Biography
After 30 years practicing in both major international law firms and top tier French law firms, Emmanuèle is one of the founding partners of the Paris office of Signature Litigation. She heads its French Insurance/Reinsurance practice.
Emmanuèle is ranked in Band 4 for Insurance – France in the Chambers Europe 2023 Guide, highlighting her as “capable of drafting complex submissions for the courts and is sharp” and that she “develops very good relationships with clients.”
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 Guide ranks Emmanuèle as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for her insurance expertise and highlights her as “an expert in insurance and reinsurance litigation and claims management”. In this Guide, Signature has risen in its ranking to Tier 2, noting that “the team offers a comprehensive service which extends to policy wording, coverage issues, industrial risk investigations, and high-value, cross-border claims related to environmental pollution and operating losses.”
The Legal 500 ranks the insurance and reinsurance litigation practice very highly in Paris, and also notes the department “unites an impressive bench of stellar litigators“.
Emmanuèle is a ‘Recommended’ lawyer in Who’s Who Legal 2022 – Insurance & Reinsurance, which notes she “ranks highly among peers thanks to her expertise in litigation and claims management, and regularly advises insurance companies on coverage issues and policy wording.” She is also recognised as a ‘Thought Leader’ in both Who’s Who Legal France: Product Liability Defence 2022 and Who’s Who Legal: Product Liability Defence 2022. The Guides note that she “draws recommendations from peers across the EU, the USA and Asia” and praise her “stellar practice in product liability disputes“. Who’s Who Legal has also noted that Emmanuèle “excels in handling disputes at the intersection of product liability and insurance matters, representing clients from the life sciences sector in litigation and product risk management.” The Product Liability France 2022 Guide highlights her exceptional handling of complex product liability and insurance cases.
Emmanuèle’s practice focuses on insurance and reinsurance litigation and claims management. She advises her clients both regarding policy wording and coverage issues. She is also regularly involved in reinsurance litigation. She has been involved in some of the most important product liability cases on behalf of insurers and reinsurers, for instance in the life sciences (medical devices) industry. In this respect, she has developed a specific experience in complex expert-appraisal proceedings and industrial risks investigations.
Emmanuèle also acts in sensitive construction and real estate litigation. In particular, she advises national and international construction companies on post-contract advice for operational legal risk management, claims and disputes.
She assists her clients with pre-litigation and litigation procedures, court-ordered expert proceedings and enforcement actions. She is also involved in ADR.
Emmanuèle has served as International Vice President on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) for three years (2014 – 2017). Previously, and within the same organisation, she had served as Chair of the International Committee and of the Continuing Education Committee for several years.
Emmanuèle is a member of AJAR, APREF, AIDA, FDA, IRLA and ARIAS US. She is the author and co-author of numerous domestic and international publications.
Experience
- Advising a major French oil company following the failure of a weld on a production line in an American plant.
- Advising a leading French engineering company, sub-contractor in charge of the geotechnical studies for the French main contractor following land subsidence in China in a shopping centre with escalators.
- Counsel to an insurer in US court proceedings relating to the clean-up of soil and water at a site in New Jersey.
- Advising a leading French luxury bags manufacturer, following the latent defect of leather skins delivered by the German and Dutch sub-contractors, themselves involving Latvian manufacturers.
- Advising an Emirati investment company that owns a palace in London on the mobilisation of a Terrorism Police following the London Bridge attacks.
- Assisting hospitality groups, ready-to-wear brands and a Parisian cabaret in connection with their operation losses relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Assisting a French semi-public company operating the heating network of a city located in the East of France: determining the damage linked to the interruption of the distribution of fluids and assistance in the expertise.
- Advising a manufacturer of onshore wind turbines in New Caledonia and England: drafting of a transaction to allow the completion of the work, management of relations with the local labour inspectorate, setting up the modalities for the replacement of the damaged wind turbine with preservation of the existing one and impact on the initial contract.
- Advising a company based in New Caledonia in the implementation of a “Terrorism” and “Vandalism” policy, following the occurrence of destructive popular riots.
- Advising a leading French insurer, covering a French breast implants manufacturer and involving worldwide (Argentina, UK, Spain, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Italy) personal injury cases as well as class actions. Steering the international team of local lawyers and setting up of the global strategy to deny coverage.
- Advising a leading German insurer, covering a leading French engineering company in a dispute arising from a machinery damage resulting from the explosion of a gas turbine in a waste treatment facility in Spain. Managing arbitration proceedings for a claim of over $50m, in a dispute between the Spanish owner and the French engineering company.
