As a senior Principal Lawyer, and former Managing Director of Ligeti Partners, Andrew prides himself on ensuring Ligeti Partners provide their clients with exceptional service and personalised support whilst solving their insurance and commercial disputes. In addition to helping ensure Ligeti Partners is a socially responsible business, Andrew lives by the values of Collaboration, Integrity, Growth and Excellence.

As part of a motivated national team in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth, Andrew has focused on building and maintaining long-term relationships with clients, evidenced by the 40-year-plus association with Suncorp, and lengthy affiliations with other leading Australian Insurers like Auto and General, Youi, Hollard, RAC, NTI and Zurich. Andrew never takes these relationships for granted.

Andrew is a relationship-focused, commercially minded, results-driven insurance lawyer with more than 35 years’ of experience. He has focused principally on residential and consumer claims, motor vehicle claims and claims involving issues of fraud and indemnity. By communicating clearly, whilst building and maintaining partnerships with team members, clients and all stakeholders, Andrew ensures a personalised professional service, based on mutual respect, trust and teamwork. He has worked with numerous claims officers over the years, many of whom remain clients of the firm.

Andrew believes “success doesn’t just find you”. It requires investment in people, loyalty and hard work. Andrew is very passionate about this investment and Ligeti Partners.

What contribution should clients make to the litigation process?

Clients (i.e. claims personnel) are fundamental to the litigation process. I have always considered clients, insureds, assessors, experts etc. to be part of a team. We all work together to achieve success. However, at the end of the day, the client makes the final decision, so needs to fully understand the matter and all issues. It is a big part of a lawyers job to ensure this occurs and to build a relationship of trust with clients. As a result, I have always strived to communicate regularly with my clients, as well as approachable, informative and collegiate to build this relationship with the clients I work with.

“Do you catch more flies with honey…?”

Over my 35 plus year career, involving 1000’s of negotiations, I have learnt you do catch more flies with honey! On many occasions, I have encountered combative, abrasive opposition, where it’s thought aggression will achieve a better result. It does not! It immediately gets people “off side”. Showing appropriate respect and courtesy to your opponent, putting your client’s position forward firmly but fairly, and making concessions if necessary, is not a sign of weakness. It builds rapport with your opponent and will lead to a more positive outcome. Further, it opens the door to positive dialogue with that opponent in the future. This can only be in a client’s interests. One of my early mentors taught me this, and seeing the results, I have practiced it since.