Chris Finn

Partner | Sydney, Australia
Get in touch

Profile

Chris is a Partner in the Sydney office and heads up the casualty claims practice.  He qualified in 1993 and has more than 20 years’ experience in insurance and dispute resolution, with a particular focus on professional indemnity and casualty claims.

Chris and his team have extensive experience managing complex claims for domestic and London market insurers across professional indemnity and financialised matters including for Insured accountants, valuers, financial advisers and brokers, property managers and construction professionals.

He has extensive personal injury and liability experience ranging from smaller matters to large, complex and catastrophic claims involving multiple parties, including class actions. 

Chris’s expertise also includes shipping and aviation advice and claims as well as insurance and reinsurance coverage disputes across all lines of insurance.
Chris plays an active role in industry bodies including the AILA Committee, Education Sub-Committee, APIG and the Casualty Claims and Reinsurance discussion groups. He regularly writes on insurance law and presents at conferences, industry events and to clients.

 

Chris' advice is concise and in good plain English. He has good technical ability and is easy to get along with, approachable and always responsive.
Chambers Asia Pacific 2025

Related articles

Article

Key trends shaping the Australian casualty space: what to expect in 2025

31/03/2025

News

Kennedys maintains leading insurance and shipping rankings in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025

12/12/2024

News

Kennedys team recognised in Best Lawyers Australia and Best Lawyers Singapore 2025

18/04/2024

View more

Qualifications and admissions

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Arts and Law (Honours) | University of Sydney | Year

Industry

  • Australian Professional Indemnity Group (APIG) member
  • Australian Insurance Law Association (AILA) member
  • NSW Reinsurance Discussion Group (RDG) member

Market recognition

  • Listed as Band 4 in Insurance
    Chambers Asia-Pacific, 2025
  • Recognised for Insurance Law, Personal Injury Litigation and Product Liability Litigation
    Best Lawyers Australia, 2025
  • Recommended Lawyer for Public and Product Liability (New South Wales)
    Doyle's Guide, 2023-2024
  • Recognised for Insurance Law, Personal Injury Litigation
    Best Lawyers Australia, 2023-2024
  • Notable practitioner for Insurance Defence (Australia)
    Chambers Asia Pacific 2022-2023
  • Leading lawyer for Defendant Public and Product Liability (New South Wales)
    Doyle's Guide 2021
  • Leading lawyer for Professional Indemnity (New South Wales)
    Doyle's Guide 2021
  • Recommended lawyer for Dispute Resolution: Litigation (Australia)
    The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021
  • Recommended lawyer for Insurance (Australia)
    The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021
  • Notable practitioner for Insurance Defence (Australia)
    Chambers Asia Pacific 2020
  • "He is well regarded by insurer clients for his thoroughly commercial approach and close attention to their business objectives."
    Chambers Asia Pacific 2020
  • A market source's observation that he is "well liked by clients" is confirmed by a client who notes that, in addition to being "really accurate and really thorough," he is also highly responsive, the same source saying: "It doesn't take him long to get a file and do what needs to be done."
    Chambers Asia Pacific 2022
  • An "engaged and responsive" lawyer who "understands the unique pressures on an in-house counsel and can offer pragmatic and practical approaches to meeting those challenges."
    Chambers Asia Pacific 2021

Work highlights

  • Successfully defending a municipal authority in a catastrophic personal injury claim in the High Court, which redefines the scope of the law of duty of care in Australia (Wyong Shire Council ats Vairy);
  • Successfully representing insurers of a litigated denial of indemnity claim under a directors and officers insurance policy on the basis of fraudulent non-disclosure and other policy conditions (GIO ats Porter);
  • Acting for liability insurers in a property damage/business interruption claim worth over a $100M arising from a gas explosion in New South Wales, which was resolved on extremely favourable terms;
  • Successfully representing a multinational property management company in relation to a claim for alleged negligence and misleading deceptive conduct in excess of $5M.  Judgement obtained in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal (CBRE ats Makings Custodian);
  • Acting on behalf of London underwriters in successfully defending a claim in the New South Wales Supreme Court against the insured operators of a licenced venue where negligent assault and trespass was alleged.

Services

Sectors