Virginia first joined Fee Langstone’s predecessor firm Jones Fee in 1999, after graduating from the University of Otago with BA and LLB degrees. In 2001, Virginia set off for the United Kingdom. What was intended to be a working holiday turned into nearly a decade in London where she gained invaluable insurance litigation experience working at two well-regarded law firms specialising primarily in professional indemnity claims. Virginia was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in January 2003.

In May 2011 Virginia re-joined the partners of Fee Langstone, becoming a partner on 1 February 2019. Virginia specialises in insurance litigation and advice with an emphasis on liability claims (particularly professional indemnity) fire and general insurance (including earthquake claims) and policy coverage. She enjoys the challenge of finding commercial and pragmatic ways to resolve difficult legal issues.

Virginia has been named a Next Generation Partner in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific edition since 2020 and is a recommended lawyer in 2024.

“Virginia Wethey is smart and capable, gets to the point quickly and can grapple with complex legal issues.”

“Virginia Wethey is very calm, smart and thoughtful. She approaches difficult issues by breaking them down into manageable stages to get to a resolution. She is also very personable.”

“Virginia Wethey is a highly capable insurance lawyer who can tackle a wide range of complex claims.”

— Client testimonials, Legal 500 Asia Pacific Rankings 2020/2023

Work highlights in NZ

• Acting for insured professionals in the defence of claims made against them (in particular solicitors, accountants, architects, engineers and brokers).

• Assisting insurers in responding to complaints made to FSCL or the Insurance & Savings Ombudsman.

• Assisting various professionals in relation to complaints made to their regulatory bodies (in particular solicitors, accountants and brokers).

• Advising insurer clients on the many issues arising out of the Canterbury and Kaikoura earthquakes.

• Assisting with the drafting of home, contents, motor and liability policies for NZ insurers.

• Successfully defended a claim brought by a real estate agent against a firm of solicitors in relation to a sale & purchase agreement (Messenger v Stanaway & Ors).

• A two-month, part-time secondment at a major insurance company to cover the Financial Lines/Casualty Claims Specialist role until a permanent replacement was found.

Work highlights in the UK

• Acted for a firm of architects in the successful recovery of outstanding fees and the defence of a counterclaim alleging that the work undertaken by the architect was negligent.

• Defended adjudication proceedings issued against a firm of asbestos surveyors alleging that they had failed to identify asbestos in a large housing estate.

• Acted on behalf of a structural engineer in a claim arising out of the alleged negligent design of a large tenpin bowling and event centre.

• Acted for an insurance broker in the defence of proceedings relating to the placement of Bankers Blanket Bond Insurance for a South American bank.

• Member of a team acting for the applicant (an American engineering firm) in a US$100 International Construction (ICC) arbitration relating to the design of a sulphur recovery unit.

• Acted for the applicant in a reinsurance arbitration between an insurer client and its reinsurer where the reinsurer disputed the terms of the contract.

• Acted on many product liability cases, including defending two large pharmaceutical companies. 

• Had a three-month, part time secondment in the professional indemnity claims team at WR Berkley.

Professional associations

• New Zealand Law Society

• Women’s Law Association

• New Zealand Insurance Law Association (NZILA) Committee Member

• The Insurance Network