Melissa Bell - Solicitor

Melissa obtained her LLB and BEcon degrees from the University of Queensland before being admitted as a solicitor in Queensland in 2001.  After two years working in a leading Australian insurance practice focusing on public liability and professional indemnity claims, Melissa moved to London and was admitted as a solicitor of England and Wales in 2004.

Melissa worked in the insurance and reinsurance team of a London firm where she acted in high value and complex multi-national insurance coverage claims arising from a range of policies.  Her significant cases included advising a major global financial institution on coverage for claims pleaded in excess of US$500 million, arising under its E&O, D&O and crime policies, after the collapse of a hedge fund.  Melissa also advised underwriters in respect of coverage under professional indemnity policies after a lengthy High Court trial involving a global construction company.

After three years in private practice in London, Melissa moved to a Lloyd's managing agency where as in-house counsel she managed the resolution of over US$100 million in disputes concerning Lloyd's syndicates, with a focus on reinsurance disputes.  Melissa was responsible for managing arbitrations and litigation arising in various jurisdictions throughout Europe and the United States.  Melissa also provided in-house advice to the company's board and claims team and also worked with the underwriting team drafting a range of policy wordings and agreements setting up and dismantling delegated underwriting and claims handling arrangements.

After six years in London, Melissa moved to New Zealand and began working with Jones Fee and was admitted as a solicitor in New Zealand in 2010.  She looks forward to using her wealth of experience to serve the needs of New Zealand and international insurers.

Melissa enjoys travelling, reading, swimming and anything gourmet in her spare time.