Helen McHugh

Helen specialises in general insurance litigation with over 10 years' experience as a defendant insurance litigation lawyer. She is committed to providing high-quality, cost-effective legal services to her clients with particular focus on early resolution and excellent outcomes.

In 2018, Helen joined the Health and Government group of McCabes, representing NSW Health agencies in litigated and unlitigated medical negligence and recovery claims in the Supreme and District Courts of New South Wales.

Prior to joining the Health and Government group, Helen specialised in complex workers compensation insurance litigation. She practised across a variety of insurance law matters including catastrophic injury, compensation to relatives, dust diseases and employer liability claims in the context of State workers compensation, common law work injury damages and recovery. Her experience also extends to latent personal injury claims which require consideration of historical public liability insurance policies, including claims concerning the sexual abuse of minors.

Helen regularly acted in complex and catastrophic injury and recovery claims in the District and Supreme Courts of New South Wales, as well as the Supreme Courts of Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Helen provided strategic advice to major Australian insurers, self-insurers and reinsurers on the day-to-day management of these insurance claims.

Helen is a member of McCabes' Pro Bono and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and coordinates the firm's charitable programs and charity support including LEAPS (Law Firms Encouraging and Assisting Promising Students), Grace Centre for Newborn Care, Youngcare and CanToo.

Helen was one of ten finalists in the 2017 Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards in the category, Senior Associate of the Year.