- Advising a leading German insurer, covering the biggest European discount chain distributor following the partial collapse and evacuation of a hospital and an orphanage in Turkey, arising out of the construction of a shopping centre.
- Assisting a French insurer in reviewing its coverage and assessing its exposure following defects affecting photovoltaic panels installed by its insured, a leader in the French energy sector in Israel.
- Advising a German machinery insurer following the explosion of a gas turbine in a waste treatment plant in Spain and the occurrence of a nuclear accident in a French power plant.
- Advising a French insurer in a product dispute between the French leader in the pharmaceutical industry and its insured manufacturer of stoppers for vaccine vials.
- Assisting a French Insurer in US court proceedings relating to the coverage of clean-up of soil and water at a site in New Jersey.
- Advising reinsurers on the analysis of the aggregation of claims clause relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publications
2023
De la globalisation des sinistres en assurance de responsabilité – L’Argus de l’assurance – 1 November 2023
LOPMI : une perspective prometteuse pour le marché de l’assurance cyber – La Lettre des Juristes d’Affaires – 26 June 2023
LOPMI : une perspective prometteuse pour le marché de l’assurance cyber – Revue Générale du Droit des Assurances – 20 June 2023
LOPMI : une perspective prometteuse pour le marché de l’assurance cyber – L’assurance en mouvement – 24 April 2023
2022
La nécessaire mutation des polices d’assurance face aux nouveaux risques – La Tribune de l’assurance – 2 November 2022
Les risques émergents : nouveaux défis pour l’assurance ? – L’assurance en mouvement – 11 July 2022
L’assurance face aux risques émergents : un besoin de renouveau ! – Le Monde du Droit – 21 June 2022
The Changing Insurability of Environmental Risks – Law.com – 18 March 2022
Insurtech Lawyer Emmanuele Lutfalla on the Big Data Debate – InsurTech – 17 March 2022
L’assurabilité des risques climatiques – L’AGEFI – 10 March 2022
L’action de groupe débarque en santé – La Tribune de L’assurance – 1 February 2022
2021
An Update on the Nuclear Liability Regime – Revue Lamy Droit Civil – October 2021
Loyers commerciaux et Covid-19 : quand la bonne foi l’emporte sur la force majeure – La Tribune de l’assurance – 11 May 2021
Class actions et assurances : encore un choc de l’année 2020 ou une réforme inaboutie ? – La Gazette du Palais – 19 January 2021
2020
Perte d’exploitation : le grand flou – La Tribune de l’assurance – 8 December 2020
Nouvelle directive sur les « class actions » : une réforme inachevée ? – La Tribune de l’assurance – 15 September 2020
Pertes d’exploitation : quelles leçons tirer de la crise sanitaire ? – L’Argus de l’assurance – 9 July 2020
Covid-19 : une opportunité pour refonder l’assurance cyber – La Tribune de l’assurance – 7 July 2020
A la croisée des chemins – La Tribune de l’assurance – 30 June 2020
L’assurance cyber devra tirer des leçons du Covid-19 – L’Agefi – 11 June 2020
L’assurance annulation à l’épreuve du Covid-19 – La Tribune de l’assurance – 9 June 2020
Collective Redress Directive to change European liability landscape – Commercial Risk Online – May 2020
How should insurers address cyber risks, a French perspective – Actuarial Post – May 2020
La pandémie du Covid-19 : une opportunité de repenser l’assurance cyber ? – Le Monde du Droit – 15 May 2020
GEMP : une réponse ambiguë à un risque chronique – La Tribune de l’assurance – 5 May 2020
How Proposed EU Class Action Directive Could Affect Insurers – Liability, Risk and Insurance – 15 April 2020
GDPR and cyber risk insurance: how can insurers improve their cyber risk products – Actuarial Post – 14 April 2020
Les apports de la nouvelle directive sur les actions transfrontalières seraient-ils une menace pour les assureurs? – La Lettre des Juristes d’Affaires – 13 April 2020
Le projet de la nouvelle directive sur les « class actions », une menace pour les assureurs ? – L’Agefi – 2 April 2020
GDPR and cyber risk insurance: how can insurers improve their cyber risk products – Private Security Report – 27 March 2020
Coronavirus : comment assurer et indemniser la perte d’exploitation des entreprises ? – Le Parisien – 26 March 2020
Article in relation to GDPR and cyber-risk insurance – IT Pro Portal – 26 March 2020
How Proposed EU Class Action Directive Could Affect Insurers – Law360 – 25 March 2020
Strikes and popular movements: An unclear yet chronic risk for insurers – La Lettre des Juristes d’Affaires – 31 January 2020
2019
Grèves, émeutes et mouvements populaires : une réponse ambiguë à un risque chronique – Face au Risque – 18 December 2019
Carriers need a better understanding of the insurability of cyber risk – Insurance Day – 5 December 2019
Areas of Expertise
Emmanuèle Lutfalla's Latest Published Articles
