Gide's Insurance practice group brings together thirty lawyers based throughout our network of offices and with the specific skills required to handle the various legal issues encountered within the fields of insurance and reinsurance.

The expertise of the Insurance practice group covers the entire range of services that may be required by the traditional key players in the insurance sector (insurers, insurance distributors, reinsurers) as well as by businesses from other sectors that face insurance-related issues or that wish to develop their own capacity to supply insurance services to others:

• Insurance companies / Regulatory. Our lawyers regularly assist insurers as well as any other organisations bearing insurance risks (mutual insurance companies) in all matters related to their obligations in terms of assets, solvency and, more generally, any prudential obligations. The skills available within the Insurance practice group also extend to assistance in relations between insurance companies and the audit authorities: applications for accreditation and licences as well as assistance and defence in the event of an audit.

• Insurance brokers / Distributors. We regularly assist traditional insurance brokers, as well as other operators wishing to distribute insurance products. With recognised expertise in implementing insurance product distribution schemes and boosted by the publication of numerous articles as well as one of the reference works in the field (Lamy Assurances), our Insurance practice group is the recognised leader on the French market.

• Reinsurance / Alternative risk transfer. The Insurance practice group regularly assists reinsurers in all issues relating to the regulations applicable to their field and works on the implementation of alternative risk transfer schemes.

• Life insurance. The Insurance practice group has recognised expertise in both audits of existing or future insurance schemes and the drafting of pre-contractual documentation and life insurance (assurance-vie) or capital bond contracts. The practice group is particularly specialised in all aspects of documentation relating to the sale of insurance products, for example distance selling, pre-contractual information and advice, particularly as regards life insurance.

• General insurance. The Insurance practice group has recognised expertise in both audits of existing or future insurance schemes and the drafting of pre-contractual documentation and non-life insurance contracts. It is particularly specialised in all aspects of documentation relating to the sale of insurance products, for example distance selling, pre-contractual information and advice.

• Construction insurance. Our lawyers are specialised in dealing with legal issues relating to construction insurance. They manage a wide range of files, particularly for insurance companies, involving liability issues specific to builders, public or private project owners, project managers, contractors and technicians. Our team works on pre-contentious and contentious management of disputes involving construction insurance or the performance of public or private tender contracts (expert report proceedings, pre-construction survey procedures, follow-up on pre-contentious or court-ordered expert reports, representation in any court), requiring insurance policies to come into play (for construction defects, ten-year warranty, or other optional policies). The Construction Insurance team works closely with the Real Estate practice group to assist its clients in reviewing and analysing the legal aspects involved in real estate acquisitions/sales or any real estate construction or refurbishment projects.

• Insurance and reinsurance litigation. The Insurance practice group assists and represents enterprises from all business sectors in disputes involving insurance-related issues before the commercial, civil and criminal courts as well as in arbitration proceedings.

• Restructuring /Corporate audit. Our lawyers regularly work on restructuring operations involving mergers, acquisitions and changes in control. Together with the Mergers & Acquisitions / Corporate practice group, the Insurance team boasts, in particular, recognised expertise in restructurings involving insurers and brokers.

• Taxation. Together with the lawyers from the Tax team, the Insurance practice group handles all tax issues surrounding insurance products.

Gide has the ‘best knowledge and understanding of French and European insurance issues in France’ and ‘stands out for its global, comprehensive and fine expertise’. The 17-lawyer practice assists many leading insurers and reinsurers, as well as some corporations in sensitive regulatory issues and civil liability cases. It recently represented MAF following a major fire disaster in Paris La Villette. Axa and SCOR are also clients. Practice head Richard Ghueldre is ‘the best in town’ and ‘an outstanding and relentless negotiator, who can anticipate all the possible obstacles’. Capucine Bernier has ‘outstanding pleading skills’, while counsel Charles-Eric Delamare-Deboutteville is ‘a reference for regulatory matters and insurance product distribution work’.

Legal 500 EMEA 2016