Insurance/reinsurance

Conyers

Conyers houses a fully dedicated insurance and reinsurance law practice that acts for a sizeable percentage of all new insurance licensees, as well as counting the vast majority of commercial reinsurers that are active in the Cayman market. The team’s workload includes the gamut of issues in the practice area, covering captives, agents, brokers, reinsurance, alternative risk transfer, insurance financing, catastrophe bonds and other insurance-linked securities. Derek Stenson leads the team and is counsel of choice to a wealth of international financial and insurance institutions. Philippa Gilkes is a further key name with a dedicated insurance offering, while Sarah Howie and Frank Farrell add further support.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘Insurance dedicated expertise.’
‘Responsive, knowledgeable and experienced. Safe pair of hands. In particular Derek Stenson and Philippa Gilkes.’
‘Derek Stenson and his team have a commercial approach to the market that is simply unmatched by their peers. Derek is first and foremost a businessman and a lawyer secondly and this sets him and his team apart. Like any good leader he has surrounded himself with a solid team of performers.’
‘Derek Stenson has always had a commercial approach to matters legal and allied to his energy, affability built upon his technical know how he is as rounded a lawyer you can ask for. He knows his strengths and hires accordingly and in Philippa Gilkes has brought on an organised, technical and solid partner to his practise. Sarah Howie brings a seasoned compliance and contractual view of the world and Frank Farrell is busy building out his experience across a full range of the Conyers service platform.’
‘As a general counsel new to Cayman Islands' regulatory regime, Conyers has provided invaluable resources and guidance above and beyond what I expected.’
‘Derek Stenson heads-up an extremely talented reinsurance and insurance team. They are an extremely collegiate team who work seamlessly together - without doubling-up on charges. Their service delivery is exceptional. They really take time to fully understand their client's business operations and not only deliver great service for a specific service request they generally (almost always) make some additional beneficial recommendations.’
‘Derek Stenson, Partner is a strong and personable leader with a well-deserved enviable reputation for his insurance, reinsurance, financial services, regulatory and compliance expertise. Philippa Gilkes, Counsel is highly competent very thorough lawyer who always offers sound, sensible and pragmatic advices promptly Wayne Flanagan Sarah Howie (Farquhar), Senior Associate is highly competent with an inherent talent for building a strong trustworthy rapport with clients right from the start. She gets stuck into the details and diligently delivers commercial, practical, concise solutions extremely promptly and effectively. Kiah Estwick - Senior Associate: Kiah is a strong lawyer and a safe pair of hands and a definite rising-star in her profession. Wayne Flanagan - Associate: Diligent, knowledgeable and highly responsive. A next generation rising star.’
‘The Conyers Team has exceptional subject-matter expertise in the insurance/reinsurance sector and deployed that expertise to help us successfully establish, license, and operationalize multiple Cayman-based entities in a short period of time. We are greatly appreciative of our relationship with the Conyers Team and look forward to continuing to work together on our many Cayman initiatives.’

Key clients

ACAP
Agam Capital Management
AIG
Arbel Re SPC
Arch Capital
Ascension Health
Aspida Holdings
Artex
Athene Holding Ltd.
Aran Re
Augusta Health
Axar Re
Axonic Capital LLC
Baptist Health
Barents Re
Berkshire Hathaway
Blackstone
Blue Ocean Reinsurance Solutions
BOLT Reinsurance SPC
Canada Life
Cayman Islands National Insurance Company
CIBC Reinsurance
CIGNA
CIRCA (Cayman International Reinsurance Companies Association)
Coinbase Insurance
Comerica Bank
Converge Re
Crestline Re
Davidson Kempner
F&G Re
Front Street Re
FWD Re
Global Atlantic Financial Group
Greenlight Re
Harbour Partners Ltd.
H & W Indemnity (SPC), Ltd.
Ibexis Life & Annuity
Indigo Insurance
Island Heritage Insurance Company, Ltd.
Jackson National
KKR
Knighthead Annuity
Ledger Investing, Inc. / Ledger Re SPC
Lexasure Financial Group
Liberty Mutual
Lilypad Insurance Co.
Longtail Re
MetLife
Orange Capital LLC
Prudential plc
Nascent Group
Nirvana Tech, Inc,
Northern Reinsurance SPC
Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings Ltd.
Reinsurance Group of America
Root Inc.
Royal Bank of Canada Insurance Company Limited
Safety National SPC
Scotiabank
Sompo
Talcott Life & Annuity Re, Ltd.
Third Point LLC
Tokio Marine
Topsail Re
United HealthGroup
United Insurance Company
Wilmington Holdings Corporation

Work highlights

Advised the Aspida Group on the establishment of two Cayman Islands life and annuity reinsurers.
Assisted alternative asset manager Third Point with launching and licensing Malibu Life Re, a new life and annuity reinsurer in the Cayman Islands.
Acting for Augusta Health Care in its defence of an application by co-shareholder Valley Health System to the UK Privy Council for special leave to appeal an earlier judgment of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal which overturned a winding up order of the Grand Court.