United Kingdom > London > Insurance > Insurance: corporate and regulatory
Index of tables
Insurance: corporate and regulatory
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1
- Clifford Chance
- Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
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Hogan Lovells International LLP - Linklaters LLP
- Norton Rose LLP
- Slaughter and May
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2
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3
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Carter Perry Bailey LLP - DLA Piper UK LLP
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Leading individuals
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- Duncan Barber - Linklaters LLP
- James Bateson - Norton Rose LLP
- Stephen Browning - Clyde & Co LLP
- Katherine Coates - Clifford Chance
- Pollyanna Deane - Simmons & Simmons LLP
- Ivor Edwards - Clyde & Co LLP
- Hilary Evenett - Clifford Chance
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Ian Fagelson -
Reed Smith -
Tim Goggin -
Hogan Lovells International LLP - Jeremy Hill - Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
- Andrew Holderness - Clyde & Co LLP
- Nicholas Hutton - Holman Fenwick Willan LLP
- Philip Jarvis - Allen & Overy LLP
- Adam Levitt - Herbert Smith LLP
- James Lewis - Holman Fenwick Willan LLP
- Geoffrey Maddock - Herbert Smith LLP
- Martin Membery - Sidley Austin LLP
- Mike Munro - CMS Cameron McKenna LLP
- Tim Page - Clifford Chance
- James Perry - Ashurst
- Ian Poynton - Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
- Philip Richards - Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
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Charles Rix -
Hogan Lovells International LLP - Maria Ross - Norton Rose LLP
- James Smethurst - Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
- Verner Southey - Clyde & Co LLP
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David Sullivan -
Hogan Lovells International LLP - Robert Stirling - Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
- Clare Swirski - Clifford Chance
- David Whear - Norton Rose LLP
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John Young -
Hogan Lovells International LLP
The team at Clifford Chance ‘never fails to deliver a consistent and highly professional service’. Katherine Coates is head of the global insurance group and advised Aviva on its restructuring under Part VII, resulting in the transfer of over 13 million insurance contracts. Clare Swirski is a ‘god-send’, and recently advised Royal Liver on the transfer of its whole business to Royal London, involving reserves of £2.5bn. Tim Page handled a major UK buyout, advising Carlyle Group on its acquisition of RAC from Aviva. Also recommended are Alex Erasmus, who advised HSBC on the disposal of its general insurance business and on bancassurance agreements in Asia and South America; and Hilary Evenett.
Noted as allowing ‘plenty of partner involvement’, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP acts in challenging and high-profile transactions, drawing on its lawyers’ expertise in a variety of disciplines. The team advised Aon on its move from Chicago to London, while remaining listed on NYSE. James Smethurst and Julian Long acted for Admin Re, a business unit of Swiss Re, in relation to its acquisition of 300,000 life and health policies and £1.6bn assets from the American Life insurance Company.
Hogan Lovells International LLP’s corporate and regulatory insurance team is headed by Tim Goggin, and advises life and non-life insurers and reinsurers, Lloyd’s participants, friendly societies and banks. Goggin recently acted for Cigna on its acquisition of FirstAssist insurance, which has three million policyholders; and Charles Rix acted for AXA in its £115m sale of Denplan to the Simplyhealth Group. Other key clients include Sompo, Prudential and Equitable Life. Peter Taylor remains as a consultant, and is ‘very responsive’. The ‘diligent and determined’ Steven McEwan was promoted to partner, and David Sullivan and John Young are also recommended.
At Linklaters LLP, Victoria Sander has taken over as global insurance sector head, and recently acted for Royal London on its acquisition of Royal Liver, which constituted a demutualisation of one of the UK’s largest societies. Duncan Barber advised Old Mutual plc and Skandia Life Assurance on the disposal of the latter’s Finnish branch to OP-Pohjol; and Dan Schuster-Woldan advised AXA on its acquisition of HSBC’s general insurance business in Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico. Matthew Bland is also recommended. Matthew Middleditch is now based in the firm’s Hong Kong office The team is ‘dedicated’, and valued for its ‘quick response times’.
