Insurance & Reinsurance

A&L Goodbody’s Insurance & Reinsurance Group is Ireland's largest and longest established insurance law practice. Globally recognised as a top tier insurance practice, it has been at the cutting edge of domestic and international insurance developments and transactions for decades. Our strength lies in the breadth and depth of our experience, technical ability and vision.

This allows us to provide the support and assistance our clients need to deal with new opportunities and to meet the challenges of the changing business and regulatory environment. Our team includes partners, of counsel, associates and solicitors. Collectively, our expertise spans all aspects of insurance law and regulation, both contentious and non-contentious. We work in multidisciplinary teams across various legal disciplines, bringing together top of the market expertise on regulation, white-collar crime, investigations, enforcement and risk mitigation requirements. Together with our data projects and project management teams we bring innovative thinking, technology and project management disciplines to address the full gamut of insurance regulatory issues. This ranges from the smallest piece of advice to the largest regulatory investigation.

Our experienced lawyers are pioneers in areas such as domestic mergers between (re)insurance companies. We acted on the ground breaking, first ever insurance cross-border merger in Ireland. We also advised on the creation of the first Irish insurance European company or ‘Societas Europaea’. We were the first law firm in the UK or Ireland to succeed in transferring a portfolio of insurance business outside the European Economic Area. Achieved by way of scheme of arrangement, this was recognised by the Financial Times as one of Ireland's most innovative transactions. Since June 2016, we have been at the forefront of Brexit contingency planning for insurers and reinsurers. We have also worked to secure changes to the law to facilitate development of the insurance industry. We have advised on drafting Irish financial services legislation and contributed to the review of European legislation. Our team includes lawyers who have worked as in-house counsel for insurers and for the Central Bank of Ireland.

We advise on all aspects of insurance law, regulation and disputes including:

• The establishment of start-up insurers, reinsurers and intermediaries
• Mergers, acquisitions, cross-border mergers, joint ventures, disposals and reorganisations of insurance businesses and companies
• Structural insurance solutions, capital markets transactions, finite and financial reinsurance
• Brexit contingency planning that includes advice on portfolio transfers, cross border merger and associated regulatory and insurance law issues
• Insurance mediation and distribution channels
• Winding up and administration of insurers
• Dispute resolution including advice on litigation issues arising out of policy disputes, complaints to the Financial Services Ombudsman and tort litigation such as subrogated claims and defending insured legal actions
• Advice to non-established insurers on entry into the Irish market on a services or branch basis
• Court schemes for the amalgamation or division of insurance companies and transfers of business
• All aspects of the regulatory environment affecting insurers and reinsurers in Ireland, including product offerings, consumer laws, governance, solvency requirements and compliance obligations
• Regulatory investigations and enforcement actions
• Demutualisations

Our clients include many of the largest domestic and international insurers and reinsurers, the Irish government and industry representative bodies.