Jonathon Lees

Jonathon is a Special Counsel with over 15 years litigation and insurance experience in property/ energy, subrogated claims, financial lines, and general commercial litigation. He has practised law in Australia, the UK and New Zealand. 

He has specialist expertise in construction/ industrial risks insurance, fraud, professional indemnity and recoveries.  He regularly acts for Australian and European insurers in these areas. 

Through his regular management of claims at a senior level, Jonathon frequently reports directly to insurers and other key stakeholders, including overseas head offices, co-insurers, reinsurers, adjusters and brokers.  

With his highly technical knowledge and significant commercial expertise, Jonathon is often instructed in both the indemnity and recovery aspects of a loss, especially in the power/ energy class or fraud space. He also has extensive experience advising on coverage or defending professional indemnity and directors & officers’ claims.

Work highlights

• Acting for a global reinsurance market in relation to multi-million dollar claim resulting from a tailings dam collapse at a large NSW mine
• Acting for international reinsurers in relation to a $1.5bn claim arising from a mining landslide at an open cut mine in Utah
• Acting for ISR insurers in a $250m Qld flood claim by a large global mining company.
• Joint conduct of a successful $22m recovery action arising from the collapse of Lane Cove Tunnel in Sydney in Theiss Pty Ltd and John Holland Pty Ltd v Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia Pty Ltd[2016] NSWSC 173.
• Bringing a $20m arbitration claim against negligent contractors in relation to defective construction of diesel storage bunds in a WA power station.
• Acting as coverage counsel for the US Insurers of Lehman Brothers Australia in Wingecarribee Shire Council v Lehman Brothers Australia Ltd (in Liq) [2012] FCA 1028 in relation to the sub-prime SCDO claims brought by charities and councils.
• Acting as coverage counsel for excess layer PI and D&O insurers of Great Southern defending investor class actions in WA and Victoria (Clarke v Great Southern Finance Pty Ltd (in liquidation)) claiming $1.5bn for misleading and deceptive conduct

Market recognition

• Recommended Lawyer for 'Insurance (Australia)'

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021

• Recommended Lawyer for 'Insurance (Australia)'

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020