Lawrence Brandes is an experienced reinsurance litigator who has acted as counsel, arbitrator, umpire, or expert witness in more than 500 reinsurance arbitrations and litigations, a number of which have established industry precedents.

A frequent lecturer on reinsurance arbitration and litigation, Mr. Brandes has addressed the Independent Reinsurance Underwriters, the Society of CPCU, the American Bar Association, the British Commercial Bar Association, and Executive Enterprises, Inc., as well as speaking at numerous Mealy’s conferences. He published an article in the inaugural edition of The International Who’s Who Of Insurance & Reinsurance Lawyers entitled “Back to the Future” (July 1, 2003).

Mr. Brandes is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association–Tort and Insurance Practice Section, and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, where he has served as a member of the Insurance Law Committee and chairman of the Reinsurance Subcommittee. He is an honorary overseas member of the British Commercial Bar Association.

Mr. Brandes is listed in Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers, for which he received more nominations than anyone else in the world. He is also listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, which describes him as a “highly acclaimed insurance expert” and quotes clients noting that he is "the man you want on your side in a messy arbitration.” Mr. Brandes is named in The International Who’s Who of Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America and was included in New York magazine’s “Best Lawyers” edition.

Before joining DLA Piper, Mr. Brandes was a partner and chairman of the litigation department at Cadwalader. Prior to that, he was a partner and chairman of the firm of Rosenman & Colin LLP, as well as chairman of its litigation and insurance and reinsurance departments; and before that a partner at Miller, Singer, Raives & Brandes, P.C.

Mr. Brandes also is a former executive vice president of APP-CAP Reinsurance Company, Ltd. of Hamilton, Bermuda, and former chairman of the board of directors of National Consulting Services, Inc., a professional reinsurance auditing company.

Mr. Brandes received his B.A., with distinction, from the University of Virginia and his law degree from the New York University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review.

ADMISSIONS

• New York

Publications

• Lawrence I. Brandes, co-author, “The winds of change: Global capital markets take on insurance and reinsurance risk,” International Reinsurance Review, September 1, 2006
• Lawrence I. Brandes, “Back to the Future,” The International Who’s Who of Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers, July 1, 2003