OLYMPIA Avocats

OLYMPIA Avocats is a boutique law firm dedicated to insurance law.

Julie BRULE and Sophie CREUSVAUX joined forces to create a structure of excellence after fourteen years working for a leading French law firm (Gide Loyrette Nouel), where they assisted insurance professionals with strategic, regulatory and market issues.

Driven by the ambition to provide their clients with top-level legal support, and guided by rigour and tenacity, they founded OLYMPIA Avocats, an agile and responsive firm, attentive to the needs and challenges of its clients.

Fully committed to working alongside insurance professionals (including insurers, mutual insurers, bankinsurers, reinsurers, intermediaries), the firm advises and represents its clients in both advisory and contentious matters, whether before the courts or through alternative dispute resolution, across many areas of insurance law.

OLYMPIA Avocats also assists its clients in connection with inspections conducted by the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR), as well as in disciplinary proceedings before the Commission des sanctions.

The firm further relies on a trusted network of colleagues covering all areas of business law, in France and internationally, for matters requiring additional expertise.

The firm has recognised expertise in life insurance, advising and representing clients in both advisory and contentious matters.

OLYMPIA Avocats advises insurance and reinsurance undertakings on a wide range of life insurance–related issues, including in particular:

• regulatory frameworks applicable to insurance and reinsurance undertakings and to life insurance products (e.g. Solvency II, Insurance Distribution Directive, Retail Investment Strategy, French “Loi Industrie Verte”, risk localisation, eligibility of unit-linked investments, PACTE transfers, “Eurocroissance” products);
• compliance analysis of life insurance and capitalisation contracts, as well as related pre-contractual and marketing documentation;
• distribution of life insurance products.

The firm assists clients in pre-litigation and litigation matters relating to life insurance, notably in connection with duty to provide information and advice, profit-sharing, eligibility of unit-linked investments, guaranteed interest rates, beneficiary clauses, amendments to group insurance contracts, professional civil liability of insurance intermediaries, and the interpretation of reinsurance treaties.

The firm also represents insurance professionals in litigation initiated by consumer associations, including class actions and actions seeking the cessation of unlawful practices.

OLYMPIA Avocats advises and represents clients in non-life insurance matters, in both advisory and contentious contexts.

The firm handles a broad range of issues, including in particular:

• regulatory frameworks applicable to insurance and reinsurance undertakings and to non-life insurance products (governance requirements, technical provisions, freedom to provide services, freedom of establishment);
• compliance analysis of non-life insurance contracts, as well as related pre-contractual and marketing documentation;
• analysis of contractual coverage (scope of cover, exclusions, false statements, temporal aspects of cover) and assistance with claims handling;
• rules governing the distribution of non-life insurance products, whether through insurance intermediaries or other economic operators.

OLYMPIA Avocats also assists insurance professionals with pre-litigation and litigation in non-life insurance matters, including civil liability insurance, affinity insurance, business interruption insurance and cyber risks, and has recognised expertise in litigation initiated by consumer associations, including class actions and actions seeking the cessation of unlawful practices.

OLYMPIA Avocats has in-depth expertise in assisting its clients (including insurers, mutual insurers, provident institutions and insurance intermediaries) in connection with inspections conducted by the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR) and related disciplinary proceedings.

The firm provides assistance at all stages of the process, including:

• support during ACPR inspection missions, including responses to information requests from the inspection team, preparation of interviews with employees and senior management, participation in closing meetings, and responses to draft and final inspection reports;
• assistance in the follow-up to inspections, including (i) responses to follow-up letters and support in the implementation of administrative enforcement measures and (ii) representation in disciplinary proceedings before the Commission des sanctions, including the drafting of written submissions (in response to the statement of objections, to the submissions filed by the Collège’s representative, and to the Rapporteur’s report), as well as oral advocacy before the Commission des sanctions;
• assistance in potential proceedings before the Conseil d’Etat following decisions rendered by the Commission des sanctions.

OLYMPIA Avocats

26 avenue de la Grande Armée

75017 Paris

FRANCE