Insights
National Firm Now in 41 Offices across the United States
Our North American alliance firm Wilson Elser announced today that it has opened a new office in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Indianapolis office together with the firm’s Merrillville, Indiana location will service clients across the entire state. Wilson Elser now has 41 offices in the United States.
Heading up the new office is Joseph V. Macha, an experienced trial attorney and former managing partner of the Indianapolis office of Foley Mansfield. Joining him from the same firm is associate Thomas J. Flynn. Justin Hazlett, a 20-year veteran of the Office of the Indiana Attorney General will join the office on August 21 as Of Counsel.
“We’re expanding our Midwest presence at the request of our clients,” said David Holmes, the firm’s Midwest Region Managing Partner. “The new Indianapolis office will expand the presence of Wilson Elser’s best-in-class national network of defense litigators and nationally recognized trial bench to serve our clients in this region.”
“The firm’s enhanced presence in Indiana headed by Joe is a double win for Wilson Elser. Together with the Merrillville office, Indianapolis will command a generous share of business in Indiana and serve as a strategic extension of our nearby Chicago office,” said Wilson Elser Chair Daniel J. McMahon.
Macha said he was excited to join Wilson Elser for its national stature and size. “It is good for my team to be with a firm that is growing in Indiana and nationwide. We look forward to using our years of trial experience and knowledge of Indianapolis to better serve the firm and its clients.”
The attorneys primarily will handle complex environmental liability, general liability and product liability matters.
About the Indianapolis Team
Joseph V. Macha
Joseph Macha is an experienced trial attorney with a practice focused in civil litigation, including product liability, toxic tort, environmental law, and drug and medical device litigation. He has been first chair for more than 20 jury trials in state and federal courts and handles bench trials and arbitrations as well.
Macha has represented clients before regulatory agencies and in litigation on issues pertaining to the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). His product liability work includes cases relating to drugs and medical devices, heavy equipment and a range of defect cases. Macha also has been involved in multidistrict litigation (MDL) and mass tort cases.
A National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) Board Certified Trial Specialist, Macha is one of fewer than 2,000 attorneys in the United States to hold this certification. He also is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocacy, an esteemed invitation-only group.
Macha earned his J.D. degree in 1994 from Western State University College of Law, his B.A. degree in 1987 from Loyola Marymount University, and a B.S. degree in 1984 from Santa Clara University.
Thomas Flynn
Thomas Flynn has represented numerous high-profile Fortune 500 companies in various class action suits, with a focus on asbestos and talc claims. He has defended dozens of suits in various areas of law, including but not limited to toxic tort/mass tort, complex litigation (including multi-forum litigation), environmental law, product liability and general civil litigation.
Flynn earned his J.D. degree in 2019 from the University of Notre Dame Law School and his B.A. degree in 2015 from Indiana University Bloomington.
The International Comparative Legal Guide has released the 2020 edition of its global Product Liability guide, with a contribution written by Martin Alexander and Sarah Cloth.
In the chapter on the legal situation in Germany, BLD experts Martin Alexander and Sarah Cloth answer common and specific issues in product liability laws and regulations – including liability systems, product recall, causation, defence and estoppel, procedure, time limits, remedies, market-share liability and costs/funding.
The International Comparative Legal Guide – Product Liability 2020 is now live on ICLG.com. International experts from 21 jurisdictions comment on specifics of their respective legal systems.
Click >> here to read the ICLG article on product liability in Germany.
In the current edition of ‘Who’s Who Legal Germany’, seven BLD lawyers are listed among the leading experts in their areas of expertise. Just as in the preceding years, the independent study recommends BLD in “Insurance & Reinsurance” and “Product Liability Defence”.
‘Who’s Who Legal’ since its launch in 1996, has published a ranking of the globally leading legal practitioners and law firms.
‘Who’s Who Legal’ names six BLD lawyers in “Insurance & Reinsurance”:
- Dr. Martin Alexander, LL. M.
- Dr. Reinhard Dallmayr
- Bastian Finkel
- Dr. Joachim Grote
- Dr. Theo Langheid
- Björn Seitz
Once again, BLD stands out as the firm with the most lawyers listed in this area.
