DAC Beachcroft LLP

Head of Latin America & the Chile Office: Andrés Amunátegui

Business Development Manager Latin America: Sascha Stullenberg

Head of the Mexico Office: Miguel de la Fuente

Head of the Colombia Office: Juan Diego Arango

London Regional Representative for Latin America: Anthony Menzies

Madrid Regional Representative for Latin America: José María Álvarez Cienfuegos

Number of partners: 334

Number of other fee earners: 1,980

Firm Overview:

With market-leading insurance and dispute resolution practices in Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Spain, and local lawyers based in its London office, DAC Beachcroft is uniquely placed to advise throughout Latin America, supported in particular by the firm’s offices in London, Madrid and Miami. This provides the firm with unrivalled access and local presence in the three most important LatAm insurance markets. Additionally, the firm has developed close working relationships in Brazil with Demarest Advogados, a full-service firm operating across all areas of commercial legal practice, and with leading insurance and reinsurance firm BLP in Central America. The firm also works with a network of leading local lawyers in other key LatAm jurisdictions, including Argentina and Peru.

DAC Beachcroft is proud to be a founding member of Legalign Global, a closely integrated alliance of four law firms, established in 2017, focused on the requirements of the international insurance market, operating from Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the USA, as well as the United Kingdom. The member firms are best in class in their regions and each enjoys a well-earned reputation in insurance law. DAC Beachcroft collaborates closely to provide the industry with uniformly high levels of service, quality and efficiency around the world.

The firm’s legal experts work with clients throughout Europe from offices in Dublin, Madrid and Paris. Furthermore, in 2022, DAC Beachcroft signed a cooperation agreement to expand its relationship with existing Legalign Global partner BLD Bach Langheid Dallmayr, the market-leading insurance and liability law firm in Germany. Together, the two firms now have more lawyers in Europe than any other insurance-focused law firm.

DAC Beachcroft has an office in Singapore, which is a fully integrated part of the firm’s global team, providing both domestic and international support, in particular to insurance clients. The firm also has a close relationship with Malaysian law firm Gan Partnership, based in Kuala Lumpur, providing insurance and reinsurance clients with a combination of DAC Beachcroft’s experience within the international insurance and reinsurance sector, together with Gan Partnership’s Malaysian law capability and first-class commercial and dispute resolution capabilities in Malaysia.

Main Areas of Practice:

Construction & Engineering:

Chile & Colombia: Handling losses related with construction of windfarm projects including DSU coverage.

Mexico: Representing a London insurer on a thermoelectric power plant related loss.

Ecuador: Representing the international market on a power plant related loss, including property damage and business interruption claim.

Corporate, Commercial & Regulatory:

Various: Advising on day-to-day business and a setting up operations for international re/insurers in Latin America.

México, Colombia & Chile: Advising a several insurers company on product wording, reinsurance and commercial agreements.

Cyber, Technology, Media & Information Risk:

Various: Advising a global insurer on drafting their cyber risk policy in Latin America.

Chile & Perú: Representing London market reinsurer on a massive data breach that affected a financial institution.

Directors’ & Officers’ Liability:

Brazil: Advising London Market reinsurers on D&O coverage and monitoring issues in Brazil in connection with a class action brought in the US. Advising in various D&O matters in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela and Uruguay.

Various: Advising on D&O Claims arising from COVID-19.

Colombia: Advising reinsurers in connection with a D&O policy loss, arising from Disciplinary and Fiscal Liability Proceedings against several Directors and Officers who allegedly are involved in wrongdoings amounting to $300 million in a major project.

Marine, Aviation & Transport:

Mexico & USA: Representing brokers regarding a multi-million pound arbitration in London about the placement of a group aviation reinsurance programme on behalf of a Eurasian airline.

Brazil: Representing insurers in major subrogation claims for transport and cargo losses.

Colombia & Chile: Advising reinsurers on losses related with critical equipment transportation for mining projects.

Medical Malpractice:

Various: Advising on liability programme for healthcare account for reinsurers across LatAm.

Offshore & Onshore Energy:

Peru: Representing London Market reinsurers defending onshore energy insurance claims.

Chile: Advising on fuel spill losses involving State-owned company. Advising a London Market insurer, with an energy distributor insured, in relation to a massive fire that affected commercial premises.

Personal Injury:

Chile, Colombia & Mexico: Advising worldwide insurers in connection with multiple fatality accidents at a major mine; transport accidents; work accidents; collapse of a walkway; a large fire that affected two regions.

Product Liability, Safety & Recall:

México: Advising on machinery insurance policy, in regards to several losses as a result of a problem in the design of the project where the machines were installed.

Colombia: Advising on product recall insurance of contaminated medical products.

Argentina: Advising in product liability claim regarding allegedly defective turbine blade material for use in power generator plant.

Chile, Peru and Venezuela: Advising in relation to claims for a defective products, including dog food, grapes and fuel-oil.

Professional Liability & Financial Lines:

Peru: Advising on failed Madoff investments and appointed as arbitrators.

Colombia: Advising reinsurers on several cases regarding claims filed against trust funds.

Chile: Acting for the London Market in respect of an E&O claim against an international broker due to a misplacement of a property damage and BI co-insurance programme.

Property Loss:

Colombia: Advising reinsurers on coverage of a property policy for the damage of a pipeline.

Chile: Acting on behalf insurers for the London Market regarding property damage losses after fires, floods, and political violence related losses.

Reinsurance:

Uruguay: Advising run-off agencies on multiple reinsurance court proceedings and arbitrations.

Mexico: Representing a London Market reinsurer in connection with multi-million pound reinsurance recoveries against a Mexican reinsurer.

War & Political Risk:

Argentina: Advising on losses to a major Spanish bank arising from pesification.

Chile: Advising on political violence losses, arising from riots, civil commotion and terrorism.

Venezuela: Advising on political violence losses and policy wordings on terrorism cover.