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Signature Partners
Ioannis Alexopoulos
Ioannis is ranked in the Chambers UK 2024 Guide for international arbitration. The Guide describes him as “highly experienced and an excellent strategist” with “sharp analytical skills“. Previous guides have noted that he “consistently produces extraordinary, excellent work and he fills the client with great confidence and comfort”. He is further described as “adept at handling BIT claims” and “is very experienced and brings a wealth of knowledge to the field.” He is also recognised in The Legal 500 UK 2024 as a ‘Leading Individual’ for civil fraud and international arbitration, and he is praised for being “an excellent and poised strategist and leader.” The Guide notes that he is an “expert in matters involving Greece, the Balkans, the Middle East, Brazil, and sub-Saharan Africa.” Past guides also commend Ioannis as a “highly rated litigator” and noted “is well known for joint venture and shareholder disputes, business break-ups and fraud and banking disputes“. He has been further is commended for being “a great litigator who offers his advice on the basis of the commercial goals that clients set“.
Paul Brehony
Paul is recognised for his commercial litigation expertise in The Legal 500 UK 2023 Guide. He has also been recommended for civil fraud and banking litigation and is commended as “a highly accomplished insolvency litigator“, who “is fantastic in highly complex insolvency cases where his knowledge and experience put him head and shoulders above others“. Previous guides have described Paul as a “notable practitioner” for banking litigation and “highly recommended” for commercial litigation. He is further praised as “charming, well organised and a pleasure to litigate with.”
Natalia Chumak
Natalia has been ranked in the Chambers UK and The Legal 500 UK Guides for her International Arbitration expertise. She has previously been praised by The Legal 500 and Chambers UK for her “fantastic experience and responsiveness“, for being an “extremely good tactical mind“, a “steely litigator with excellent litigation instincts” and she has been praised for her ability to “remain incredibly calm under pressure“.
Julian Connerty
Julian has been ranked in Chambers for Civil Fraud and the Guide notes he “has considerable expertise in international fraud cases.” Julian is recommended in The Legal 500 UK 2022 for his civil fraud expertise. The Legal 500 has noted that Julian is an “extremely experienced practitioner” and “a specialist in international fraud and asset recovery actions”. Julian is also described as “subtle and meticulous” and “inspires great confidence in all around him”.
Simon Fawell
Simon has been recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK for his litigation and arbitration expertise and is commended as “a strong strategic thinker”, “a real team player” and “very good to work with”. He is also Recommended for insurance and reinsurance litigation.
Jérémie Fierville
Jérémie’s practice focuses on shareholders, governance, and M&A disputes, as well as general commercial and civil litigation. Having practised in both Paris and London, Jérémie acts for a broad range of French and international companies. He represents his clients in strategic pre-litigations, litigations and arbitrations, as well as mediation proceedings.
Sylvie Gallage-Alwis
Sylvie is described by Who’s Who Legal as a “dynamic and determined litigator“, who is “a firm favourite among clients” as “she always goes the extra mile to support her clients, and is proactive in seeking commercial solutions to disputes” and is “analytical, intelligent and responsive“. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide ranks Sylvie as a ‘Leading Individual’ for Product Liability Litigation in France and she is recognised for her work on “high-profile toxic tort and product liability cases, handing a number of asbestos claims.”
Kate Gee
Kate is ranked in the Chambers UK 2024 guide for Civil Fraud and is described as “excellent”. A market source notes Kate is “making a name for herself in terms of crypto fraud”. She has also been commended by sources as being “great at driving a matter forward and building a team. She is really smart with a huge amount of energy and expertise“. Another commentator notes that “Kate is a great litigator. She is hard-working, dedicated to her clients and able to bring good commercial judgement to bear on her cases.” Previous guides have described her as having “notable experience in civil fraud work” and commended her for having “a real commercial handle on things and is completely unflappable”. In the latest The Legal 500 UK 2024 Guide, Kate is recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ for civil fraud. In The Legal 500 UK 2023 Guide, sources described her as having “real depth of experience in civil fraud matters, including cryptocurrencies.”
