Heenan Blaikie’s Insurance group helps clients succeed in a constantly changing insurance landscape. We advise national and international insurers, reinsurers, underwriters, investment banks, brokerage firms and agents on strategies designed to maintain or extend their market reach, including:
- mergers and acquisitions
- innovative product development
- operational efficiency improvements
- customer retention
- reliable risk management systems
- expansion into emerging markets
- cross-selling
- claims litigation
- risk management advice
Services Overview
We provide insurance advice in connection with:
- Drafting and revision of insurance policies, forms, endorsements and contracts
- Coverage analyses and opinions on various types of insurance policies, including professional liability, commercial general liability, directors and officers liability, securities insurance, errors and omissions, life and disability insurance, health insurance, travel insurance, environmental liability and fiduciary liability
- Corporate and commercial law, which includes drafting and implementation of corporate plans, foreign branches and subsidiaries, constitution and restructuring of insurance companies and mutual corporations, capital adequacy, expansion into new markets, investment returns, outsourcing
- Litigation (including claims) on behalf of insurers or policyholders in a wide range of claims, such as professional liability, commercial general liability, directors and officers liability, securities insurance, errors and omissions, life and disability insurance, health insurance, travel insurance, environmental liability, fiduciary liability, product liability, business interruption and employment practices
- Financial services, banking and insolvency, including corporate governance, financial market monitoring, insolvency issues, privacy matters, joint ventures and strategic alliances
- Government relations, including analysis and interpretation of insurance laws, regulations, policies and guidelines; conduct of policy reviews; representation of insurance industry clients before governments and regulatory agencies
- Complex merger and acquisition claims involving allegations of inflated consideration paid for acquired companies
- Labour and employment law, particularly a wide range of insurance coverage options: workplace safety, salary, disability, medical, life, dental
- Legal aspects of product development, risk management, assessments and audits
- Representation of insurers in judicial and non-judicial settlement mediations, arbitrations and litigation, including prosecution of declaratory judgment actions, class actions, third- and first-party claims litigation, extra-contractual liability and bad faith claims, bankruptcy and insolvency issues, structured settlement disputes, reinsurance arbitrations and antitrust litigation
- All aspects of coverage determination, such as opinion letters, proposed policy changes, reservation of rights letters and declination letters that set forth the rights, duties and obligations of insurers and insured under various insurance policies
- Drafting of insurance legislation on behalf of the federal and provincial governments
- Regulatory law, including regulatory compliance, helping clients design effective compliance programs, conducting internal investigations, licensing, product development and approval, responding to government and regulatory inquiries and enforcement actions
- Risk management advice for professional firms
Heenan Blaikie’s insurance team works in close coordination with the firm’s tax, labour and employment, health, corporate and commercial, real estate, securities, environmental, and financial services, banking and insolvency teams. Relying on the combined and comprehensive expertise of a nationwide group of lawyers experienced in all aspects of insurance law, Heenan Blaikie is able to handle various insurance matters on a cost-effective basis and to offer our clients creative, aggressive and timely solutions to all issues.
Organizational Involvement
Many of the team’s lawyers have long-standing experience of the insurance business. Some have previously occupied important positions at insurance companies, while others have been recognized as authors, speakers, teachers of insurance law at leading universities or as members of distinctive organizations like Insurance Bureau of Canada.