Ira J Belcove

Ira is a partner and co-chair of the firm’s Reinsurance Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group, with more than 30 years of experience in reinsurance arbitration, complex business litigation and appellate practice. He has tried numerous disputes involving property & casualty, life and finite reinsurance on behalf of ceding insurers and assuming reinsurers. Ira has also represented reinsurers in connection with a number of insurer insolvencies.

In the course of his reinsurance practice, Ira has addressed such issues as:

The cession of forest fire losses under property catastrophe treaties, including the division of loss occurrences pursuant to an hours clause

The consolidation of arbitrations arising out of multiple treaties

The aggregation of asbestos claims, and the number of occurrences in other environmental claims

The propriety of cessions of construction defect claims

The notice required for termination of an MGA agreement

The insurability of claims for punitive damages

The interpretation of guaranteed minimum death and income benefit reinsurance agreements

The application of treaty ultimate net loss clauses to policy supplementary payments provisions

Risk transfer and the interpretation of sublimits, termination clauses and other provisions found in finite reinsurance clauses

A reinsurer’s right of set-off against the estate of an insolvent insurer

In addition to his representation of clients as counsel, Ira has testified as an expert witness before the High Court of Justice in London on questions of U.S. insurance law.

Ira’s business litigation practice focuses on complex commercial cases, including enforcement of restrictive covenants, actions under the Uniform Commercial Code and other contract disputes. He has also argued appeals successfully before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the Illinois Appellate Court and the Illinois Human Rights Commission.

Before entering private practice, Ira clerked for the Hon. Bernard M. Decker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.