Our corporate insurance capability
covers the whole range of services required by the insurance
industry in the areas of corporate, commercial and financial law,
with an all-important added dimension: real specialist
understanding of the insurance industry itself and of its
regulation, law and practice.
We recognise that, to be effective,
a corporate insurance law team must add value beyond the successful
completion of the legal process. For this reason, we invest time
and resources in building long-term, value-added relationships with
our clients, ensuring that we understand their key strategic
objectives.
By combining our deep insurance
knowledge with our respected corporate finance expertise, we
provide insurance industry clients with top-quality advice on a
wide range of transactional matters, including:
- mergers and acquisitions/disposals;
- IPOs and other capital raisings;
- joint ventures;
- MBOs and MBIs;
- start-ups;
- insurance business transfer schemes, other
reorganisations, and schemes of arrangement (solvent and
insolvent);
- Lloyd's capacity offers and syndicate
mergers;
- acting as sponsors of new Lloyd's corporate members;
and
- demutualisations.
We also advise on product-related
and general commercial matters, working with our other practice
groups as necessary. Such matters include:
- run-off administration;
- underwriting agency, claims administration and similar
contracts;
- policy wording and product development;
- practical advice to underwriters on whether to underwrite
aspects of a transaction, including insurance-related finance on
possible 'bear traps' and structuring;
- reinsurance structures, including financial reinsurance
contracts;
- Lloyd's corporate members' quota shares, qualifying quota
shares and reinsurance-to-close contracts;
- e-commerce;
- IT and other outsourcing contracts; and
- non-insurance specific regulations e.g. distance
selling.
We advise on all aspects of FSA and
Lloyd's regulation including:
- the authorisation of insurance and reinsurance companies and
insurance intermediaries in the UK;
- compliance risk management issues (e.g. whether insurance
mediation regulations extend to a particular type of business or
whether a product will be regulated as an insurance contract);
- cross-border business transactions under the EEA 'passport'
system;
- correspondence and meetings with regulators;
- strategic advice on dealings with regulators; and
- advice on application of provisions of Financial Services and
Market Act, FSA Handbook, Lloyd's Byelaws, and other regulatory
instruments to a client's business.
We also assist our clients in
preparing presentations aimed at seeking regulatory consents.
Our expertise is recognised by legal
directories such as Chambers & Partners, which
recommends the firm for its "respected... capability" in corporate
insurance matters and attests to the fact that "Clients praise the
team's in-depth knowledge of the sector, which enables it to advise
companies in the life and non-life sectors on corporate and
regulatory issues, as well as niche issues arising out of the
Lloyd's market." The team is also commended by
the Legal 500 for its "wide range of quality (corporate
insurance) work."
Meet our people
For information on members of this team and partners in our affiliated undertakings who work in this area, please click on the link below.
Publications
Read some of our recent articles, client newsletters and other publications.