Insurance

Our insurance practice has extensive experience advising large New Zealand and international insurers - including AMP, QBE Insurance and Vero Liability - on services including regulation and compliance, law reform, indemnity, claims, reinsurance and disputes. We are frequently the first choice for their more difficult claims and complex commercial and regulatory transactions.

We advise on the development and design of new insurance products, policy drafting, and captive insurance options. We advise on issues of policy coverage and legislation affecting insurers and policy holders, and carry out insurance audits and risk analysis (with an emphasis on legal liability). We also advise on financial adviser and securities law issues.

We are the primary legal advisor to New Zealand’s statutory disaster insurer, the Earthquake Commission (EQC). EQC is dealing with by far the greatest number of insurance issues and disputes arising from the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, 2013 Seddon earthquakes and the 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes.

We act for insurers at all levels of the court system and in alternative dispute resolution procedures, including under the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme and other financial service provider dispute resolution schemes.

We advise on relationships and contractual arrangements between insurers, brokers and insurance intermediaries, including underwriting arrangements for insurance products offered by banks and other financial institutions.