Duane Morris LLP - Insurance and Reinsurance

Insurance and Reinsurance

Duane Morris is one of the leading providers of comprehensive business and litigation services to the insurance and reinsurance industry. Chambers and Partners' surveys of the American legal profession have consistently recognized Duane Morris' Insurance practice as second to none. We possess the experience and capabilities to represent insurers and reinsurers in every aspect of their business, and to defend their positions at trial and through appeal. Our attorneys will ensure a multidisciplinary approach to our clients' representation in insurance coverage, litigation, transactional, financial, intellectual property and regulatory matters.

Our insurance and reinsurance attorneys appreciate and understand the business of insurance, its regulatory demands and the need for effective and efficient litigation when necessary. We take pride in the ongoing role we have played in shaping and developing insurance law in key jurisdictions but we also actively pursue and obtain successful settlements through ADR, participating in hundreds of mediations and arbitrations annually. Our attorneys provide the full range of insurance legal services from coverage opinions involving a single policy to litigation regarding complex insurance programs with billion dollar exposures.

Our firm represents a wide range of insurers and reinsurers both nationally and internationally, including property, casualty, life, disability, health and professional liability and financial institution insurance providers, captive insurers offshore, alternative market entities and guaranty associations.

Duane Morris offers general liability insurers a full complement of legal services, from litigating complex coverage issues to providing detailed opinions on cutting-edge legal issues to acting as monitoring counsel for all aspects of general liability insurance. We represent general liability insurers in claims of negligence (including libel and slander), bodily injury (to a person's body or physical well-being), property damage (both real and personal) and advertising injury (including defamation). We handle matters for large and small businesses in defending the claims of business invitees and licensees, ranging from minor accidents to serious injury and death. We regularly defend recreational facilities, including ski areas and alpine and water slides, in personal injury actions. We have extensive experience in product liability litigation, as well as cases of copyright and trademark infringement. Our insurance lawyers also advise clients on and litigate liability with respect to "specialty risk" policies, such as workers compensation, surety and fidelity, aviation, marine and energy, environmental, toxic tort and employment practices insurance.

Duane Morris provides litigation and insurance coverage services to professionals, their insurers and reinsurers. Our experience with professional liability insurers and reinsurers is extensive, and includes policies issued to attorneys and judges, design professionals, including architects and engineers, directors and officers, accountants and financial professionals, including investment bankers, broker-dealers, venture capitalists, banks and financial institutions, fiduciary and pension trusts, technology and internet companies, real estate professionals, insurance brokers and adjusters, employers, physicians and related medical professionals and medical groups, and sports and entertainment management professionals. Our lawyers defend all aspects of professional liability claims, including errors and omissions or negligence, breach of contract, misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud.

Duane Morris represents insurers of commercial, industrial and residential properties in matters involving losses due to myriad reasons, including fires, explosions, building collapses, natural disasters and other catastrophic causes. We provide legal services in all aspects of property insurance law and have experience handling coverage issues throughout the investigation and adjustment processes. If litigation is necessary, we represent property insurers in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels and in various international tribunals. Our attorneys have extensive experience in advising insurers on drafting property insurance coverage policies and in assisting clients in showing their good faith claims handling practices, which is essential in averting bad faith or other extra contractual exposure.

Our business and transactional lawyers represent insurers and reinsurers at each stage of their operations from company formation, corporate governance, licensing, investment, financing, product development, securities, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, complex insurance placements, run-off, receivership, insolvency, bankruptcy and reorganizations. We assist with the purchase and sale of insurance companies in all aspects of the transaction, including deal structure, document preparation, due diligence, regulatory approvals and compliance with securities laws. Our lawyers are experienced in rate and form filings, compliance, and all regulatory issues that an insurer or reinsurer may encounter.

Duane Morris counsels insurers on bankruptcy and reorganization matters, including Chapter 11 filings, advising on the run-off of insurance companies, including insurance buy-back programs, and defending claims by insurance companies in rehabilitation and liquidation, including preference actions. We also counsel insurers on structuring transactions to minimize the risk of an insured's bankruptcy and protecting the insurer's exposure, represent insurers in their insureds' bankruptcy cases and advise insurers in structuring and negotiating proposals for post-petition insurance for debtors in possession.

Together, our insurance and business lawyers work closely to provide our insurance industry clients with comprehensive and deep experience in every aspect of our clients' business and litigation needs.

Listing of specific areas of insurance and reinsurance practice

For Additional Information

For more information, please contact, Max H. Stern, Peter J. Whalen or any of the group members referenced in the Attorney Listing.