Becca Hogan
Becca is recognised as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ in both The Legal 500 UK 2023 and 2024 Guides for banking litigation. In the latest edition of the Guide, she is described as a “calm, composed and confidence-inspiring presence in a team” and as a “standout junior partner“. Becca is also described as “detail-oriented and very switched on“. Previous Guides comment that Becca is “exceptional“, with an “excellent grasp of the detail”. She is further praised as a “safe and skilled pair of hands.” She has also been described as “stellar“, “calm and strategic“, and has been praised for her “good instincts” and “commercial approach”.
Graham Huntley
Graham is consistently recognised by The Legal 500 and Chambers as one of the UK’s highest ranked commercial and banking litigators and has been involved in some of the most significant cases of recent years. Chambers UK describes him as “an intense and effective solicitor with an incredibly client-focused approach” and he has previously been described as “very bright, very hard-working, a good tactician” and “very committed and driven”. The Legal 500 UK 2024 recognises Graham as a ‘Hall of Fame’ lawyer for civil fraud, banking litigation and commercial litigation, and he is described as “a lawyer with a particularly formidable reputation within the banking sector.”
Abdulali Jiwaji
Abdul is regarded as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2024 for Commercial Litigation and a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail. He is described as “highly regarded” and “an extremely experienced litigator who is utterly unflappable. Definitely someone you want in your corner in a tough spot.” Testimonials describe him as “super impressive” and “understated, authoritative, and effective“, “a clever lawyer whose quiet and calm manner inspires confidence“. Previous Guides have described Abdul as having “a grip of the big picture and the detail; very deft in client handling; tenacious and determined; swift, responsive and clear-thinking“. A commentator has noted that: “One of the best litigators I have had the privilege of working with is Abdulali Jiwaji.” He has also been praised for being “a steady hand during turbulent times”. Chambers Global has described him as a “technically sound, sensible and robust litigator who always finds practical solutions”.
Philipp Kurek
Philipp is ranked in Chambers & Partners UK 2024 for International Arbitration, where he is recognised as a “top notch” investment arbitration specialist, with clients commending Philipp for being an “exceptional lawyer” and being “incredibly bright, hard-working and pay[ing] great attention to detail”, as well as having “great client management skills” and being “highly dedicated to delivering outcomes”.
Philipp has also been recognised by The Legal 500 UK 2024, and is included in The Legal 500’s Arbitration Powerlist, with clients describing Philipp as being “of superstar quality and a fantastic lawyer overall in the fields of commercial and investor-state arbitration”, and commending his “level of experience, knowledge and intellect required to win cases in this field”.
Philipp is furthermore recognised by Who’s Who Legal 2024 as a Future Leader in arbitration, as well as being included in LawDragon’s list of 500 Leading Global Litigators.
Tsegaye Laurendeau
Tsegaye is recognised in The Legal 500 UK 2024 as a Recommended Lawyer in the International Arbitration category, and is described as “a litigation powerhouse”, who is “commercial in his approach to problem solving” and “open and honest regarding the prospects of success in any case”. Tsegaye also features in The Legal 500 International Arbitration Powerlist UK, which showcases the UK’s leading arbitration practitioners. Tsegaye is recognised as a ‘future leader’ in the Who’s Who Legal Arbitration Guide. Peers and clients say he is “one of the best arbitration lawyers of his generation”.
Emmanuèle Lutfalla
Emmanuèle is recognised as a ‘Thought Leader’ in Who’s Who Legal’s France 2020 Guide. She is also ranked as both a ‘National’ (in France) and ‘Global’ Leader for Product Liability Defence in Who’s Who Legal. The Guide notes Emmanuèle “excels in handling disputes at the intersection of product liability and insurance matters, representing clients from the life sciences sector in litigation and product risk management.” The Legal 500 EMEA Guide ranks Emmanuèle as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for insurance and notes she is “very renowned in the insurance sector“. The Legal 500 also ranks the insurance and reinsurance litigation practice very highly in Paris, and also notes the department “unites an impressive bench of stellar litigators“. The Chambers Europe 2022 Guide notes that Emmanuèle noted as “the key point of contact” for insurance at the firm. Chambers ranks Signature Paris’ insurance practice as a leading firm in its Europe Guide and highlights the team’s “knowledge and ability to handle complex and difficult matters“.
Hermès Marangos
Hermès is recognised as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2023 for his insurance and reinsurance litigation practice. Hermès has been ranked as an expert in Chambers Global and Chambers Latin America for his Insurance expertise in the region.
