Accountants
Do you or your clients have commercial disputes? Company or shareholder disagreements, partnership dissolutions or issues with trusts? Have they purchased assets or a business that has not performed or been valued as represented? Do you want to refer your clients to a solicitor and actually have them thank you for it?
Richard has acted in numerous matters involving company and partnership disputes, pre-purchase due diligence reports, business and property valuations, audit reports and a wide range of commercial disputes. His most significant matters were acting for auditors in two separate matters where publicly listed companies were liquidated, owing millions. In the most recent matter, claims against the auditors exceeded $500,000,000. Richard was able to settle both matters within the insurance cover and avoid personal exposure to the accountants.
Richard is familiar with the financial and accounting issues involved in these types of matters and his expert and commercially pragmatic approach and our Four Point Commitment will ensure that disputes are resolved expeditiously at appropriate cost.
Builders, contractors and developers
Do you have building or development related disputes? Richard Leahy is an experienced building and construction litigator with experience in negligence and contractual disputes, including BCIPA claims. He has acted in these matters for principals, contractors and sub-contractors since the days of the Building Tribunal (now QCAT) and in Queensland and Federal courts.
He has also acted in planning and environment matters, for both developers and objectors, including permissible change applications and appeals.
Richard’s expert and commercially pragmatic approach and our Four Point Commitment will ensure that disputes are resolved expeditiously at appropriate cost.
Commercial property owners and managers
Do you or your clients have commercial disputes with tenants or contractors or town planning issues? Is a tenant suing for damages for interference with their tenancy? Is a tenant in default under their lease? Do you have a building dispute or town planning issues relating to the development or redevelopment of commercial premises?
Richard has extensive experience acting for commercial property owners and managers, acting in a variety of disputes including debt collection, claims by tenants for loss of trade, disputes with building contractors (including BCIPA claims) and town planning matters. He has acted in these matters since the days of the Retail Shop Leases Tribunal (now QCAT). In a notable recent matter, he successfully defended a claim by a tenant that a “ratchet” clause in a lease was invalid (Devery’s Pharmacy Services Pty Ltd [2015] QCAT 275). The tenant’s appeal was ultimately abandoned. In another matter, he was successful in having a modest award of damages in favor of a tenant offset against outstanding rent so that no payment was required from the owner. He has acted successfully in this context against K-Mart, Woolworths and the Just Group.
Our Four Point Commitment will ensure that disputes are resolved expeditiously at appropriate cost.
Insurance brokers
Do you or your clients have disputes with an insurer? Has cover been refused or limited, commission disputed or a dispute arisen as to the management of a scheme? Do you want to refer your clients to a solicitor and actually have them thank you for it?
Richard has acted for most of Australia’s major insurers (and international insurers writing risks in Australia, including a number of Lloyds syndicates) in a career spanning 20 years. He is a Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance, he knows insurance law, he knows how insurers operate and he knows how to maximize your result against them. Our Four Point Commitment will ensure that disputes are resolved expeditiously at appropriate cost.
Contact Richard Leahy on 0421608459 or [email protected].