In “Product Liability Defence” the study recommends:
Who’s Who Legal Germany 2020 >>
DAC Beachcroft has been appointed to Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich)’s new claims legal panel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, further strengthening its global relationship with this key Insurance client.
The new appointment sees DAC Beachcroft’s Global Insurance team take responsibility for managing Zurich’s large and complex commercial claims, in seven European countries as well as the Middle East region.
DAC Beachcroft’s teams in France and Spain, led by Vladimir d’Ancezune in Paris and Jose Maria Álvarez-Cienfuegos in Madrid, will handle Zurich’s claims in those countries, while instructions in other European and Middle East jurisdictions will be managed by a wider network of locally-based law firms under the direction of DACB’s global insurance partner Patrick Hill and international development director, Gustavo Blanco.
Commenting on the new appointment, James Morris, Chairman of Claims Solutions Group and Client Relationship Partner for Zurich, explained: “This is very significant for our Global Insurance practice and supports our commitment to work with Zurich and their key customers across all jurisdictions. We have worked closely with Zurich over many years supporting their customer proposition. The new Panel will enable these complex and often commercially sensitive claims to be managed across multiple jurisdictions in a strategic way. This has always been a core focus for DAC Beachcroft and Zurich”.
Zurich Group Chief Claims Officer Ian Thompson said: “I am very pleased to be able to extend our long-standing relationship with DAC Beachcroft through this new panel. Zurich and our customers will benefit from a more consolidated level of legal insight, allowing us to improve our trend analysis and the proactivity of our decision-making. Importantly, the panel supports the evolution of our claims commitment in providing our international customers with a more consistent experience, particularly where coverage span multiple jurisdictions.”
Helen Faulkner, Head of Insurance, said, “Zurich is one of our closest and largest clients, and this latest appointment is testament to the work that a very large team within the Insurance practice has done over a number of years to build that relationship. The expansion of our European capabilities in France and Madrid has given us a real advantage in these jurisdictions.”
International law firm DAC Beachcroft is pleased to announce that its Cyber & Data Risk team has taken home the Business Development Innovation Award at the 2020 Legal Innovation Awards for its market-leading suite of digital tools to help clients prepare and respond to cyber and data risk crises.
The award recognises three tools developed by DAC Beachcroft’s Cyber & Data Risk team. The first, a 24/7 incident response hotline, saw the team partner with forensic IT experts, PR consultants and breach notification specialists to provide a single point of contact for firms undergoing a cyber breach.
Second, the firm’s Breach Response Planner was launched to enable clients to identify internal and external incident response teams, establish response protocols and build a comprehensive breach response plan.
Third, the team enhanced DAC Beachcroft’s breach response services with the DACB Situation Room, a secure, virtual crisis room that enables businesses that have suffered a cyber-attack or a data breach to communicate and share information confidentially.
Hans Allnutt, who leads the firm’s Cyber & Data Risk team, said, “I’m grateful to have won this award, not least because it recognises the huge amounts of hard work which the team has put in over the last couple of years. The risk of cyber-attack should be front of mind for business leaders; it’s prevalent and hugely damaging. I’m proud that we have built a platform to help businesses protect themselves and react quickly and proportionately if the worst does happen.”
This latest award win follows closely on from DAC Beachcroft once again being named Cyber Law Firm of the Year at the prestigious Insurance Insider Cyber Rankings Awards. This was the third time in four years the firm has taken the award.
At the Legal Innovation Awards, DAC Beachcroft was also highly commended in the categories of AI Innovation for developing BAIL, a tool which helps the firm’s insurer clients to resolve liability in motor accidents quickly, accurately and consistently, and CSR Innovation (multi-firm), where it was recognised alongside several other Bristol-based firms for its involvement in the Bristol Law Society Holiday Hunger community project.
The Legal Innovation Awards, run by Legal Week, were handed out during a virtual awards ceremony on 2 October 2020.
International law firm DAC Beachcroft has maintained its strong overall rankings across seven practice areas in Chambers & Partners’ Global Guide 2021, including a Band 1 global ranking for its Latin American Insurance expertise.
Retaining its top-tier ranking for yet another year, DACB’s Latin America team was described as a “stellar insurance outfit revered for its ability to handle high-level cross-border mandates”.
