Charles manages the firm’s Construction and Engineering practice. He is the lead advisor to insurance clients in the construction and engineering, professional indemnity, liability, and property sectors. He handles some of Australia's largest and most complex construction and engineering disputes and is regarded as a policy coverage specialist.
Experience
Charles has specialised in construction and engineering insurance since entering private practice in 1994. He is sought after for advice on policy interaction in construction project claims, including project-specific and annual covers. Charles' extensive experience is complemented by his strong interest in product liability in construction products.
Charles represents and advises a wide range of construction principals, contractors and consultants on risk and insurance. Insurance industry clients trust his policy wording and interpretation advice. Charles and his team act in many current large infrastructure court and arbitral proceedings, representing defendant contractors and designers, usually on instructions from insurers.
Charles' areas of expertise include:
- construction and engineering dispute resolution
- professional indemnity
- products and general liability in the construction context
- contract works
- property/ISR.
Charles is recognised in The Best Lawyers in Australia and in Chambers Asia Pacific for his expertise in insurance law.
Career highlights
Charles' career highlights include:
- representing the contractor in arbitration proceedings for a claim involving the Amberley Airforce base
- providing advice to the liability insurers for the operator of the Callide Power Station on policy interaction
- providing coverage and policy interaction advice to project general liability insurers of the new Brisbane casino in relation to rectification works to riverside piling structures
- providing assistance to the liability insurers of the manufacturer of Iplex pipes which are the subject of current class action proceedings
- acting as coverage and recovery counsel for contract works and DSU insurers of solar farms
- advising the insurer of an electrical contractor for infrastructure works on whether the insurer’s liability or professional indemnity policy will apply and whether the claim should be pressed on the project contract works policy
- acting as coverage counsel for the professional indemnity insurers of the design and construct contractor of solar farms and advising on policy interaction with annual and project covers
- advising insurers of the design and construct contractor in NSW Supreme Court litigation over the Lane Cove Tunnel
- providing coverage and defence work on a large number of high quantum combustible cladding matters in Australia and New Zealand
- providing advice and subrogated recovery proceedings involving New Zealand's largest geo-thermal power station
- acting as defence counsel for the designers of the collapsed Koolan Island mine sea-wall, litigated in Western Australia
- acting as defence counsel for the design joint venture of the new multi-billion-dollar Sydney Metro Northwest Rail Line
- advising project-specific professional indemnity insurers of the $1 billion Toowoomba Bypass
- acting as coverage, defence and recovery counsel in matters involving the failure of Aquatherm piping
- acting for the designer and supplier of GRP underwater pipes for a power project in Java, Indonesia
- representing consultants in respect of high quantum claims on the WestConnex M4 and WestConnex M8 projects.