People

Jason Chew

Jason Chew Profile Photo
Special Counsel
Jason Chew Profile Photo

Jason is an insurance and litigation lawyer and acts for a range of local and international insurers in a wide variety of disputes including complex coverage issues.

Experience

Jason specialises in matters ranging from multi-party building and construction and third-party property damage claims involving professional indemnity and public liability policies, with particular experience in claims that involve infrastructure sustaining damage for example as a result of fire and/or water.

Having undergone a number of secondments, Jason has a deep understanding of the needs of clients. He uses his effective strategies and negotiation skills to assist clients in resolving matters in a timely, commercial and pragmatic manner.

Career highlights

Successfully represented numerous clients in high-stakes, contentious and high quantum property damage claims and construction claims, securing favourable settlements and verdicts. Examples include:

  • defending a sewerage contractor against a Water Act 1989 claim made by a commercial tenant
  • defending retailers and manufacturers in claims relating to alleged defective products that caused fire resulting in catastrophic property damage with quantum ranging from the hundreds to millions of dollars
  • defending Water Authorities in claims alleging unreasonable flows of water made under s.16 of the Water Act 1989
  • managing and defending a large construction company against multiple home owners alleging property damage to their homes from construction works to nearby roads
  • providing insurers with complex coverage advice relating to a domestic builder in a claim relating to damage to a residential home where the claim was in the vicinity of $1.5 million
  • providing insurers with coverage advice relating to a claim involving an insured builder who has allegedly caused damage to a neighbouring property
  • defending an architectural firm in a $15 million claim for cladding-related defects and water ingress issues in a large residential block of apartments
  • assisting a building surveyor in a multi-party claim before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal against allegations of negligence in approving a residential apartment complex. The claim was withdrawn by the applicants
  • acting for insurers in a coverage dispute in a claim made by a home owner following an alleged flooding event causing damage to a house
  • defending a builder against a property damage claim made by a developer involving a sewerage pipe acting for a water authority against a claim by a property owner regarding damage to a home following alleged water ingress for a commercial sum.