Globally, the firm was commended for its Band 2 contentious insurance practice, “made up of a market-leading team in the UK, a strong network in continental Europe and comprehensive coverage of Latin America”. One client praised the team’s “high level of expertise and experience in their practice and excellent client relationship management”.
In Ireland, Chambers singled out DACB’s “notable experience in professional disciplinary matters”, with the firm’s Dublin office maintaining its global ranking for Dispute Resolution.
In the UK, DACB was recognised with worldwide rankings in four categories: Insurance Sector: Insurer (International & Cross-Border), Insurance: Contentious Claims & Reinsurance, and Insurance: Contentious Claims & Reinsurance (Latin America) and Employment.
Overall, ten of DAC Beachcroft’s lawyers were ranked in the Global guide: UK-based Insurance specialists Anthony Menzies, Chris Wilkes, Duncan Strachan, Julian Miller, Liam O’Connell, Mark Kendall and Nick Young; Employment partner Khurram Shamsee, also in the UK; Irish litigator Lisa Broderick; and Madrid-based dispute resolution expert Mercedes Romero.
Legalign Global is pleased to announce the addition of Alexander Holburn, one of Canada’s leading insurance law firms and a member of The ARC Group Canada, to its alliance of best-in-region law firms.
The addition of Alexander Holburn in Canada means clients will now have access to legal advice across North America, particularly in the areas of Cyber, Aviation, Cannabis, Product Liability and Transportation insurance, where the firm has significant experience and reputation.
“We are very pleased to welcome Alexander Holburn to the alliance,” said Wilson Elser Firm Chair, Dan McMahon. “Given our proximity to Canada, we expect there will be many opportunities to work together to support our clients with cross-border claims and risk.”
David Pollitt, DAC Beachcroft Managing Partner, believes the addition will be welcome news for their clients with business in Canada.
“DAC Beachcroft is excited to welcome AHBL into the Legalign Alliance,” said Pollitt. “This addition ensures we can provide the best regional advice and support to our insurer, broker and corporate clients in Canada.”
The alliance provides broad business implications for Alexander Holburn as well.
“Our clients will now be able to access a truly global practice,” said Chris Hirst, Managing Partner. “This collaboration will position our clients to better assess risk and make informed decisions with confidence.”
Legalign Global firms aim to work as one for multinational insurers, brokers and businesses in addressing cross-border risks and claims. Collectively, members offer in-depth expertise in all major regions.
The alliance includes BLD Bach Langheid Dallmayr, DAC Beachcroft, Wilson Elser and Wotton + Kearney, and now, Alexander Holburn.
DAC Beachcroft’s Cyber & Data Risk team scooped another top award this week, being named Outsourced Partner of the Year at the British Insurance Awards.
Usually held at the Royal Albert Hall in London but hosted virtually this year, the British Insurance Awards are recognised as one of the insurance industry’s most prestigious awards events of the year.
With six other organisations competing in the Outsourced Partner category, the judges chose the DAC Beachcroft team in recognition of its market-leading suite of innovative digital tools, developed by the team to help clients prepare for and respond to cyber-attacks and data breaches.
DAC Beachcroft’s Global Head of Insurance, Helen Faulkner, also attended the ceremony, virtually, to introduce the finalists for the General Insurer of the Year category, which the firm has sponsored for over 25 years. This year, the award was won by Aviva.
DAC Beachcroft Partner Hans Allnutt, who heads the Cyber & Data Risk team, commented, “We drew on our experience from responding to hundreds of cyber incidents and data breaches to devise these tools, and I’m thrilled at the recognition we’ve received.”
The suite of tools comprises an on-line breach response planner – a ‘self-help’ kit for building a comprehensive breach response plan; a post-breach crisis claims service with a 24/7 incident response helpline that gives access to experienced cyber specialists through one central point of contact; and the Situation Room, a secure, virtual crisis room that enables businesses that have suffered a cyber-attack or a data breach to communicate and share information confidentially.
This is the Cyber & Data Risk team’s fourth award win in recent weeks. Last month, it received the Excellence in Business Development prize at the Law Society’s Excellence awards and the Business Development Innovation award at the 2020 Legal Innovation Awards. In September, it was once again named Cyber Law Firm of the Year at the Insurance Insider Rankings awards.
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