Summer Dow

With nearly twenty years of experience as a commercial litigator, Summer specialises in medical malpractice claims. She acts for both medical and allied health care professionals, and adjacent health services professionals, as well as GP practices and aged care facilities, in litigated claims, disciplinary/complaint inquiries, and coronial inquests, and investigations.

Summer has expertise in nervous shock and psychiatric injury claims and enjoys engaging with medical causation issues in injury matters. She also regularly advises insurers on indemnity and policy coverage and frequently assists barristers to respond to complaints, and defend litigated claims made against them. Prior to joining Barry Nilsson, Summer worked at a global law firm for 15 years, specialising in contentious and non-contentious insurance matters, with a focus on allied health and coverage matters.

'I genuinely enjoy supporting insured professionals to navigate what is likely the worst professional situation they have ever faced – having a complaint or being sued or having to engage with a coronial process – and to make it as least awful as possible. I often receive feedback from insureds for whom I have acted appreciating the professional and caring approach I provided, and this is why I continue to gain great satisfaction from continuing to engage in what is often a demanding, and sometimes thankless, role as a litigation lawyer.'

Summer takes an intelligent, pragmatic, and commercial approach to managing claims and assisting insured professionals to navigate complaints and disputes. A key element of this is achieving a detailed understanding of the underlying facts, and working collaboratively with the insured, the insurer client, and other key stakeholders to manage and analyse risks, opportunities, and obstacles to achieve the best outcome in the unique circumstances of each matter. Clients appreciate Summer’s professionalism and care, and her ability to distil key concepts into understandable explanations.