Cozen O’Connor, among the 100 largest U.S. law firms, announced that reinsurance attorney Mary A. Lopatto has joined the firm as a member of the Global Insurance Group in the Washington, DC office. She joins Cozen O’Connor from Chadbourne & Parke LLP, where she served as the Managing Partner of the Washington, DC office.
Ms. Lopatto focuses her practice on reinsurance dispute resolution. One of the nation’s most experienced reinsurance attorneys, she has resolved complex claim disputes across a broad range of business lines. She has more than 25 years of specialization in this area and has been consistently recognized as a practice leader by Chambers USA and other US and international professional ranking associations. She is a former Chairman of the AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society (ARIAS-U.S.), the leading professional association for the insurance and reinsurance arbitration community, and initiated the group’s recent reformation of the arbitrator certification process.
Ms. Lopatto has represented clients on both the ceding and assuming side and in the US, London, and Bermuda markets. Most recently her matters have involved product liability, environmental allocation issues, asbestos liability, financial reinsurance, professional liability, workers compensation, boiler and machinery insurance, guaranteed mortality death benefit products, and catastrophic reinsurance issues.
A particular focus of Ms. Lopatto’s practice is complex and large-scale international arbitrations of disputes under the Bermuda form and subject to the Bermuda International Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1993. She has handled major arbitrations involving the reinsurance of Bermuda captives with respect to professional liability and product liability issues. Other Bermuda arbitrations have concerned environmental liability, reinsurance allocation disputes, and employment class actions.
Throughout her career, Ms. Lopatto has appeared in U.S. federal and state courts representing clients in property/casualty and life and health insurance and reinsurance matters. She has counseled clients in the U.S., London, and European markets with respect to coverage issues, contract wordings, and U.S. insolvency issues and regulatory requirements.
“We are excited to have Mary on our team,” said William Shelley, Co-chairman of the firm’s Global Insurance Group and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and Management Committee. “Mary brings a significant wealth of experience and knowledge of the reinsurance industry, including her leadership of a major reinsurance trade organization.”
“Mary is another great addition to our rapidly growing DC office,” said Barry Boss, DC office managing partner. “She will strategically expand the depth of the firm’s capabilities in Washington.”