Norton Rose LLP has a strong reputation in the Lloyd’s market, and was active in M&A transactions in 2011. David Whear advised Ryan Speciality Group on its acquisition of Lloyd’s underwriter the Jubilee Group; and practice head James Bateson acted for RBS Insurance on the transfer of Churchill, Direct Line and NIG to UK Insurance, involving some 22 million policyholders. New panel wins for the team included RSA, Brit and Torus. Bob Haken was promoted to partner, in a boost to the regulatory side of the practice. Maria Ross is ‘technically able and a pleasure to work with’, and is recommended for life insurance matters.
Slaughter and May is notable for its strength in international matters, recently acting for Old Mutual plc on the sale of its Nordic business to Skandia Liv for £2.1bn. The team also has expertise in alternative forms of longevity transactions, and acted for Aegon in the reinsurance hedge of Deutsche Bank’s longevity swap with Rolls-Royce Pension Fund. Richard Smith advised Aviva on the sale of RAC to the Carlyle Group. Craig Cleaver, Jan Putnis and Jonathan Marks are also recommended.
Handling ‘high-end, complex matters’, the team at Ashurst acts for both insurers and investors in the insurance industry. Jonathan Drake advised Barbican Insurance on its proposed transactions with Omega Insurance; and David Page acted for Lloyds Electrical Contractors Association on the disposal of TSM Agencies to niche insurer ProSight, a joint venture between Goldman Sachs and Texas Pacific. The highly regarded Adam Levitt and Hammad Akhtar are set to join from Herbert Smith LLP.
CMS Cameron McKenna LLP is advising Met Life Inc on its reorganisation, a substantial and complex matter involving Part VII transfers and covering 15 jurisdictions. The team is well regarded for its strength in regulatory work, and Mike Munro and James Parker recently advised SCOR Global Life in relation to reinsurance capacity in support of the £2.2bn longevity swamp between Deutsche Bank and Rolls-Royce Pension scheme. Paul Edmondson heads the team, and Chris Southorn is also recommended. New clients include Aviva, Allianz and Munich Re Life.
Clyde & Co LLP is ‘well respected for M&A work’ in the sector. Andy Tromans acts in major transactional work, and advised Swiss Re on its high-value acquisition by reinsurance of Zurich Specialities London Limited, which was followed by a Part VII transfer. Gary Thorpe is also a key player on the corporate side, and provides ‘clear, concise advice on complex issues’; and Ivor Edwards has a ‘high level of professionalism and commercial acumen’. Geraldine Quirk is ‘technically sound on regulatory issues’. Clients of the team include ACE, RBS and RSA.
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP focuses on international work and has recently handled a number of complex M&A transactions, including advising Omega Insurance Holdings in the highly publicised bidding war of Haverford (Bermuda) Ltd’s partial cash offer for the company. The team also advised Omega on takeover approaches from Canopius Group Ltd and Barbican Group Holdings Limited. Jeremy Hill is recommended.
Geoffrey Maddock heads the team at Herbert Smith LLP, which has a highly regarded M&A and transfers practice, and ‘acts on some of the largest and most considerable transactions’. It recently advised a client in a bid for the Irish Life Assurance Company, following the Irish High Court’s order requiring its sale by Irish Life & Permanent. New clients include EDF. The highly regarded Adam Levitt and Hammad Akhtar are set to join Ashurst.
RPC is ‘outstanding value for money’, and attracts high-profile M&A instructions from major insurers such as RSA and Chaucer Holdings plc. Head of department James Mee is ‘very commercial and solutions oriented’. Peter Hill joined from CMS Cameron McKenna LLP, adding expertise in broker acquisitions. The team has significant regulatory expertise, and recently advised the Lloyd’s Market Association on the remuneration of insurance brokers and standard terms of business agreements. Jonathan Davies and Richard Burger are ‘outstanding lawyers’, and Sanjay Pritam is recommended for his outsourcing work.
