Cadwalader Adds Leading Insurance Partner in London

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, one of the world’s leading law firms, announced that Jennifer Donohue, a prominent insurance and reinsurance lawyer, will join the firm as a partner in the Corporate Department of the London office.

“My practice requires a team of highly talented capital markets, corporate and restructuring specialists. With a stellar reputation in each of these areas, Cadwalader provides the ideal practice synergy as well as significant opportunities for further development of client relationships”

“Jennifer Donohue is a great addition to our London team. She is a well known and skilled practitioner who brings to the firm an expertise that complements our specialised talent,” stated Robert O. Link, Managing Partner of the London Office. “We welcome her arrival.”

Ms. Donohue, the former head of the Insurance & Reinsurance Group at Simmons & Simmons, concentrates her practice in corporate insurance and reinsurance matters and insurance regulation. In addition to structuring complex financial transactions with insurance components, including insurance-linked securities, insurance company M&A, cross-border derivatives, capital markets and securitisation transactions, she advises on the regulatory treatment of investments by and for insurance companies; pre-insolvency strategies, managed exits, and reorganisations; and the applicability of UK and cross-border European Commission insurance directives.

“Jennifer’s diverse experience advising clients that invest in and structure insurance-related products will enhance the services we provide to leading banks, insurance and reinsurance companies, and pension, private equity and other fund groups,” said Christopher White, the Chairman of Cadwalader and the Co-Chairman of the firm’s Corporate Department. “We look forward to working with Jennifer and to expanding our presence in the London market.”

“My practice requires a team of highly talented capital markets, corporate and restructuring specialists. With a stellar reputation in each of these areas, Cadwalader provides the ideal practice synergy as well as significant opportunities for further development of client relationships,” said Ms. Donohue. “I am excited to collaborate with my new colleagues not only in London but also in the U.S. and Asia, and to contribute to the growth of the London office.”

“At Cadwalader we are building a centre of specialism for the insurance and reinsurance industry,” she continued. “There is to be a dedicated group of practitioners utilising a multidisciplinary approach to innovation and structuring focused on the insurance market and its needs. These needs cross the boundaries of traditional banking, capital markets and regulation where Cadwalader is preeminent.”

“The insurance industry, in developments such as Solvency II and emerging new risks such as longevity, is facing the biggest challenge and profound transformation in the market for decades. These legal and transactional challenges dynamically test the development of the individual insurance businesses. Clients require and need these to be handled by a dedicated team such as at Cadwalader. We consider this to be a unique proposition for insurance clients,” Ms. Donohue concluded.

Ms. Donohue worked for Her Majesty’s Government as a senior legal adviser in the U.K and Brussels. She qualified as a barrister and then as a solicitor in 1992. She has spoken extensively at conferences worldwide, particularly on capital issues for insurance companies, and has authored books and articles on regulatory and transactional matters for both life and non-life insurance companies and brokers.

About Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, established in 1792, is one of the world's leading international law firms, with offices in New York, London, Charlotte, Washington and Beijing. Cadwalader serves a diverse client base, including many of the world's top financial institutions, undertaking business in more than 50 countries in six continents. The firm offers legal expertise in antitrust, banking, business fraud, corporate finance, corporate governance, environmental, healthcare, insolvency, insurance, intellectual property, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, private client, private equity, real estate, regulation, securitisation, structured finance and tax. More information about Cadwalader can be found at www.cadwalader.com.