Connect with meThomas specialises in professional indemnity and directors’ and officers’ insurance with a focus on financial services. He regularly acts for financial services professionals, including financial planners, bookkeepers and accountants, in addition to other professional indemnity claims. He also assists insurers and their insureds with regulatory investigations and inquiries including acting in public inquiries and ASIC investigations.
Thomas also regularly provides advice to insurers and assists their insureds in relation to D&O and management liability claims including insolvent trading, shareholder oppression and class actions.
Thomas has significant experience acting for financial services professionals in complaints lodged with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority and regularly assists insurers and their insureds in that jurisdiction. Thomas also regularly consults with the Financial Advice Association Australia and was previously a member of the Professional Standards Committee of the Financial Planning Association.
Thomas is known for his technical ability and commercial approach to litigation and utilises both to achieve positive outcomes for his clients.
Thomas is also actively involved in the firm’s Community Footprint pro bono program through the NSW Supreme Court Justice Connect referral system.
- Acting for an accounting firm in relation to a significant fraud on its client involving an outsourced employee.
- Representing number of Councillors and other employees of a local council in a public inquiry into the operation of the council.
- Acting for a private golf club in proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court challenging the expulsion of a member.
- Advising underwriters across multiple policy years (and their insured) in relation to numerous complaints with the Australian Financial Complainants Authority involving systemic failures of an authorised representative and potential unauthorised financial advice by a third party.
- Running proceedings on behalf of an insurer to the High Court of Australia in relation to a coverage dispute concerning the application of an aggregation provision to representative proceedings.
- Advising insurers in relation to running and settlement of a recent $60 million shareholder class action against an organic baby formula manufacturer.
- Class Actions
- Professional Liability
- Directors and Officers Liability
- Financial Institutions
- Investigations and Inquiries
- Financial Institutions and Services
- Accountants and Bookkeepers
- Real Estate Agents
- Australian Insurance Law Association
- Australian Professional Indemnity Group
- Law Society of New South Wales
- Financial Advice Association of Australia