Kirkland & Ellis LLP‘s non-contentious insurance practice has experience handling transactional and regulatory matters, and often advises insurers, reinsurers, and private equity firms. Based in New York, Rajab Abbassi represents clients including capital management firms and is known for assisting with the negotiation of transaction documents. Also in New York are Parimah Hassouri and Kimberly Meng Han, who are well versed in supporting clients during the acquisition of insurance businesses. In Chicago, Jeremy Watson and Jack Yamin assist with reinsurance transactions and have strong knowledge of life insurance matters. They are joined by Jeremy Carroll, who has experience advising insurance brokers in sales transactions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Accolades

Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • Kirkland's practice stands out because of its combination of deep technical expertise and genuine commercial fluency. Rajab and the rest of the team understand not just the law but how the industry actually operates. They bring a level of sophistication in structured and complex transactions that is difficult to find elsewhere, and they engage with novel issues creatively. Importantly, they flag issues before they become problems rather than waiting to be asked. The breadth of the platform (being able to pull in tax, regulatory, and fund formation expertise) is a genuine differentiator.
  • I work most directly with Rajab Abbassi - he is distinguished primarily by his willingness to engage with the business problem rather than just the legal question. He comes to calls prepared, offers a view rather than just presenting options, and follows through reliably. On the deal front, he functions more as a partner than outside counsel, and this helps to differentiate him from his peers.

Key clients

  • Athene
  • Bain Capital Insurance
  • Covered Insurance Solutions
  • Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP
  • Golub Capital
  • Hudson Structured Capital
  • Keystone Agency Partners
  • Munich Re
  • Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.
  • Onex Partners V
  • PIMCO/Allianz Life Insurance Company
  • Protective Life Corporation

Lawyers

Leading partners

The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Other key lawyers

Rajab Abbassi; Parimah Hassouri; Kimberly Meng Han; Jeremy Watson; Jack Yamin; Jeremy Carroll