James Berg

James brings over three decades of insurance experience, specialising in professional indemnity, property and product liability as well as general liability claims.

James acts for a variety of insurers, both Australian and London-based, as well as large commercial corporations. His clients span multiple industry sectors, including property, financial services, farming and construction.

James’ professional indemnity practice includes defending barristers, construction professionals, and medical/allied health professionals. His property and product liability portfolio covers disputes such as combustible cladding class actions and property damage in transit, and he recently acted in a large product liability dispute involving the supply of defective aquafeed. James also acts for public liability insurers advising on claims arising from trip and fall injuries, catastrophic injuries, nervous shock, and pure psychiatric injuries.

‘After three decades of working in my areas of practice, I feel very fortunate that I continue to enjoy what I do. Disputes in the areas I specialise in expose me to a huge amount of variation, and there is always something new to learn.’

James recognises that his clients expect quality legal advice with a pragmatic approach to dispute resolution. Having established an understanding as to the factual and legal issues in a dispute, it is then necessary to ascertain the clients' preferences in terms of resolution or defence and work towards that goal. With years of experience, James is well versed in adopting this approach which, ultimately, saves his clients in terms of unnecessary defence costs.

In addition to his litigation practice, James has delivered risk management modules for industry groups and was a keynote speaker at several industry events following the Lacrosse decision in relation to combustible cladding.