Profile

Geoff is a legal director based in Manchester. Having qualified in 2009, Geoff has over ten years’ experience in his focus areas of professional negligence and coverage disputes.

Geoff cut his teeth on the solicitors’ and valuers’ lenders claims in the early 2010s. Since then, he has had a very wide experience of defending professional negligence claims, including those against non-traditional “professions” such as court experts, safety consultants, estate agents, mortgage brokers, trade unions and universities. However, Geoff’s bread and butter remains claims against traditional professions, namely solicitors, surveyors, insurance brokers and accountants.

Since qualification, Geoff has also advised regularly on policy coverage issues and this work now represents over 50% of his practice. Geoff advises insurers in relation professional indemnity / errors and omissions (E&O) policies, reinsurance, employers’ liability / public liability (EL/PL), directors’ and officers’ liability (D&O) and cyber, across industry sectors such as the traditional and new professions, technology and media.  As well as advising on policy interpretation, Geoff has also drafted policies and has acted for insurers in many arbitrations.

Geoff also has an increasing practice in defending claims for breach of the Data Protection Act, misuse of private information and breach of confidentiality.

Market recognition

  • Recommended lawyer for 'Professional negligence (North West)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2024

Work highlights

  • Acted for solicitors’ practice in defending a claim and successfully contesting the claimant lender’s application to discontinue the claim without the usual order for costs, meaning that the firm was awarded substantial costs.
  • Providing advice to excess layer insurers in relation to coverage issues arising from several hundred property investment claims against a firm of solicitors amounting to over £20 million.
  • Advising insurers on D&O policy coverage issues arising from a substantial claim relating to a digital coin offering by an Israeli company.
  • Advising insurer on and drafting changes to cyber risks policy.
  • Advising insurer on policy issues relating to a high street bank’s very substantial data breach due to an unsuccessful IT system migration.