Colin Biggers & Paisley is pleased to announce the appointments of special counsels Sam Pearlman to the Disputes and Investigations team, and Lana Remedi to the insurance team in Sydney. Special Counsel Jonathan Sumskas and senior associates Ben Baumgarten and David Uka also join the Insurance team in the Melbourne office.  

Sam is a commercial litigator in the disputes and investigations team with experience spanning over 25 years. With a particular focus on the banking and financial services industry, Sam has acted for a range of banks and financiers in loan recovery litigation, broker fraud cases, managed investment schemes, priority arguments and disputes over sale contracts.

Lana has worked exclusively in insurance litigation since being admitted in 2009. Lana's focus is in the areas of professional indemnity, public liability and directors' and officers' insurance and reinsurance. Lana manages complex litigated matters and regularly advises insurers and their insureds on coverage issues and on all aspects of professional indemnity insurance. Lana has considerable experience in injury liability and medical negligence claims and is an accredited specialist in this area.

Jonathan's focus is providing coverage advice and acting in the defence of professional indemnity claims. He has a particular interest in complex and high value construction claims. Jonathan regularly advises Australian and London market insurers on indemnity and policy coverage and claims management and strategy. He also has extensive experience acting for professionals in the construction industry in disputes and regulatory matters, as well as defending claims brought against a range of other professionals.

Ben works in the insurance team with a focus on EPL matters. Ben acts for and provides advice to clients across a wide range of industries in both litigious and non- litigious employment and workplace relations matters. These matters include unfair dismissal, general protections, stop bullying orders, entitlements and award interpretation, post-employment obligations, employment rights and obligations, workplace investigations, contracts of employment, termination of employment, organisational change, redundancy, and workplace privacy issues. Ben re-joined Colin Biggers & Paisley in September 2021 following an earlier period of employment with the practice between 2019 and 2020

David's practice focuses on dispute resolution and mediation. David has extensive experience in managing complex and sensitive legal claims on a range of issues including personal injury, coverage and reinsurance. He has managed a large portfolio of litigated claims across all Australian Jurisdictions and has achieved a high rate of desirable outcomes. He has an established track record of achieving satisfactory outcomes in high quantum claims that have an interplay of issues surrounding indemnity, causation, contribution and liability.

Managing Partner Nick Crennan said he is delighted to welcome Sam, Lana, Jonathan, Ben, and David to the practice to our Disputes and Investigations and Insurance teams.

"We are investing in our practice and our people to position it for further growth in our core practice areas.
These appointments together with our recent merger and investment in technology strengthens our ability to deliver the best client experience."

Following the merger with Logie-Smith Lanyon, the practice welcomed 31 new talented team members to its legal practice, including six partners, two special counsel, four senior associates, and four solicitors.

For more information please contact Linda Branton on 02 8281 4594 or linda.branton@cbp.com.au.
 
About Colin Biggers & Paisley

Colin Biggers & Paisley was founded over a century ago. Today we are a legal practice with 74 partners and 500 employees. We are highly regarded for our expertise in construction, insurance, property, government, commercial litigation and dispute resolution, banking and finance, corporate and commercial, employment and safety, planning and environment, restructuring and insolvency, transport and logistics. We act for major corporations, financial institutions, insurance companies, government departments and individuals. We have both the capacity and the expertise to deliver on complex national and multinational projects.
Colin Biggers & Paisley is based in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Through our growing Middle East Practice and our affiliation with ADVOC Asia, ADVOC International, ADVOC Europe and ADVOC Latin America, we are able to offer access to quality legal advice around the globe.

We launched the Colin Biggers & Paisley Foundation in 2015, with a core focus on promoting and protecting the rights of women and children in Australia and abroad through an innovative mix of pro bono legal services, volunteering and charitable contributions.

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