that traverses many areas of law.
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