Changing guard at NZILA

NZILA’s new president is Jonathan Scragg, a partner with Duncan Cotterill.

He leads the firm’s insurance & litigation practice group in Wellington. Jonathan has a broad insurance law practice, with a particular focus on advising insurers on indemnity issues and defending professional liability claims and disciplinary processes.

He was previously an associate at Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP (now part of Clyde & Co) in London; worked for Duncan Cotterill in Christchurch; and was a judge’s clerk at the High Court of New Zealand in Wellington.

 Jonathan won the New Zealand Law Society’s Clearly Memorial Prize in 2005 and is a graduate of the University of Canterbury. He has been a member of NZILA’s national committee for the last two years and is an ANZIIF member.

He succeeds former president Jones Fee partner Craig Langstone, who has stood down after seven years in the role.  At the AGM, held during the NZILA conference, Leon Briggs was re-elected as treasurer, Frank Rose as secretary and Myles Noble is the new vice-president. He replaces Roger Scholes, who retains a role on the committee after serving for 16 years as vice-president.

 

AILA presents annual prize, life membership

Des Derrington, David Lee and Richard Douglas

Brisbane barrister Richard Douglas QC was the recipient of the 2014 AILA insurance law prize, presented at the annual conference on Hamilton Island last month.  Insurance law academic and former Qld Supreme Court Justice Des Derrington QC, who received the AILA prize in 1997, was awarded AILA life membership.  

In a separate presentation, Mr Derrington and Brisbane barrister Ron Ashton outlined some of the cases that will be included in the revised edition of their text, The Law of Liability Insurance.

 

AIDA president’s term to end

Outgoing AIDA president Michael Gill told the AILA conference AIDA’s founding fathers 50 years ago had envisaged a significant challenge in harmonising insurance law and resolving insurance disputes.

AIDA was a means of avoiding reinventing the wheel. “Through AIDA, those of us with an interest in insurance law have an opportunity to pick up on the experiences of others.

“Not all experience is transportable from one country to another. And what works for one class of insurance doesn’t necessarily work for all classes, but there is much benefit in knowing what others have done, what has succeeded and what has failed, and what emerging issues are being dealt with.”

Mr Gill said good professional relationships and appropriate networks gave all in the profession the ability to work better in their firms, offices and universities.

 

Hamilton – the party island

AILA delegates kicked up their heels at the Hamilton Island conference.

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