EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE
Matt first commenced with Moray & Agnew in 2017 and was admitted in 2020. Matt then worked for a period of time with a top-tier international law firm as a solicitor, before returning to Moray & Agnew.
Matt acts for insurers, governments, self-insureds and other businesses in a diverse range of disputes, including:
- Personal injury, public and product liability claims
- Catastrophic injuries. Matt has advised clients on claims involving quadriplegia, traumatic brain injury, terminal illness and pure psychiatric injury
- Indemnity issues arising from public and product liability claims
- Dust diseases
- Institutional abuse claims
- Prosecution and defence of property damage claims (home and commercial), including fires and floods. He also advises clients on uninsured loss agreements and the application of consumer protection laws in subrogated recovery claims against suppliers and manufacturers
- General commercial litigation and inquiries.
He has run matters from the ‘get go’ right up to trial, and understands ‘the bigger picture’ particularly when it comes to evidence and litigation in Queensland. Matt’s work ethos is to deliver upfront, accurate and solutions-focused advice at an early stage. His attention to detail and efficient matter management means he is equipped to bring matters to a resolution as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Matt’s experience includes:
- Acting for an insurer exercising subrogated recovery rights in a fire claim at an affluent inner-city Brisbane suburb which resulted in multiple homes being destroyed and million dollar losses
- Acting in the defence of workplace bullying claims and other sensitive personal injury claims including dust diseases and physical and sexual abuse claims
- Defending a large local government in a criminal prosecution by the Work Health and Safety Prosecutor against charges brought under the Work Health and Safety Act 2010 (Qld). The nature of the charges involved consideration of the interaction between the WHS Act and the Safety in Recreational Water Activities Act 2011 (Qld). Matt managed the client’s defence from start to finish, including at the sentencing hearing, with the assistance of King’s Counsel
- Assisting in a recovery valued at over $12 million arising from a fire at a Toyota and Lexus motor vehicle dealership. The matter resolved without the need for trial
- A Solicitor Assisting the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide
- Assisting a confidential client to advise a superannuation fund on the application of trustee liability and D&O policies
- Acting for a confidential client in successfully pursuing and resolving a professional negligence claim against a national law firm arising from alleged professional negligence, without the need for litigation
- Acting for RACQ Insurance in a significant ASIC investigation arising from misleading/deceptive representations in insurance policies over many years (ASIC v RACQ Insurance Limited (2023) FCA 1503). The investigation and subsequent court proceeding brought by ASIC arose from an issue with RACQ’s pricing engine which failed to apply discounts in the manner represented in its policies over many years. He was integral to managing RACQ’s responses to production notices and requests for interviews with witnesses. He worked as part of a team of solicitors and Senior Counsel to advise on the investigation, and corporations and financial services law. In the judgment, both ASIC and the Court commended RACQ for its conduct throughout the investigation and the ‘significant cooperation’ between RACQ and ASIC
- Acting for the Department of Defence in a class action arising from PFAS contamination at a number of military bases across Australia (Haswell v Commonwealth of Australia). Matt also acted in the defence of other ‘non-litigated’ claims made against the Commonwealth for PFAS contamination at Oakey.