Ailbhe Kirrane

Full Profile

Ailbhe advises and acts for Australian and London market insurers as coverage and defence counsel across a range of commercial litigation, insurance disputes, class actions, regulatory proceedings and Royal Commissions.

Her work includes acting in defence of claims against financial institutions, publicly listed and SME corporations, as well as their executives.

Ailbhe regularly acts for accountants, financial planners, building professionals and construction companies. She also acts on behalf of life insurers in connection with disputes about life and disability claims and coronial investigations.

Experience

• Regulatory: acting for a major Australian life insurer in the Financial Services Royal Commission.
• Class Action: acting for a major Australian life insurer in defence of a class action against it in relation to consumers who had purchased its consumer credit insurance.
• Defence: acting for a life insurer in defence of a plaintiffs' claim for TPD benefit under his policy.
• Defence: acting for an insurer in defence of a claim by its insured for cover, which claim was settled shortly before trial for a minimal contribution to costs and with no indemnity payment.
• Defence: acting in defence of insolvent trading proceedings by liquidators against former directors of the entity.
• Defence: acting on behalf of a major construction company in connection with allegations of a defective airport runway surface, under a design and construct professional indemnity policy.
• Defence: acting for a financial lines insurer in a multi-party indemnity dispute with the insured financial services professional.
• Coverage: advising primary and excess financial lines in relation to a major Australian financial institution being sued by former clients in connection with a $1.5bn dispute over the winding up and sale of the clients' Australian business.
• Coverage: advising a financial lines insurer in connection with the collapse of a publicly listed funds management/property investment group based in Australia and New Zealand, with losses of $2bn, including provision of advice across D&O, professional indemnity, fidelity and management liability policies.
• Coverage: advising insurers in connection with various cartel investigations, including where quasi-criminal conduct had been alleged.