Marie-Claire O’Kane

Marie-Claire practises in the areas of commercial litigation, civil fraud, professional liability and regulation, insurance and public law.

Marie-Claire has particular experience in high profile, complex and sensitive disputes. She studied at Harvard Law School, Oxford University, University of Paris II and Trinity College Dublin. She has taught law as a visiting tutor at the London School of Economics and King’s College London.

Commercial litigation and civil fraud

Marie-Claire has been instructed in some of the largest claims before the Commercial Court and has significant trial experience of the most procedurally complex proceedings. She acted as junior counsel for the claimant in the recent 19-week Commercial Court trial in Suppipat & Ors v Narongdej & Ors, a $2 billion unlawful means conspiracy, fraud and bribery claim with significant multi-jurisdictional aspects, featured in The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2022. She has also acted as junior counsel for one of the 92 defendants in the SKAT litigation, concerning an alleged $1.5 billion fraud arising out of a cum-ex trading scheme, featured in The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2021. She is presently instructed as junior counsel for the claimant in the trial to take place in 2023 of a multi-million pound claim against a Big Four accountancy firm and US law firm.

Professional liability and regulation

Marie-Claire has extensive experience of acting for both claimants and defendants in claims against a broad spectrum of professional advisers, including tax advisers, insurance brokers, barristers, solicitors, IFAs and professional trustees, often involving sensitive regulatory and disciplinary issues. She has particular experience of dealing with case management issues arising in large-scale, document heavy, multi-party litigation. Marie-Claire’s professional liability experience also includes offshore elements; she is currently instructed as junior counsel in a c.$70m claim against a professional trustee in relation to the management of an offshore trust. Marie-Claire is an Editor of the Ninth Edition of Jackson & Powell on Professional Liability.

Insurance

Marie-Claire has acted for and advised both policyholders and insurers across a wide range of insurance disputes, including business interruption claims arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, successor practice disputes under the SRA Minimum Terms and Conditions, as well as duty of fair presentation and dishonesty issues. Her insurance practice is complemented by her experience of claims against insurance brokers, in respect of which she recently acted as junior counsel in defence of a multi-million pound claim arising out of arson at a commercial premises. Marie-Claire is a contributor to the 4 New Square Insurance Law Review.

Public law

Marie-Claire has extensive public inquiry experience, largely involving matters of scientific or technical complexity. She was recently appointed by Baroness Heather Hallett as junior counsel to the Covid-19 Inquiry, dealing with the module addressing the development, delivery and impact of vaccines and therapeutics during the pandemic. She is also instructed as junior counsel to the largest group of bereaved, survivors and former residents in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, involved in (amongst others) modules addressing the testing, performance and manufacture of construction products and the associated regulatory regime.

Further detail on Marie-Claire’s expertise is set out below.

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