Mark Birbeck

Principal
Perth

Mark is an insurance specialist with over 25 years’ experience gained in the UK and Australia. He joined Meridian Lawyers in January 2018, opening up the firm’s Perth office. He practises almost exclusively in insurance matters, in particular, in the areas of professional indemnity, public and products liability, medical negligence, and property.

His private practice experience has been augmented by senior in-house roles with both an insurer and reinsurer. This has given Mark a unique industry perspective of the needs of insurers and their clients and specifically what they require from their legal advisers. He is well known for his pragmatic commercial advice and reasoned approach.

Mark acts for local, national, and overseas underwriters, particularly in the London market. He is regularly briefed to provide both coverage and claims management advice in complex multi-party litigation, often involving contractual indemnity disputes and dual insurance issues. In recent years Mark has had particular exposure to the mining, engineering and construction sectors. In addition, he has acted in a number of catastrophic sporting-related matters and latent diseases claims.

Prior to joining Meridian Lawyers, Mark was a partner of HBA Legal which he co-founded in 2012.

Mark has been recognised in the peer-review guide Best Lawyers Australia since 2021, for his expertise in Insurance Law and as a recommended Professional Indemnity Lawyer in Doyle’s Guide.

RECENT INSIGHTS
Feb 7, 2024

INSIGHT: Case Note | Gravel poses an ‘obvious risk’- Mind Your Step!

Fisher v Shire of Denmark [2024] WADC 1 Key takeaways Visitors to public recreational areas are expected to exercise appropriate and reasonable care for their own safety A defendant, as an occupier, is able to rely on s 5O of the Civil Liability Act 2002 (WA) (CLA) as a defence to any ‘obvious risks’ Failure […]

Jul 1, 2022

INSIGHT: Keeping an eye out: taking reasonable precautions to prevent a risk of harm materialising

Sidhoum v Minister for Education [2022] WADC 35 Key takeaways A school’s non-delegable duty of care extends to prevent students from engaging in risky behaviour in circumstances where the students should know better. The context of a situation is important when considering reasonable action to be taken in response to a risk. Background Mr Sidhoum […]

VIEW MORE