James is an insurance litigation lawyer and strategic advisor to property insurers, and the Managing Director of Ligeti Partners. He has extensive experience in handling property damage matters on behalf of major Australian insurers, with a particular focus on motor vehicle insurance, commercial property and marine insurance.
James oversees a team that handles approximately $100 million in litigated claims annually. He has worked with many of the leading insurers in the Australian market place, including Youi, Auto & General Insurance, Suncorp, Marsh and NTI. He has also worked with both small and large claims management and self-insured companies, and practised across all Australian jurisdictions.
As well as handling both recovery and defended proceedings, James is regularly instructed in relation to credit hire matters and strategy development, “recovery agent” claims, indemnity disputes, policy interpretation, matters involving issues of fraud, domestic carriage of goods claims and the application of the unfair contractual terms provisions, commercial property recoveries, and complex liability disputes.
James’s passion is working with claims teams to build systems and implement strategies that improve recovery and settlement rates. He aims to create frameworks with his clients that equip their teams with the tools to respond to the many challenges faced in handling property claims in a manner that is consistent with their business’s goals and values.
Over the years, James has built strong and long-lasting relationships with his clients through regular and open communication. He has given presentations to more than 1000 claims officers across dozens of claims teams, over many years. More generally, he has successfully represented his clients in some of the leading cases in his areas of practice.
James is extremely proud of the team he leads. A number of the lawyers he has supervised have progressed from entry-level roles to senior positions in the industry within relatively short periods. He believes in working with all staff, including junior practitioners, to build career paths from the outset tailored to their personal ambitions. He endeavours to create an environment where those in his team feel supported and can thrive.
