Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation

The breadth of our experience covers a wide range of sectors and losses including those relating to:

• large scale infrastructure projects, in particular in the fields of energy and construction;
• losses arising out of property damage insurance and notably out of natural disasters;
• claims under D&O policies;
• product liability cases;
• complex hospitality cases;
• cyber and terrorism.

In London, the practice is led by Hermès Marangos, who has 30 years’ experience representing entities on complex cross-border issues, including international (re)insurance and underlying commercial litigation. He is regularly instructed on coverage involving the London and International Market and also as Counsel on third party liability accounts for major international, including Latin America operating corporates. Hermès also has wide and leading expertise in dealing with political violence matters, having been involved in the work done on market and state solutions (relating to the coverage of terrorism, the setting up of Pool Re and the interpretation of war, political violence, societal risks and terrorism exclusions), litigating and arbitrating these risks internationally and working with the Insurance Institute on a textbook on these issues.

Hermès is acknowledged in international directories, including Chambers and Partners, as a leading and highly analytical lawyer with particular experience inter alia in Latin America matters. He also advises various international organisations on public international law and rights as well as political risk issues.

Hermès is a main co-author of the textbook, “Reinsurance Practice and the Law” and Leader of the Study Group, editor and co-author of the book “War Risks and Terrorism“, political violence publications for European universities and contributor to textbooks on conflicts of law, property risks and Mass Torts in Europe. He is also the main author of “Getting the Deal Through: Insurance Litigation”, a publication that concentrates on the new Insurance Act 2015 (the latest of which Guides is the 2021 Edition) and regularly writes on issues relating to war, terrorism, political and societal violence covers and GDPR and cyber losses. He also lectures and publishes widely on significant international conflicts of law matters and on specialist risks and legal and forensic investigations.

In Paris, the practice is led by Emmanuèle Lutfalla, who is particularly renown for her comprehension of insurance/reinsurance global markets and for her ability to deal with multi-party and complex technical questions, often with cross-border complaints. Emmanuèle intervenes in various domains at national and international levels both for the insurer’s accounts and their insureds in order to advise them throughout their litigation’s life-span.

Her strength is that she advises on an insurance product from day one right up to market placement and beyond. She provides advice that is needed to avoid subsequent litigation. Pre-litigation and advice are driven by her litigator mindset.

She also deals with all disputes that may arise and her track-record in insurance demonstrates how she fully explores the technical details and thoroughly understands her clients’ products and culture.

Her litigation expertise is built on significant courtroom experience. The team has been involved in some of the most cutting-edge issues that have arisen so far in France, such as worldwide breast implants litigation, pollution cases and nuclear issues.

The team is widely recognised for its insurance litigation expertise

Hermès is a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK for Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation and is noted as the “go-to expert“, a “top-notch litigator” and “one of the pioneers on complex matters for the insurance and reinsurance industry in Latin America“. The Guide also notes Hermès “stands out for the international breadth of his insurance disputes practice.” He has also been recommended for his Commercial Litigation practice by The Legal 500. He has been ranked as an expert in both Chambers Global and Chambers Latin America Guides for his Insurance expertise in the region. The Guides noted he enjoys impressive client feedback for his Latin American policy coverage work and sources report that Hermes “is an extremely knowledgeable individual but also one who appreciates the real-world scenarios in which laws apply.”

Emmanuèle is recognised as a ‘Thought Leader’ in Who’s Who Legal’s France 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.” Emmanuèle is also ranked as a “Recommended Lawyer” for insurance in The Legal 500 EMEA Guide, which notes she is “very renowned in the insurance sector“. The Legal 500 describes the team as “one of France’s finest dispute resolution practices” and notes the department “unites an impressive bench of stellar litigators“.