Senior Associate
Jacob Schuurmans-Stekhoven
Jacob specialises in the defence of professional indemnity and personal injury claims. He predominantly acts for insurers, with the insureds being largely certifiers, engineers, real estate agents, directors and officers, financial advisers, business brokers, licensed venues, cleaning companies and commercial proprietors.
Within the professional indemnity arena, Jacob is highly experienced with matters involving negligence, professional misconduct, and regulatory challenges. He is expert at conducting witness interviews, liability investigations, compulsory conferences and informal negotiations, and is also skilled at running pre-court matters and litigation in Queensland specifically.
With experience in both plaintiff and defendant firms, Jacob brings a unique understanding to the defence of claims, drawing on his in-depth knowledge of how plaintiff firms operate and the strategies they commonly deploy.
Jacob’s background also includes vast experience in the management of high-volume claims including PIPA, workers’ compensation and CTP (in Queensland).
He obtained his Bachelor of Laws (with Honours) from the University of Queensland and was admitted as a solicitor in 2018.
Examples of Jacob’s experience
The following list provides an indicative indication of the types of matters Jacob is known for:
- Acting for financial advisers in respect of disputes regarding proposed banning orders in ASIC hearings, self managed super funds, investment and tax advice, and personal insurance advice.
- Acting for building certifiers in significant building contract disputes.
- Acting for real estate agents and short-term rental providers in respect of misadventures on properties let out.
- Acting for real estate agents in claims of misleading and deceptive conduct, complaints and contract disputes.
- Providing comprehensive risk management advice and strategies to cleaning companies to minimise claims and mitigate the extent of claims made.
- Advising insurers on indemnity questions, including non-disclosure, fraud and policy interpretation.
Why clients like him
Jacob’s areas of expertise
Catastrophic Injury Claims
Catastrophic injury claims involve the severely injured, such as quadriplegics, paraplegics and those with severe brain injuries. These types of claims require…
Coverage Disputes & Investigations
Disputes over insurance coverage require careful, technically informed legal strategies. Our coverage disputes and indemnity expertise assists insurers and self-insured entities with…
Financial Lines
Our national Financial Lines team is highly respected by insurers, brokers, corporate clients, executives, and professionals. We act in matters involving financial…
General Liability
While public liability, product liability, and property damage represent major segments of the general liability landscape, many other claims fall into specialised,…
Industrial Diseases
The HBA team has a long history managing a portfolio of industrial diseases claims on instructions from major private insurers, self-insureds and…
