David is a principal in our Insurance & Health team and is based in the Brisbane office.

‘I began my career as a commercial litigator. I then spent five years working in London in insurance litigation, where I focused on insurance coverage disputes and defence work. This meant that I was exposed to the Lloyd’s insurance market, which I found fascinating. It was also interesting to see first hand how the London market operates.’

At Barry.Nilsson., David specialises in:

• Financial lines
• Directors’ and Officers’ liability (D&O)
• Professional indemnity
• Policy coverage
• Property risks
• Subrogated recovery
• Insurance and reinsurance
• General liability
• Income protection
• Accident and health
• Life insurance.

Since his return to Australia, David has maintained strong links with the London market. He continues to advise several Lloyd’s syndicates, and acts for a loyal pool of other international and domestic composite insurer clients. He is often asked to advise on policy interpretation and coverage issues, and has a particular interest in novel or complex insurance matters.

In recent years, David’s practice has focused on professional indemnity and D&O liability and coverage disputes. He has acted as defence and coverage counsel on a wide range of matters, including claims against:

• Engineers, architects, surveyors, certifiers and other construction professionals
• Accountants, stockbrokers, financial planners and financial institutions
• Directors and officers of privately and publicly listed organisations
• Insurance brokers and other industry participants
• Accountants negligence
• ASIC regulatory hearings
• Directors disqualification matters.

‘I think my clients appreciate my technical skills as a lawyer. I’m pragmatic in my approach. By that, I mean I explain the applicable law to clients so that we can talk through the implications and they can then make an informed decision about how to proceed.’

In 2015, David was listed as a recommended lawyer for insurance law in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific. In 2018, he was listed by Doyle’s Guide as recommended for professional indemnity lawyers in Queensland. David has also been recognised in the 2021 edition of Best Lawyers for Insurance Law and Professional Malpractice Litigation.

‘I think the fact that Barry.Nilsson. specialises in insurance law is of great benefit for our clients, because of the efficiencies that specialisation achieves. In addition, we are focused on developing strategies that achieve excellent outcomes for clients as cost-effectively as possible.