Colin Biggers & Paisley adds partner Patrick Boardman and four others to insurance group

Susanna Khouri, Antonia Rose, Ashlee Blannin, Victoria Tripi also join Sydney office

Colin Biggers & Paisley adds partner Patrick Boardman and four others to insurance group

Colin Biggers & Paisley has expanded its insurance group by adding partner Patrick Boardman and his team composed of special counsel Susanna Khouri and Antonia Rose, solicitor Ashlee Blannin, and legal assistant Victoria Tripi to its Sydney office.

In a news release, the firm described Boardman and his team as respected across the industry for their work with Australian and London market insurers on complex directors’ and officers’ (D&O) and professional indemnity claims, class actions, and complex coverage.

“The appointment of Patrick and his team demonstrates our commitment to the strategic enhancement of our offering with practitioners who reinforce our pedigree of excellence in the insurance legal market,” said Gavin Creighton, insurance practice group co-lead and Sydney-based partner, in the firm’s news release.

“The alignment of culture and clients and breadth and depth of specialist expertise has made this an opportunity we jumped at, diverging from our usual strategy of organic growth,” Creighton added in the news release.

The firm, in its news release, expected that the appointments of Boardman and his team would add more depth to its financial lines offering and its reputation as an insurance practice.

“Patrick’s expertise will complement our market leading Financial Lines D&O and class actions offering, working alongside leading insurance lawyers Keith Bethlehem and Michael Russell and others,” Creighton said in the firm’s news release.

More on new additions

“My team and I are thrilled to join Colin Biggers & Paisley and build upon its already exceptional reputation in the insurance market,” Boardman said in the firm’s news release. “This opportunity enables us to leverage our collective expertise to deliver top-tier support and strategic advice to our clients.”

Boardman has handled insurance litigation in the U.K. and Australia for nearly three decades. His experience covers assisting insurers with class action and shareholder disputes, including matters involving Iluka Resources, Crown Resorts, RCR Tomlinson, Star Entertainment, AMP, and Westpac.

“This move not only enhances directors' and officers' capabilities within a leading insurance team, it also reflects a strong alignment with the practice's culture and their focus on growth and development of talent,” Boardman said in the firm’s news release.

Khouri is an insurance and commercial litigation lawyer whose practice areas include D&O and professional indemnity insurance. She focuses on contentious financial lines and insurance coverage matters.

On the other hand, Rose has nearly two decades of experience in commercial, regulatory, and class action litigation. She has acted on behalf of insurers and insured parties in connection with D&O and professional indemnity matters and coverage issues.