The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > France > Insurance

Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I. houses a multi-disciplinary insurance, industry risk and transport group, which acts on a mix of regulatory and contentious issues. The practice draws on standalone offerings in insurance and reinsurance, insurance litigation, industrial risk and transport, and counts domestic and global insurers, reinsurers, brokers, equipment providers and transport operators among its key clients. Particularly prominent in litigation, the group routinely advises on an array of civil, commercial and criminal cases. Richard Ghueldre jointly leads the department and is recognised for his broad practice spanning contract law, regulatory issues and insurance disputes. Group co-head Capucine Bernier handles a wide range of insurance litigation but is mainly active in disputes concerning non-life insurance areas, including damages, civil and professional liability and unusual and industrial risks.

Hogan Lovells (Paris) LLP has several key elements to its practice, with its transactional offering being particularly dominant. It also handles regulatory and contentious matters. The group routinely works alongside teams in Europe and the US to advise on multi-jurisdictional deals and it counts major domestic and multinational insurers, financial institutions and corporates among its clients. Department head Sébastien Gros, who is dual-qualified in France and Germany, advises on a mix of regulatory and transactional work, including M&A, portfolio and business transfers, joint ventures and the setting up of new businesses. Counsel Ghina Farah is an ‘excellent lawyer’ and is also well versed in transactional and regulatory issues.

Squire Patton Boggs’ emphasis on contentious work pays dividends in a varied litigation caseload, which spans large and complex disputes and mass litigation. The group also handles advisory work, including regulatory issues and policy review. Clients include local mid-market insurers through to major multinational companies, with its global network marking it as a particularly popular choice for Germany, UK and US-based clients. Carole Sportes is highly regarded for her focus on insurance, aviation and product liability litigation and counts insurers, air carriers and pharmaceutical companies among her clients. Valerie Ravit jointly heads the practice alongside Sportes and is noted for her record representing companies in product liability and life sciences litigation.

August Debouzy has a strong track record in high-risk and multi-jurisdictional cases. In terms of the latter, over 50% of the team’s caseload involves cross-border issues and claims from foreign parties. The practice also sets itself apart through its multi-disciplinary approach and regularly collaborates with the firm’s IP, IT, employment and finance practices to advise on complex files. Other areas of expertise include product liability, mass disputes and regulatory matters. Alexandra Cohen-Jonathan heads the department and advises on industrial risk, product liability and professional civil liability cases. On the non-contentious side, Cohen-Jonathan is regularly instructed by legal and insurance think tanks to advise on key market issues, particularly in relation to artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector and self-driving cars.

Leveraging its extensive global network, DLA Piper demonstrates strong capability in cross-border matters, particularly involving the UK, Germany, Italy and the US. The breadth of the group’s sector coverage is also a key differentiator and it advises across the full scope of insurance regulation, transactions and contentious matters. The aviation space is a particular sweet spot, with department head Vonnick Le Guillou is highly regarded for his experience in representing European aircraft manufacturers in complex air crash cashes. The ‘knowledgeable, creative and effective’ Bruce Mee is noted for his expertise in industrial risks litigation and investigations.

DWF (France) AARPI’s increasingly prominent practice handles a diverse range of contentious, regulatory and contractual matters for major global insurers and reinsurers, including Zurich, Allianz and RSA. Litigation provides the bulk of instructions, with the construction, product liability and energy sectors standing as core areas of expertise. It also houses a connected services offering comprised of a range of consultative services which support high-volume work, including a claims management business. Romain Dupeyré heads the department and has strong experience in insurance litigation, particularly coverage disputes and recovery matters.

Norton Rose Fulbright’s well-rounded insurance practice is equally adept handling regulatory, transactional and contentious work, with a strong showing in multi-jurisdictional matters. The group acts for a raft of major domestic and international insurers, reinsurers and other insurance industry stakeholders, with a growing presence in the fintech and insurtech spheres. Leveraging its transactional capabilities and the wider firm’s global network, it has been increasingly active in Brexit-related insurance matters of late, including advising UK companies on the establishment of new European subsidiaries. Corporate and regulatory specialist Bénédicte Denis heads the team and is particularly focused on transactional risks insurance. Counsel Orsolya Hegedus, who handles a mix of contentious and non-contentious matters, is also noted.

Ormen Passemard – ORPA Legal’s exclusive focus on litigation and insurance law translates into a steady stream of complex and high-stakes disputes — it also handles non-contentious matters. The boutique firm covers the full life cycle of industry issues, from crisis management through to expert investigations and court proceedings, on behalf of insurers, reinsurers, financial institutions and corporates. Areas of expertise include life and non-life insurance, intermediation and distribution, financial lines insurance, regulatory matters and transactional support. Pascal Ormen jointly heads the practice and specialises in coverage and claims, subrogation, reinsurance disputes and direct defence. Group co-lead Rémi Passemard has a broad practice and is highlighted for his ‘considerable mastery of market practices’.

The ‘very specialised’ group at Taylor Wessing is an increasingly popular choice for the management of complex and cross-border claims. The broad practice is experienced in matters relating to the industrial, transport, construction and technology sectors, with a solid presence in the corporate risk space. In addition, the group has a robust technology-related offering, which handles cyber risk management, fraud issues, IP claims and data processing. Pierre-Olivier Leblanc heads the insurance, industrial risks and transport practice and handles a comprehensive range of contentious insurance matters, with a strong background in marine and general liability work. The ‘efficient and hardworking’ Marc Schuler focuses on insurance relating to the technology and media sectors.

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