Kate is a Principal in the Workplace Insurance Team. For the past 29 years, she has provided representation and advice in complex insurance and personal injury claims for statutory authorities,  insurers and self-insurer clients, including WorkSafe and TAC.

Biography

Kate acts for authorised insurers, self-insured employers and statutory bodies across the Victorian workers compensation jurisdiction. Her client base includes one of Australia's largest airline companies among its self-insured employers, and she has worked with WorkSafe Victoria and the Transport Accident Commission across 29 years of defendant practice.

Her practice covers the defence of serious injury applications, common law claims, damages proceedings, appeals and judicial review proceedings across the Victorian workers compensation scheme. She advises self-insured clients on claims management strategy and jurisdictional developments, and provides education and training on changes to the law and major scheme developments affecting their businesses.

Kate has appeared at all levels of the Victorian court hierarchy, including at the Court of Appeal. She has maintained sustained engagement with WorkSafe Victoria across strategic working groups and development programs throughout her career, and was selected for WorkSafe Victoria's first ever external secondment from its legal panel into the Dispute Management Division.

Kate's years of specialisation in defendant insurance litigation and workplace injury claims, maintained consistently at the senior end of the Victorian workers compensation defendant panel, is the defining feature of her practice. Her selection for WorkSafe Victoria's first ever external secondment from its legal panel reflects the standing she holds with the authority. She is a member of the Litigation Lawyers Workers Compensation Committee of the Law Institute of Victoria and brings direct access to Thomsons' top-tier specialists where matters require depth in regulatory, employment or corporate law.

Credentials

Academic qualifications:

Memberships:

Kate's experience

WorkSafe Victoria — Common law and statutory entitlement

Acts for WorkSafe Victoria and its authorised insurers as well as self-insurers in defending complex and sensitive common law and statutory scheme claims arising from personal injury in the Victorian Supreme Court, County Court and Magistrates Court.

Transport Accident Commission — Statutory entitlements

Acts for the Transport Accident Commission in litigated and pre-litigated statutory benefits disputes concerning liability determinations, loss of earnings benefits, medical treatment entitlements and impairment determinations.

Self-insurers — Complex claims management and advisory

Acts for a number of self-insurers in the Victorian worker's compensation scheme in both litigated and pre-litigated matters. This includes representation of one of Australia’s largest airline companies. Provides advice to employer self-insured clients on complex claims management strategy, scheme obligations and jurisdictional developments under the Victorian workers’ compensation framework. Also provides ongoing education and training on changes to the law and major developments affecting their business'.

WorkSafe Victoria — First external secondment from legal panel

Selected by WorkSafe Victoria’s Dispute Management Division for its first ever external secondment from its legal panel. Assisted in the management of the legal panel in its conduct of both statutory benefits and common law damages litigation on behalf of the authority.