Keith Thomas
Keith specialises in insurance and commercial dispute resolution matters. He has over 30 years of experience in Australia and the UK.
Keith acts for insurers, public and private companies and government agencies on a wide range of contentious matters including contractual claims, insurance coverage disputes, building and construction matters, competition and consumer law, negligence claims and regulatory matters. He is an experienced litigator and negotiator in all jurisdictions. He has represented clients at trials, mediations, arbitrations and adjudications and in regulatory investigations and inquiries including those carried out by ASIC, the Corruption and Crime Commission, the Department of Commerce and under the WA Local Government Act.
Keith also acts on claims involving many lines of insurance including professional indemnity, directors’ and officers’ liability, management liability,public liability, property insurance and life insurance.
Keith regularly presents seminars to a wide range of audiences. Recent presentations have focused on insurance and indemnity provisions in commercial contracts, proportionate liability and the management of insurance claims.
Keith has been named a Recommended Lawyer by Doyle’s Guide for Leading Professional Indemnity Lawyers – Western Australia, 2020.
Experience
Keith’s recent experience includes:
- International engineering company: Acted in commercial arbitration pursuing contractual claims for variations, extension of time and delay costs arising out of major iron ore infrastructure project in Western Australia;
- Public company in the medical products sector and its insurers: Acting in various disputes with former director of company. Claims included actions for breach of directors’ duties and breaches of contract;
- Insurance company and insured Aboriginal Corporation: Acting in series of corporate governance disputes between officers and members of aboriginal corporation giving rise to multiple proceedings in the Supreme Court of Western Australia;
- Mining and resources company: Acting in multi-party negligence action arising out of injury to contractor’s employees at client’s mine site. The claim involved complicated issues of liability apportionment due to a complex framework of contractual indemnities and insurance arrangements between the parties; and
- Insurance company: Acting for numerous insurance brokers and their professional indemnity insurers in claims involving alleged failures to arrange appropriate insurance and failures to arrange or renew insurance.