Practice Areas

Our experience includes advising:

• Saol Assurance trading as AIB Life on the establishment of a new life insurance undertaking jointly owned by AIB plc (Irish pillar bank) and Irish Life Assurance plc to create a novel life insurance model, underpinned by a complex and technology-driven outsourcing framework supporting both AIB’s branch network and digital platforms.
• US Headquartered Non-Life Insurance Group on the first inwards cross-border conversion of an insurer from another EU Member State into Ireland under the EU’s new conversion regime and simultaneous authorisation as an Irish head-officed insurer under Ireland’s Solvency II regime.
• Athora on its strategic acquisition of Athora Ireland plc (formerly Aegon) by Athora Life Re Ltd, a complex multi-phase transaction involving subsequent restructuring including the transfer of Athora Ireland’s offshore bond business to Utmost Life.
• Phoenix on the acquisition of Standard Life International, the insurance arm of Standard Life Aberdeen, in addition to the sale of Ark Life Assurance, an Irish-authorised life insurance undertaking, through a competitive bid process.
• Zurich Insurance on the acquisition of the Irish portion of AIG Insurance Group’s global personal travel insurance and assistance business.
• Societe Generale on the sale of Inora Life to the Monument Re Group.  
• Generali on the Irish law elements of its acquisition of the Irish branch of Liberty Seguros.
• The AA, the UK’s largest breakdown cover organisation, on the sale of its Irish business and operations, AA Ireland Limited, to US-Irish private equity fund,  Carlyle Cardinal.
• GloHealth owners on the sale of their majority stake in the private health insurance business to Irish Life Health, owned by the Irish Life Group.
• Coverys International on its acquisition of a majority shareholding in Brady Insurances, an Irish MGA operation.
•  AssuredPartners, a large US private equity-backed insurance broking group, on its acquisition of the independent Irish insurance brokerage, Gallivan Murphy Insurance Brokers t/a GMIB.ie.
• Swiss Re Group on its Irish PMI run-off portfolio underwritten by its Liechtenstein subsidiary, Elips VAG and distributed via Laya Healthcare.
• Arca Vita International on its cross-border merger and life portfolio transfer to its Italian parent, Arca Vita S.p.A.
• Eni Insurance on its outward cross-border merger into Eni Insurance S.p.A, a new Italian sister company.
• Atradius on the intra-group cross-border merger of its Irish reinsurer, Atradius Reinsurance DAC, into its Spanish counterpart, Atradius Crédito Caución, S.A. De Seguros Y Reaseguros.
• CNP Santander on the Irish High Court sanctioned portfolio transfer of CNP Europe Life DAC’s unsettled Italian index-linked tracker bond policies to the Italian branch of another group company.
• Chubb Group on its cross-border merger of Chubb Bermuda International into the UK company, Chubb Insurance Company of Europe SE.
• Axa Life Europe on the Irish High Court sanctioned portfolio transfer of its offshore investment bond business to Utmost Ireland.
• Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland on its new statutory role as Ireland’s motor insurance compensation body under the EU Motor Insurance Directive (2021/2118) and the implementation of the Motor Insurance Insolvency Compensation Act 2024.
• Berkshire Hathaway in its €90 million Solvency II-compliant subordinated loan investment in VHI Insurance.
• Ballantyne Re, an Irish securitisation SPV of reinsurance risk, on the restructuring of its loan note obligations, which were guaranteed by certain third parties, through an Irish law scheme of arrangement.
• The Hanover Group on the establishment of Chaucer Insurance Company DAC and its authorisation by the Central Bank of Ireland as a non-life insurance company, and its subsequent sale of Chaucer Group to the China Re Group.
• Beazley Group on the establishment of its Irish non-life insurance undertaking, Beazley Insurance DAC, in addition to the separate registration of its Irish insurance intermediary, Beazley Solutions International Limited, under the IDD regime.
• EPH Group on the establishment of a new direct writing captive in Ireland, EP Insurance DAC.
• SCOR on the establishment and related operations of an Irish-authorised reinsurance undertaking by the Central Bank of Ireland.
• Companjon on regulatory and corporate governance matters relating to its insurer and insurance intermediary, supporting its innovative, tech-enabled embedded insurance platform offering digital-first cover for online transactions, underpinned by parametric triggers and real-time claims settlement.
• Munich Re Group on the establishment of its Irish MGA, Munich Re Risk Solutions Ireland, under the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) regime.
• McGill & Partners, the specialist (re)insurance broker, on the establishment of its Irish operations and registration with the Central Bank of Ireland under the IDD regime.
• Airbnb on the establishment of a new Irish insurance intermediary to distribute insurance products across the EEA via its integrated pan-European digital platform, in accordance with the IDD regime.
• AXA Global Healthcare on the establishment of the AXA Group’s Irish MGA for the distribution of international health and employee benefits products, including its regulatory authorisation by the Central Bank of Ireland.

• Establishment and authorisation of (re)insurance operations in Ireland, including greenfield start-ups, third-country and EEA branches and post-authorisation business expansion;
• Mergers, acquisitions and corporate transactions, including joint ventures, cross-border transactions, business transfers, group restructurings and reorganisations;
• Regulatory applications and change management, including changes in business plans, variations of authorisation and change in control approvals;
• Portfolio transfers and complex restructuring transactions, including cross-border mergers, conversions and schemes of arrangement;
• Reinsurance and risk transfer solutions, including traditional reinsurance, structured arrangements and alternative risk transfer solutions such as insurance-linked securities(ILS);
• Captive and self-insurance structures, advising sponsors on establishment, governance and ongoing regulatory compliance;
• Capital and solvency advisory, including Solvency II capital requirements, internal models, capital management and related regulatory approvals;
• Regulatory compliance and conduct of business, including consumer protection, product governance, risk management frameworks, IDD and Solvency II requirements;
• Corporate governance and board advisory, including fitness & probity, board composition, governance frameworks and regulatory expectations;
• Technology, insurtech and digital transformation, including digital distribution models, embedded insurance, platform-based offerings, outsourcing of technology services, and the design and regulation of end-to-end digital consumer journeys;
• Commercial and operational contracts, including distribution, bancassurance, agency, outsourcing and third-party service arrangements;
• Recovery and resolution, restructuring and insolvency, including winding-up, administration and run-off strategies for insurers and reinsurers;
• Regulatory engagement and supervisory interaction, including Central Bank of Ireland authorisations, inspections, thematic reviews, investigations and enforcement matters;
• ESG and sustainability, including regulatory compliance, disclosure obligations (e.g. SFDR/CSRD/CSDDD where applicable).