Insurance Law

Barlows Hong Kong exits underline Asia's increasing promise for insurance advisers

By Suzi Ring | April 19, 2012

"In the last six months there has been a notable recognition that the European and US economies are not going to recover anytime soon, so firms are looking to maximise their coverage in Asia – any law firm with a global strategy has to..."

1 minute read

Six firms appointed to US insurance giant's debut UK roster

By Suzi Ring | April 19, 2012

US insurance company WR Berkley has appointed its first-ever UK claims panel, with six firms handed places on the roster. Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC), Kennedys, DAC Beachcroft, CMS Cameron McKenna and City disputes boutique Reynolds Colman Bradley have all been appointed to the new panel, with Clyde & Co also set to take a spot after terms have been finalised.

1 minute read

Clydes sees seven-partner walkout of legacy Barlows Hong Kong team

By Suzi Ring | April 4, 2012

Clyde & Co is facing a partner walkout in Hong Kong as all seven legacy Barlow Lyde & Gilbert partners exit the firm's local arm to join a trio of UK rivals. Hong Kong senior partner David Smyth, marine insurance partner Andrew Horton, insurance partner Antony Sassi and disputes partner Gary Yin are all set to join Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC), with the firm understood to be opening an office in the region with the new hires.

1 minute read

Raft of advisers act as Supreme Court settles insurer liability on asbestos exposure claims

By Rose Orlik | March 29, 2012

A landmark Supreme Court ruling handed down yesterday (28 March) means insurers could face hundreds of millions in claims from sufferers of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos dust. By a majority of four to one, the Supreme Court ruled that the insurer indemnifying an employer at the time of exposure of their staff to asbestos - known as the trigger period - was liable for subsequent damages claims, not the insurer providing cover at the time mesothelioma develops.

1 minute read

US firm signs up former Barlows practice chief for London launch

By Suzi Ring | March 16, 2012

US firm Goldberg Segalla is set to launch an office in London with the hire of legacy Barlow Lyde & Gilbert commercial risk and reinsurance head Clive O'Connell. The office, Goldberg's first outside the US, will open in London's EC3 insurance district at No 1 Cornhill in April this year.

1 minute read

DLA's Mexico entrance flags up growing interest in burgeoning LatAm markets

By Rose Orlik | March 8, 2012

Robust insurance and infrastructure sectors are drawing legal advisers to Mexico and Brazil. Rose Orlik reports

1 minute read

Linklaters and CC advise on HSBC's $914m insurance sale

By Sofia Lind | March 8, 2012

Clifford Chance (CC) and Linklaters have picked up lead roles on HSBC's sale of its Asian and Latin American insurance businesses to AXA and QBE for $914m (£578m). CC is acting both for HSBC and Hang Seng Bank on the sale of the businesses in Hong Kong, Singapore, Argentina and Mexico. Linklaters is advising AXA, which is paying $494m (£313m) in cash for HSBC's insurance portfolios in Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico.

1 minute read

Private equity house takes majority Parabis stake in law firm LBO first

By Sofia Lind | February 6, 2012

Private equity house Duke Street has acquired a majority stake in the Parabis Group, the parent company of insurance litigation law firms Plexus Law and Cogent Law. The deal, which values Parabis between £150m and £200m, is subject to approval from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), but is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2012.

1 minute read

Clydes ramps up expansion plans with Beijing and Australia launches targeted

By Ben Wheway | February 2, 2012

Clyde & Co has added Beijing, Australia and Mexico to its list of international targets, as the insurance leader ploughs ahead with plans to expand in the US. The firm is currently weighing up office launches in Beijing and Australia in a bid to take advantage of the booming Asia-Pacific market, with both the east and west coast of Australia under consideration.

1 minute read

Aviva names four firms on catastrophic loss panel as AMP confirms new Asia roster

By Ben Wheway | February 2, 2012

Herbert Smith has been selected by Aviva as one of four firms to sit on its UK catastrophic loss panel, with the appointment coming as Australian wealth manager AMP has finalised its new Asia legal roster following its merger with AXA Asia-Pacific. Herbert Smith has been selected for the Aviva panel alongside Mayer Brown, Clyde & Co and Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, with the 
roster taking effect from January this year.

1 minute read

Law.com

Federal Judge: Insurers Not Obligated to Cover Ex-Law Firm Partner's Criminal Defense Fees

By Allison Dunn | May 5, 2022

Schulman filed a separate lawsuit in district court against insurance carriers that issued professional liability policies to the law firm after he was denied coverage for his defense fees incurred in connection with the indictment.

6 minute read

New York Law Journal

Rule 9(b) Pleading Requirements Under the False Claims Act

By Michael A. Sirignano | May 5, 2022

The governing law in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, including the need to plead representative examples of fraudulent claims, derives from the Second Circuit's decision in 'U.S. ex rel. Chorches v. American Medical Response'.

10 minute read

New York Law Journal

Additional Insured Coverage and Third-Party Pleadings

By Julian D. Ehrlich | May 5, 2022

This discussion will examine how unfolding case law since 'Burlington' has delved ever deeper into the nature of causation and most recently led to a new body of law interpreting the effect of third-party pleadings on AI coverage.

7 minute read

Law.com

Law.com Litigation Trendspotter: COVID-19 Business Interruption Rulings Snowballing in Favor of Insurers

By Zack Needles | May 2, 2022

The momentum in favor of insurers in business interruption litigation has picked up speed in recent weeks, with more federal appeals courts, as well as the first two state high courts in the U.S., rejecting policyholders' claims that COVID-19 caused "direct physical harm or damage" to their properties.

7 minute read

New Jersey Law Journal

Ruling Empowers Banking and Insurance Commissioner

By Law Journal Editorial Board | May 1, 2022

It will be interesting to watch the impact of this opinion, which could have significant consequences for New Jersey insureds.

3 minute read

New York Law Journal

Meaning and Enforceability of Insurance Company Guidelines

By Jeffrey G. Steinberg | April 29, 2022

A discussion of insurance company litigation management guidelines, and some "over-the-top behavior by insurers warranting pushback."

5 minute read

Daily Report Online

'Words Matter' in Avoiding Bad-Faith Judgment: Lessons From Insurance Defense Litigators

By Katheryn Hayes Tucker | April 28, 2022

Cozen O'Connor insurance defense litigators Michael Melendez of San Francisco and Chad Pasternack of West Palm Beach, Florida, offered takeaways from select cases last year.

4 minute read

Law.com

Colorado Court: Notice-Prejudice Rule Does Not Apply to Homeowners Insurance, But High Court Should Weigh In

By Colleen Murphy | April 28, 2022

The Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled that the "notice-prejudice rule" does not apply to homeowners policies, but added that "this case may present an opportunity for our supreme court to provide clarity on this question."

3 minute read

Law.com

Federal Judge, Admitting to Initially Being Too 'Preoccupied' With 1 Aspect of Case, Revises Indemnification Ruling

By Allison Dunn | April 27, 2022

"The Court admits that it was so preoccupied with the parties' arguments on the duty to defend and applying the Eight Corners Doctrine that it overlooked an aspect of the law on the duty to indemnify," Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson of the Eastern District of Virginia wrote.

6 minute read

The American Lawyer

Was There Another Reason Law Firms Left Russia?

By Jack Womack | April 27, 2022

As sanctions regimes evolved, some insurers pulled cover for Russia-related work, which pressured law firms into ceasing operations in the country, several partners say.

6 minute read