Partner
Holman Webb
Zara has practised both litigation and insurance law in NSW for over 25 years. Before joining Holman Webb as Special Counsel in 2009, Zara was at Henry Davis York. Zara is experienced in a broad range of insurance practice areas, including medical negligence, coronial inquiries, administrative review and disciplinary proceedings, injury liability, property and commercial claims, marine insurance and defamation.
As a Partner, Zara’s practice is largely focused on professional indemnity, medical negligence and disciplinary proceedings, and injury liability. Zara is also engaged in Coroner’s investigations, privacy complaints, guardianship, discrimination, and Medicare inquiries.
Zara started her career at Royal Melbourne Hospital in general nursing and has direct experience working in a number of hospital settings, both private and public. She is a past legal member of The Sydney University Human Ethics Committee, and spent several years in the Victorian Public Service, commencing in the administrative trainee scheme.
She worked for the Victorian Accident Rehabilitation Council, and was later employed by the Legal and Constitutional Committee of the Victorian Parliament. This involved her in the scrutiny of all subordinate legislation, and on law reform initiatives. On moving from Melbourne Victoria to Sydney, in 1993 Zara joined the insurance team at Hunt and Hunt Lawyers, working on workers compensation claims, dust diseases, and public liability matters until her move to the Henry Davis York insurance group in 2001.
Experience:
- Acting in medical negligence claims in the Supreme Court and District Court of NSW, and in related common law matters including claims in defamation.
- Acting in general liability personal injury claims in the Supreme Court and District Court of NSW for a large commercial insurer.
- Defending catastrophic personal injury claims.
- Acting for a large medical indemnity insurer representing medical practitioners in disciplinary proceedings before the Medical Council of NSW and the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
- Acting in matters in anti-discrimination and administrative review bodies such as the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Federal Court of Australia, and the NSW Civil and Administrative Review Tribunal (NCAT).
- Acting for parties in NSW Coronial Inquiries, including medical practitioners, a large public hospital, private not for profit entities, and public sector agencies.
- Acting in privacy claims including under Health Records and Information Privacy Act, and in NCAT.
- Acting in Guardianship matters in NCAT.
- Advising health practitioners, insurers, self-insurers, private health providers, and public sector entities on insurance matters, statutory regulation, clinical governance, and in public sector litigation and liability. This includes acting in Medicare investigations.
