Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP announced today that five attorneys have joined the firm’s Insurance Litigation Group in New York, expanding the firm’s service offerings in insurance class action defense and complex litigation. The new attorneys include Partners Michael R. Nelson and Kymberly Kochis, and their colleagues Veronica M. Wayner, Francis X. Nolan, IV and Alexander P. Fuchs. The group joins from the New York office of Nelson Levine de Luca & Hamilton (now Nelson Brown & Co.) where Mr. Nelson was chairman, Ms. Kochis was a partner and Ms. Wayner, Mr. Nolan and Mr. Fuchs were associates. The five attorneys bring extensive experience representing insurers worldwide in litigation, insurance regulatory investigations, reinsurance, antitrust, administrative hearings and compliance matters.
“This is an exciting time for both our firmwide insurance litigation practice and the New York office as we continue to expand this key practice and office in alignment with our strategic plan,” said Sutherland Managing Partner Mark D. Wasserman. “As highly respected class action attorneys, Mike and Kym will be extremely valuable to our Fortune 100, as well as property and casualty insurance, clients. Their arrival, with the addition of three lateral attorneys, adds additional depth and breadth to our practice, which is nationally recognized for combining industry knowledge with business acumen to achieve meaningful results.”
Mr. Nelson represents national and international insurers on complex business litigation matters, including class actions and mass actions in federal and state courts across the country. With more than 35 years of legal and insurance industry experience, he also counsels insurers and reinsurers on large-scale legal risks emanating from the London and Bermuda insurance markets. He has testified before the Federal Court’s Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure. Mr. Nelson also advises clients in a range of matters related to corporate business practices, antitrust, regulatory and compliance, and legislative concerns and the impact on emerging regulatory changes in the global insurance marketplace. He is a widely recognized insurance attorney at the senior levels of the insurance and regulatory communities and frequently represents insurers with matters pending before insurance regulators in many jurisdictions.
Ms. Kochis counsels insurers on a wide range of litigation and corporate governance matters and advises clients facing government inquiries and investigations. Her extensive knowledge of the insurance industry provides for deft representation of insurers opposing complex class action litigation. She regularly handles matters involving unfair trade practices, consumer fraud, antitrust, ERISA and policy coverage issues, as well as complex breach of contract and tort claims. Ms. Kochis also counsels clients confronted with investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. Attorney Offices, Departments of Insurance and Offices of State Attorneys General.
“Sutherland has built a best-in-class practice for the insurance sector, whether for life, property and casualty, corporate counseling, M&A and finance, investigations and major litigation, or solving regulatory challenges,” said John S. Pruitt, partner and leader of Sutherland’s Property and Casualty Group. “The addition of Mike Nelson and Kym Kochis significantly enhances our insurance litigation practice and is the latest measure of our commitment to legal excellence. We are excited to have them join us.”
Sutherland’s Litigation Practice Group, which has grown steadily for more than eight decades and includes more than 100 litigators, has tried and argued cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, all 13 circuits of the U.S. Court of Appeals, the Court of Federal Claims, the Tax Court and hundreds of federal district and state trial and appellate courts. Sutherland’s national reputation for success in complex insurance litigation includes “bet the company” cases, and the firm has litigated cases on behalf of insurance companies facing coverage disputes, government enforcement actions involving criminal charges and civil fines, and product liability claims. The group also counsels clients on risk management, regulatory compliance and process safety issues, and investigates and litigates workplace and environmental incidents.
Source: www.sutherland.com
