Holland & Knight has taken another step to secure its leading position among Representations and Warranties Insurance (RWI) advisory firms with the hiring of Andrew D. Shapiro and Jason S. Dubner as partners in the firm’s Chicago office. Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Dubner were previously co-chairs of the Representations and Warranties Insurance Practice Group at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur.
Holland & Knight’s Representations and Warranties Insurance Team is one of the largest such practices in the United States. Its members counsel transaction parties on the purchase of insurance in conjunction with mergers and acquisitions (M&A), advise underwriters in issuing policies and assist insurers in the claims process.
“Our RWI team is being hired to represent insurers at a record pace as a result of the incredible amount of M&A activity over the past few years,” said Christopher G. Kelly, leader of Holland & Knight’s Litigation Section. “We expect claims on these policies to peak in the next year or so, which makes the arrival of Andy and Jason, who are very well known in this niche area, so crucial.”
“Andy and Jason are excellent lawyers and well connected within Chicago’s robust insurance industry,” said Timothy Ray, head of Holland & Knight’s Chicago Litigation practice. “We expect them to hit the ground running with their existing matters and look forward to introducing them to the firm’s insurance and reinsurance clients. Their broad overall experience, which also includes antitrust advice, is especially well-suited to the diverse needs of our clients.”
Mr. Shapiro has a broad practice concentrated on assisting carriers and managing general agents with representations and warranties claims, reinsurance coverage counseling and disputes, and complex commercial litigation. Mr. Shapiro has extensive experience representing insurance carriers, cedents, reinsurers, corporations and partnerships in a wide range of commercial disputes before trial and appellate courts and arbitration panels throughout the country. Since 2009, Mr. Shapiro has also served as an adjunct professor at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where he teaches Pre-Trial Advocacy.
Mr. Dubner has represented companies in a variety of complex commercial litigations and arbitrations, with an emphasis on reinsurance, insurance, healthcare and antitrust disputes. As a former economic analyst with the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, he brings the combined perspectives of an economist and a regulator to his practice. Mr. Dubner has also been appointed to adjudicate commercial disputes as a panelist on the American Arbitration Association (AAA) National Roster of Arbitrators, where he maintains an active AAA arbitration practice.
Mr. Shapiro received a J.D. degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and a B.S. degree from Miami University. Mr. Dubner received a J.D. degree from The University of Chicago Law School and a B.A. degree from Swarthmore College.
