Marine

The Cooper Grace Ward team has experience with the unique legal challenges of transport law and works with a range of clients in the marine sector.

Our dedicated maritime law team is led by special counsel Gillian Bristow. Gillian's experience of tutoring in commercial law and torts law at Queensland University of Technology, and lecturing in maritime law for the marine and shipping law unit at the University of Queensland, provides leadership for a team that advises on:

• defence of insurance claims proceedings on behalf of marine insurers
• recovery actions on behalf of marine insurers where cargo fails to arrive, or arrives in a damaged state
• policy interpretation advice to marine insurers
• litigation in relation to cargo damage (matters have involved complex legal issues in relation to causation, the proximate cause of loss and the proper interpretation of the Institute Cargo clauses)
• risk management issues, licensing and certification requirements
• probity issues

The team is involved with the Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, and acts for marine insurers, brokers, cargo owners and associated transport operators

Gillian has practised in insurance law for 20 years and during this period has dealt with a wide variety of insurance policies including;

• public liability policies;
• commercial motor vehicle fleet and heavy equipment policies; and
• marine policies including hull and cargo, carriers’ legal liability and load policies and ship repairers’ policies.

Gillian has a special interest in transport law, both heavy road transport and maritime law.

Matters in which Gillian has been involved include advising insurers in relation to all aspects of insurance cover including;

• indemnity issues;
• issues of double insurance;
• drafting policy wordings for load and liability insurance; and
• recovery/subrogation actions on behalf of insurers.

As part of completing her Masters degree, Gillian undertook several research projects involving transport issues such as the use of exclusion clauses in the road transport industry, sub-bailment, marine insurance law reform and freight forwarding. Gillian has also published articles in the National Law Review, Macarthur Law Review and the Australian Business Law Review dealing with transport law.

Gillian has tutored in commercial law and torts law at Queensland University of Technology and has lectured in maritime law for the Centre of Maritime Law at the University of Queensland.