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Insurance & Reinsurance

The Australian insurance environment is one of the most highly regulated insurance markets in the world - partly due to the collapse of a number of major Australian based insurance companies in recent years. The complex regulatory maze means that insurance and reinsurance organisations need legal advisers who can quickly identify the critical issues, apply the law and deliver plain English, commercial advice.

Allens Arthur Robinson has one of the leading Insurance & Reinsurance practices in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. We offer our clients a team of specialists who can quickly identify the critical issues and regulatory risks and offer practical and commercial solutions.

We are known internationally for our expertise in all aspects of insurance law including corporate, regulatory and contentious matters. We have over 20 years' experience representing London-based insurance syndicates in claims in Australia. More recently, we have also expanded in Asia with a dedicated insurance and reinsurance team based in Hong Kong.

Our clients

We represent key members in the insurance industry and act for both insurers and their advisers, as well as corporate and professional firm insureds. Our clients come from all areas of business, including major multinationals and insurance underwriters, professional firms and the banking sector.

We strive to build strong relationships by getting to know our clients. We use our extensive resources to stay abreast of relevant issues and to keep our clients informed. Our clients include:

• General insurers and reinsurers - ACE, AIG, Allianz, Chubb, Equitas, FM Insurance, General Re, Lloyds' Syndicates (various), Medical Insurance Group of Australia, PMI Mortgage Insurance, Swiss Re, Tokio Marine,Vero, Winterthur.
• Life Insurers - Aviva, General Re Life, MetLife, MBF Life, Tower Life.
• Registered Health Benefit organisations - MBF.
• Government and government insurers - NSW Department of Commerce, Territory Insurance Office.
• Brokers and other intermediaries - Aon, Marsh, Heath Lambert and Transamerica.
• Industry Associations - Australian Health Insurance Association, HIH Claims Support Limited, Insurance Council of Australia, Insurance Ombudsman Service.

Our people

Our people include some of the most experienced in the industry. For example, Oscar Shub, our national practice group leader was recently named in two publications as being one of the world's top 10 insurance and reinsurance lawyers.

Our team also includes lawyers who have worked in jurisdictions with significant insurance and reinsurance markets, including the UK, US and Germany, or who are from these jurisdictions.

Corporate/regulatory

We are at the forefront of insurance developments, advising on government policy, and regulatory and legislative matters relating to the industry.

Our experience includes advising on:

• the establishment of insurance businesses in Australia;
• some of the largest insurance mergers and acquisitions, and joint venture arrangements in Australia;
• significant restructuring and capital raisings for Australian insurers;
• insurance and reinsurance insolvencies;
• financial services reform, and privacy issues;
• reforms to Australian medical indemnity and tort law;
• a range of matters relating to dealings with regulators including the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission; and
• a number of Federal Court approved insurance portfolio transfers.

Litigation and dispute resolution

We specialise in conducting large, high value and complex litigation, and acting in public inquiries. Our recent experience includes acting:

• for insurers and insureds on a range of complex indemnity and coverage disputes;
• in professional indemnity and directors and officers issues;
• for parties in Royal Commissions and various inquiries;
• in reinsurance disputes involving arbitrations and mediations;
• on life insurance disputes and coverage issues;
• in relation to alleged 'secret commissions';
• in a range of complex engineering disputes on behalf of insurers including litigation; and
• on a number of large Australian class actions brought against financial services and leisure sector entities (including shareholders class actions).

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