Hannah is a professional indemnity and dispute resolution lawyer specialising in the defence of high value and complex claims against construction and property professionals, including architects, engineers, interior designers, surveyors, valuers and planners. She is head of the firm's construction professional insurance practice, leading a team of experienced construction insurance lawyers across our national offices.
Hannah also has significant experience defending other professionals, in particular, solicitors, accountants, brokers and independent financial advisers.
She acts for many of the major insurers and regularly advises on policy coverage.
Hannah gives regular external training to clients and the wider market providing seminars and workshops on a range of defence and coverage issues. She is also a regular contributor to the legal press.
Experience
Examples of experience include advising:
- a firm of engineers in relation to a £3m claim arising from the allegedly defective specification of a smoke ventilation system in a hotel and leisure development
- providing coverage advice to insurers in respect of a £60m claim arising from the alleged defective design of piling works for a large warehouse.
- a firm of engineers in the defence of a £1.6m claim in respect of the design of a basement drainage system in a development of high specification riverside apartments.
- a firm of building surveyors in the defence of a claim relating to the specification of works to replace exterior cladding on an apartment block.
- a firm of architects in the defence of a claim relating to the alleged defective design of a housing development.
- a firm of lead consultants in the successful defence at trial of a £40m claim by a housing association for whom it had acted as lead consultant on a large scale purchase of government housing stock: Community Gateway Association Ltd v Beha Williams Norman Ltd [2011] EWHC 2311 (TCC) and securing an indemnity costs order despite the withdrawal of a Part 36 offer: Community Gateway Association Ltd v Beha Williams Norman Ltd [2011] EWHC 2994 (TCC)
- a national firm of commercial property consultants following a fraud by a senior employee, ensuring restitution of the misappropriated funds and dealing with the multiple tenant claims that ensued.
- the third party solicitors in the defence of a £16m claim by a developer in relation to its aborted purchase of a development site in the Thames Gateway
- a firm of solicitors in the successful defence at trial of a £1.4m claim by an investment fund in relation to the certificate of title provided in respect of a loan secured on a development property in Liverpool: The Connaught Income Fund (Series 1) (in liquidation) v Hewetts Solicitors [2016] EWHC 2286 (Ch),
- independent financial advisors defending claims arising from the Stax litigation and more recently the claims by the Financial Services Compensation Authority in the Keydata litigation.
'Tough yet commercially astute', 'incisive in her analysis', and 'goes out of her way to put the clients' needs at the heart of the excellent service she delivers'.
Legal 500, 2018
- Award for Commercial Insurance Law Firm of the Year 2018, Lawyer Monthly Awards
- Shortlisted for Legal 500 Insurance Firm of the Year 2017 and 2018
- Award for Insurance Team of the Year 2017 Legal Business Awards
- Shortlisted for FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Europe 2017 for Private Edge Product developed with AIG
- Shortlisted for Insurance Firm of the Year 2017 Post Claims Awards
- Awarded Construction Firm of the Year (UK) 2016 The Lawyer Monthly
- Shortlisted for Legal 500 2017 award for our expertise in professional negligence
- Shortlisted for Legal 500 2016 award for our expertise in professional negligence.
Awards
