Webber Wentzel bolsters its leading insurance offering

Webber Wentzel has for many years been considered a leader in the insurance field. As testament to this, the firm’s insurance expertise was recently recognised by Chambers Global, which specifically praised the team's "excellent collaboration and timely responses".

Looking to build and grow this already established platform of excellence, Webber Wentzel has recently bolstered its insurance expertise through several new appointments to the firm. At the partnership level, Maria Philippides, Sandra Sithole, Caroline Theodosiou and Raynold Tlhavani (all from Norton Rose Fulbright) joined in September. Several associates, who are all themselves insurance specialists, also joined the team in October.

Webber Wentzel’s expanded and very diverse insurance and liability team now boasts 10 partners, 1 senior consultant as well as 8 associates. It’s not, however, the size of the team that is notable – but the unique depth and breadth of their specialist skill and industry knowledge that is the real differentiator. The combined number of years of experience of the team is more than 100 years with some team members having worked at insurers and intermediaries before, giving them a unique commercial insight into issues on the ground. The team aims are to be the trusted partner with its clients in all insurance related matters and through the life-cycle of all insurance claims – prioritising quick delivery times in all matters.

Webber Wentzel's insurance lawyers are renowned for assisting clients with the largest and most complex claims and recoveries (local and cross-border) and yet are also able to effectively manage smaller and commoditised claims in ways that are highly efficient, utilising innovative legal technologies, process management, paralegal support and appropriate pricing methodologies – all under one roof.

The team’s expertise not only relates to contentious matters, but also to many non-contentious matters with expertise in: drafting and reviewing of all policy documents and contracts; and advising directors and officers of companies and their insurers regarding the applicability of D&O policies. They also help manage and mitigate the legal and regulatory risks related to the deployment of insurance technology and are also able to advise insurers and intermediaries on cyber risks, data breaches and liability following email hacking or cyber-attacks.

For clients working with the insurance and liability team, the firm’s exceptional full service offering (which includes financial services regulatory experts) is likely to be another truly valuable asset.

“I am excited about what our incredible team can offer, and I feel confident that we will have even more to offer clients because of the exceptional firm that Webber Wentzel is. It has been an invigorating move for me, and a surprisingly easy one – attributed to the warmth and support of the people at Webber Wentzel and its leadership. A key focus area for us is going to be innovation, embracing the best of legal technology and partnering with our clients at every level.” Maria Philippides, partner, Webber Wentzel.

"my go-to law firm, as they have a deep understanding of both our business and the law. They continuously provide training to us on new developments and are accessible." Quote from a client, extracted from the 2019 Chambers Partners Global Rankings.