The highly regarded Philip Jarvis heads the insurance group at Allen & Overy LLP. It is a relatively small team, but handles high-quality matters, recently carrying out significant work for Legal & General Group plc on its longevity risk transaction of the Pilkington Glass Pension Scheme. On the M&A side, Jarvis and Stephen Mathews advised Nomura on its acquisition of Delta Lloyd’s German life insurance business and the Axent business in Holland. Of counsel Andrew Barton is also recommended.
DAC Beachcroft LLP is praised for its ‘quality of advice, judgement and turnaround times’. The team acted for Groupama on the sale of its health insurance business to Simplyhealth, and Mathew Rutter advised AXA on a seven-year distribution agreement with the Co-operative Bank. Other clients include BUPA and Ageas. Bristol-based David Pollitt heads the group. Funds specialist Barry Stimpson joined from RPC.
Simon Brooks heads the team at Eversheds LLP, which has a focus on the nuclear, energy and power sectors. Jeremy Irving advised the Malta-domiciled Northcourt Limited on the establishment of a nuclear risk underwriting agent; the matter was unusual as such risks are historically underwritten by government entities. Michael Wainwright is recommended for his life insurance expertise, and recently advised British Airways Pension Services Ltd on a £1.3bn longevity insurance contract with Rothesay Life. Jonathon Crook adds expertise on the regulatory side.
Holman Fenwick Willan LLP continues to attract high-profile work. Ashwani Kochhar advised Syndicate Holding Corp on its £68.5m acquisition of HI UK, a division of HSBC; and Richard Spiller acted on the sale of the shares in the Jubilee Managing Agency at Lloyd’s to Ryan Specialty Group LLC. Nicholas Hutton is recommended. James Lewis joined from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP.
David Grantham heads the group at Ince & Co, which advises large commercial companies, intermediaries and investors on insurance matters, including regulatory issues. Corporate lawyer Tanya Nash joined from SNR Denton.
With core strength in M&A, restructuring and private equity, Mayer Brown International LLP is highlighted for its ‘cross-border capability’. Head of corporate insurance Martin Mankabady is ‘very good, and knows his stuff’; and Ian McKenna is ‘very astute and commercial’. William Charnley is also recommended, and the team welcomed Colin Scagell from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Clients of the team include QBE, ACE and Chartis.
Pinsent Masons LLP has a strong client base in the composite market. Alexis Roberts has recently acted on a number of distribution deals, and Bruno Geiringer advised Zurich Financial Services on its investment management agreement with Threadneedle Asset Management for Zurich’s internal life and pension funds. Roger Fink has ‘a wonderful manner with clients’, and recently carried out key transactional work for RSA. Michael Lewis joined from Norton Rose LLP, bringing notable expertise in FSA advisory work.
Shearman & Sterling LLP’s strength is its regulatory offering. Practice head Barney Reynolds is advising the UAE Ministry of Finance on drafting a new federal framework to govern financial services and the insurance industry. Azad Ali is also recommended.
Sidley Austin LLP has a team of ‘talented individuals providing exceptional service’, with practice head Martin Membery noted for his ‘pragmatic approach’. Matthew Dening is praised for his ‘strong working knowledge of standard structures and derivatives’; and Matthew Griffith is also recommended, along with associate James Phythian-Adams, who joined from RPC. The team recently acted for a reinsurance group in relation to the £3bn Rolls-Royce Pension Scheme longevity swap to Deutsche Bank. Other clients include Aon, Prudential plc and Munich Re.
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP joins the ranking following its hire of Joseph Ferraro and Nicholas Bugler from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, and, more recently, of Judith Harger from the same firm, who focuses on tax issues for insurers. The team has particular expertise in the Lloyd’s market. Recent work includes acting for Aspen Insurance Holdings in a public offering of preference shares; and for Aviva in relation to an offering of $400m capital securities in the US.
