Clyde & Co now has 40 offices worldwide. In this round-up we
provide snapshots of the key lawyers' liability rules around
the world.
Australia
Jenni Priestley, Partner, Sydney
A key issue of concern for PI insurers generally remains the
increasing prevalence of class action litigation. It is clear that
the existence of insurance is a key driver in the commencement of
many claims. Relative procedural simplicity combined with readily
available third party funding has resulted in class actions being a
major source of significant claims in Australia. In addition, there
has also been a significant increase in the value of settlements
achieved.
Nevertheless, there has been neither an avalanche of claims nor
any radical shifts or changes in the law of liability recently, and
the prevailing market conditions are currently "steady as she
goes". In this regard, the High Court of Australia has
provided welcome certainty in its recent (13 May 2015) judgment in
the long
