Debra Kirkwood

Debra Kirkwood

Associate

Mills & Reeve


Lawyer Type:
  • Solicitor
Years Qualified:
21

Mills & Reeve

Personal Profile

I specialise in defending professional negligence claims against independent financial advisers and solicitors, although I also have experience defending accountants, auditors, engineers, architects, surveyors and management agents. I have also worked on a number of reinsurance disputes, including one relating to the PA LMX spiral. Disputes have been successfully resolved through the courts, the Financial Ombudsman Service, mediation and other forms of ADR. During a secondment with one of our insurer clients I gained invaluable insight into the commercial pressures on claims handlers.

The litigated cases that I have defended include Asiansky Television plc & Another v Khanzada & Others, which was successfully struck out in 2011, and the B of the Bang litigation, which settled in 2008. Since July 2009 I have been defending Keydata claims brought through the Courts and the Financial Ombudsman Service.

I enjoy analysing the pressure points of a case and developing my clients' defence strategy. This may involve exploring whether the dispute can be resolved before it goes to trial. Recently I was involved in a complex multi-party settlement negotiated over a number of months. Although the claim initially focused on my client, during this period a close factual analysis and good expert evidence gradually redirected the parties' attention to the co-defendants. As a result, my client paid a significantly reduced contribution towards the settlement.

A number of clients have said that they view me as a "safe pair of hands" for their high value or complex cases, and that I have the ability to find evidence that allows them to negotiate or litigate from a position of strength.

Address

Fountain House
130 Fenchurch Street
London
EC3M 5DJ

Expertise

  • Disputes
  • Operating Your Business
  • Business disputes

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