Neil Newing
Neil is regarded as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2023 for international arbitration and banking litigation. He is for his “excellent arbitration experience, and excellent appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of cases.” Previous Guides have described Neil as “a strong lawyer who stands out for the quality and thoroughness of his analysis” and noted for managing “major cross-border disputes“. The Legal 500 UK 2021 recognised him as “an outstandingly clever counsel who will go very far”. Neil is also described as being “an exceptionally talented lawyer, a strategic thinker and a pleasure to work with. The depth and breadth of his experience in international commercial arbitrations is a huge asset to the firm”. He is also ranked in the Who’s Who Legal Arbitration Guide as a ‘future leader’.
Elliott Phillips
Elliott is an internationally recognised barrister and specialises in global commercial litigation and international contentious trusts disputes. He has been recognised in The Legal 500 for his experience in dispute resolution work and is also ranked as a Band 2 individual in both Chambers Global and Chambers Europe for General Business Law: Dispute Resolution — Gibraltar. Elliott is also recognised as one of the world’s leading private client lawyers and trusts and estates litigators, and is listed in the Private Client Global Elite community. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide recognises Elliott as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution in Gibraltar, and notes he “is a specialist in international trusts and estates disputes.” A referee in the Guide described Elliott as “an accomplished litigator, highly experienced, knowledgeable and great to have on your side” and another praised his “vast knowledge and experience across an array of different areas” and noted he is “the stand-out practitioner in a hugely talented team.“
Flore Poloni
Ranked in the Who’s Who Legal Arbitration Guide, Flore is described as “the most dynamic young arbitration practitioner in Paris“, “a very dynamic and multi-skilled lawyer” and praised for her “excellent communication skills and perfect knowledge of arbitration“. The Legal 500 EMEA 2021 Guide ranks Flore as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution and has been recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ lawyer for International Arbitration. Flore has been praised for her “extensive expertise in international arbitration” and described as “extremely capable”.
Thomas Rouhette
Thomas is ranked as a leading expert by both Chambers Global and Europe for his litigation and aviation law expertise, with sources praising him for his “invaluable” advice, experience and knowledge. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide consistently recognises Thomas as a ‘Hall of Fame’ lawyer for his aviation and commercial litigation practices. Who’s Who Legal regards Thomas as the “finest product liability lawyer in the country and one of the very best on the continent.”
Tom Snelling
Highly ranked in the Chambers UK Guide for his commercial litigation expertise, Tom Snelling is described in the 2020 Guide as “extraordinarily good” and an “utter pleasure to work with and enormously talented, with a sixth sense for where a case is going and very sound judgement”. The Guides have also noted that Tom is “amazingly dedicated with strong credentials in international litigation” and that he is both “practical and commercial”. Tom is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2022 for Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail and Commercial Litigation.
Daniel Spendlove
The Legal 500 UK Guide describes Daniel as “hugely talented“, “with a really creative eye for litigation strategy“, “an exceptionally committed, exceptionally hard working lawyer, with a careful and thorough approach to issues” and “a really effective litigator“. He has also been described as “very smart, client focused and details-oriented” and “excellent, with great attention to detail, wide experience and excellent client care’“. He has also been praised as “highly professional”, and “a strategic thinker” who “brings real energy to cases”. He is highly ranked across the Commercial Litigation, Banking Litigation and International Arbitration categories. He was recently described, by Commercial Dispute Resolution magazine, as “one of a new breed of independent and forceful commercial litigation partners”.
Rory Spillman
Rory is recognised as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ by The Legal 500 UK 2024 for banking litigation: investment and retail and is also recommended for commercial litigation. He is described as “unflappable, even under immense pressure” and as producing “consistently high quality work“, with a “real eye for making sure that the detail is right“. One commentator noted in a previous Guide that Rory has “tremendous judgement” is “very hard-working“, and comes “highly recommended for banking disputes.” He has also been described by previous Guides as “impressive“, “excellent” and a “real authority“. Rory is a member of the Junior LSLA and LSLA.
Josh Wong
Described as a “an extremely experienced litigator with sound litigation instincts“, Josh is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2024 for international arbitration and banking litigation: investment and retail. He is commended for having a “very quick grasp of complex legal matters” and “excellent communication skills with clients, insurers and litigation funders“. He is further described as “an impressive operator who can attack a difficult situation with great energy, judgment and effectiveness“. One commentator notes that he is “very easy to work with” and a “superb strategist“. He has also been ranked in Chambers Global as a ‘Foreign Expert Based in UK’ for his Chinese dispute resolution, arbitration expertise, and as a ‘Foreign Expert for China’ for UK dispute resolution.