Addleshaw Goddard LLP’s non-contentious insurance team is based in Leeds and headed by David Heffron. It receives high-value instructions from a broad client base, and often advises insurer clients on restructuring, acquisitions and distribution deals. It acted for Simply Health Group on the acquisition of Denplan Limited, a subsidiary of AXA UK plc, and on a further acquisition of the Groupama healthcare business in the UK and Channel Islands. Neil Woolhouse and senior associate Jayne Bennett are recommended.
The team at Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP has recently won new panel appointments including Munich Re, and gained new clients such as Tesco Bank and the International Underwriting Association. Adam Bogdanor advised CLAL on its complex sale of Lloyd’s syndicate Broadgate Underwriting Limited to Torus Insurance Holdings; and Jacob Ghanty is highly recommended. Pollyanna Deane is now with Simmons & Simmons LLP.
At Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP, practice head Damian Connolly advised a US insurance broker in its purchase of THB Group plc, under the new UK Takeover Code. The team was boosted by the arrival of Chris Finney from Wragge & Co LLP; Finney previously worked at the FSA and has ‘excellent regulatory expertise’. Clients include Global General and AXIS.
The team at Lawrence Graham LLP has particular experience in broker M&A transactions. Geoff Gouriet advised Arthur J Gallagher & Co, the brokering firm, on its £97m acquisition of the HLG Holdings Ltd (Heath Lambert Group). The team also has strength in pensions matters, with Robert Smith recommended. Michael Lacey heads the department.
Simmons & Simmons LLP joins the ranking having hired Pollyanna Deane as head of its non-contentious insurance practice, from Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP. Deane recently advised American Express on the insurance benefits being sold on cards, to ensure compliance with regulatory regimes globally. Other clients include Aegon and Mitsui.
Speechly Bircham LLP has an extensive practice acting for general and life insurers. Alex Carter-Silk advised Munich Re on the design and creation of a global IP defence insurance policy. The team has also been advising on clients’ structures in preparation for Solvency II. Practice head Nick Janmohamed is recommended. Chartis is also a client.
Steptoe & Johnson has particular strength on the regulatory side. Recent work includes advising a large insurer in relation to products in several EU countries, and advising a leading underwriter on the conversion of all its documents to an entirely electronic system. Practice head Angus Rodger is ‘commercially minded, and listens to what a client really needs’. On the transactional side, the team recently acted for CNP Assurances in relation to a pension buy-in from a multinational company, involving a number of insurance and reinsurance issues. Damian Cleary is also recommended.
Peter Kempe and Jonathan Rogers are recommended at Taylor Wessing LLP, which is strong in the broker market and regularly advises on investments in brokers. Kempe recently advised Brian Marsh Enterprises and others in the acquisition of shares held by Wachovia Group in the broker Besso Holdings. In line with the firm’s IP expertise, the team also has a number of IP-rich insurance clients, such as GoCompare and esure.
Carter Perry Bailey LLP is a boutique firm set up to provide specialist services to the insurance market. Stephen Carter is ‘resourceful and realistic’, and William Sturge stands out for ‘his ability to devise and implement strategies’. Hugh Bohling remains an important consultant to the firm, and Bernadette Bailey is also recommended.
DLA Piper UK LLP’s corporate team benefits from the firm’s global coverage. Recent work includes acting for Inter Hannover on its sale and transfer of a portfolio of business to Enstar. Mel Sims is recommended, and the team received a significant boost with the arrival of Prakash Paran, Roger Loo and of counsel Melanie James from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP.
Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP’s team recently advised Peugeot Finance in relation to arrangements regarding its associated life companies’ products, while other clients include B&CE Insurance and Nipponkoa Insurance Company (Europe). Head of the financial services and funds group Kirstene Baillie is recommended.