Drones
Darryl acts for insurers and re-insurers in contentious and non-contentious matters, including defending financial lines claims and providing regulatory and indemnity advice. Darryl has also practised in Bermuda.
Direct Lines
+61 3 8600 7212 +61 408 619 660 darryl.smith@clydeco.comMain Office
Melbourne
+61 3 8600 7200Regional experience
Full Profile
Darryl's in-depth knowledge of the insurance and reinsurance industry enables him to provide pragmatic and commercial solutions to his insurer and insured clients.
The majority of Darryl's practice involves conducting the defence of directors' and officers' liability and professional indemnity insurance claims. He also defends class action proceedings and representative proceedings brought by Australia's corporate and financial services regulator.
In addition to contentious work, Darryl provides coverage advice and assists his clients with compliance and regulatory issues unique to the insurance industry. He also provides corporate clients with advice in relation to the insurance and indemnity aspects of transactions.
Darryl Smith has been recognised as the Lawyer of the Year in the 2026 Edition of Best Lawyers for Professional Malpractice Litigation. Additionally, Darryl has also been recognised in the 2026 Edition of Best Lawyers: for Insurance Law and Professional Malpractice Litigation from 2022 - 2025.
Experience
- Directors and officers insurance claim arising from telecommunications transaction – Acting for a director in a claim arising from an investment in a dark fibre network
- Claims arising from collapse of agribusiness vehicles – Acting for a party in defending claims made by investors in Timbercorp and other failed agribusiness managed investment schemes
- Claims arising from the collapse of the Westpoint group – Acting for a financial services provider in defence of a class action, representative proceedings brought by the regulator, and multiple individual claims arising from AUD 390 million collapse of the Westpoint group
- Defence of class actions following catastrophe event (bushfires) – Acting for the State of Victoria entities in defence of multiple class actions arising from the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, Australia
- Defence of environmental tort based class action – Acting on instructions from a professional indemnity insurer in the defence of a class action and remediation actions following a large pollution event
- Financing of Bermuda-based private equity firm – Advising the lender in relation to a US 200 million revolving credit facility
- Bermuda investments in reinsurance sidecar – Facilitating investments by numerous capital markets investors in a reinsurance sidecar designed to retrocede a portion of a leading reinsurer's portfolio