France
Luc Bigel
PartnerHe is an incredible lawyer.
— Chambers France 2026About
Luc is a Partner at DLA Piper, based in Paris, focusing on (re)insurance law, liability issues, litigation and ESG and leading the Firm's Tier 1 Insurance practice in France.
He advises a broad range of clients, including insurers, reinsurers, banks, intermediaries and industrial groups - both French and international - on the full range of (re)insurance-related matters (life or non-life), litigation & class actions (liability, defective products, commercial) and insurance distribution, acting both as advisor and litigator.
Luc is highly experienced in regulatory law and is regularly involved in the restructuring of insurers and intermediaries (including mergers, investments, spin-offs) as well as matters related to portfolio or run-off transfers. He has developed a strong track record in cross-border insurance activities and in advisory work related to the Solvency II regulation.
He is a key contributor in ESG-related developments particularly in relation to evolving regulatory frameworks and sustainability requirements for financial actors; as well as for safety, health and environment (SHE) and Product Compliance for large corporates.
He serves on the LexisNexis UK Consulting Editorial Board (Insurance & ESG) and is a key contact for DLA Piper’s ESG Insurance Regulatory Guide.
Luc also represents insurers in their interactions with supervisory authorities and in regulatory and disciplinary proceedings before French bodies (including the ACPR and ORIAS) and European authorities (EIOPA). He further provides strategic advice on M&A insurance related operations.
Dual-qualified in France and Canada, Luc is recognised by leading legal directories including Chambers, Legal 500 and Best Lawyers. He was also selected as a Legal 500 Green Ambassador in recognition of his work on ESG, sustainability and emerging risks affecting the insurance sector.
Areas of FocusInsuranceFinanceLitigation, Arbitration and InvestigationsRegulatory and Government AffairsSustainabilityArtificial Intelligence and Data Analytics
Professional QualificationsAvocat admitted to the Paris BarAdvocate admitted with the Barreau du Québec
EXPERIENCE
Luc has advised:
- Insurance undertakings and intermediaries in more than 35 ACPR supervisory and disciplinary proceedings, including representation before the ACPR Enforcement Committee.
- Foreign insurers and reinsurers on French market access, including licensing, branch establishment, European passporting and the distinct regulatory requirements applicable to third-country reinsurers.
- Insurance groups, brokers and investors on insurance-sector acquisitions, including regulatory due diligence, change-of-control requirements and the preservation of underwriting capacity and distribution arrangements.
- French and international insurers and reinsurers on portfolio transfers and run-off transactions in France, across the EEA and involving third countries, including regulatory approvals and policyholder protection.
- Brokers and insurers on the establishment of managing general agents (MGAs), including capacity agreements, binding authorities, delegated underwriting and claims-handling arrangements.
- Insurers and intermediaries on national and cross-border distribution models, including affinity, embedded and group insurance, ancillary intermediation and the allocation of regulatory responsibilities.
- Insurers in strategic financial loss and business interruption litigation, addressing coverage triggers, exclusions and aggregation issues, with potential exposure to serial claims.
- Insurers and intermediaries in disputes arising from distribution and delegated authority agreements, including termination, premium recovery, commission entitlements and the continuity of policy servicing.
- Insurers on PFAS-related litigation and environmental liability exposures, including pollution exclusions, remediation costs, causation and the structuring of cover for emerging contamination risks.
- Insurers in health-related and product liability litigation, including bodily injury claims, allegedly defective products and complex questions of medical and scientific causation.
Languages
- French
- English
- German
Awards
Insurance team recognitions
- Tier 1 – Insurance, Legal 500 EMEA (2020 – 2026).
- Ranked – Insurance, Chambers France (2025).
Individual recognitions
- Up and Coming – Insurance, Chambers France (2025-2026)
- Next Generation Partner – Insurance, Legal 500 EMEA (2025-2026)
- Best Lawyers – Insurance Law (2024-2026).
- Green Ambassador – Europe 2026, Legal 500 EMEA (2026).
- Gold medal awarded by the Legal & Business Forum for the article "Brexit in insurance: no wait and see for the French government" published on Les Echos Executives.
- Silver medal awarded by the Legal & Business Forum for the article "What insurance for tomorrow’s world?" published on the Echos Executives.
- Rising Star for “Insurance & Reinsurance” at the IFLR (2022).
- Silver Medal - Palmarès du Droit - Insurance Sector (Monde du droit and Association Française des Juristes en Entreprise).
Education
- Université Paris Dauphine, Master's degree (M2) in Business Law, 2008
- Universität Johannes Gutenberg Mainz, LL.M. in Business Law, 2007
- Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, LL.C. in European Business Law, 2005
Publications
- Luc has authored or co-authored more than 100 articles on (re)insurance, distribution, ESG, claims and litigation, regulatory, emerging risks, etc. in professional and legal gazettes.
- Luc has further authored 4 books: class actions (Argus Edition, 2026); Managing and outsourcing (re)insurance activities, Argus Edition (2018, New ed. 2023); Climatic Risks, ESG and Insurance, Argus Edition (2022); Understanding and embracing the insurtech revolution, Argus Edition (2019).
- Luc has also contributed to DLA Piper’s international insurance sectors comparative guides on: (i) parametric insurance, (ii) value for money and (iii) MGAs.
- The European Value for Money Guide | DLA Piper , 11 June 2026
- Cyberassurance : trois ans après la loi Lopmi, l’heure des clarifications - L'Agefi , 2 June 2026
- Contrats d’assurance vie luxembourgeois liés à des fonds d’investissement : un cadre clarifié mais une ambition luxembourgeoise contenue | L’Argus de l’assurance , 18 May 2026
- Contentieux assurantiel et actions de groupe : vers une nouvelle ère des risques systémiques | DLA Piper , 15 April 2026
- Solvabilité 2 et proportionnalité : un nouveau cadre prudentiel | L’Argus de l’assurance , 10 December 2025
- Biodiversity Risks in Insurance | DLA Piper , 31 October 2025
- ACPR et distribution d’assurance depuis les pays tiers : vers une interdiction implicite des succursales ? L’Argus de l’assurance , 1 October 2025
- Actions collectives : vers une nouvelle architecture du risque | La Tribune de l'Assurance , 4 June 2025
- Paquets Omnibus : vers l'allègement des obligations environnementales, sociales et de gouvernance (ESG) | L’Argus de l’assurance , 3 June 2025
- La prescription biennale à l’épreuve du temps : un enjeu entre protection des assurés et résilience sectorielle | Option finance , 27 May 2025
- L'action de groupe rénovée à l’épreuve des risques émergents : quelles mutations pour le contentieux assurantiel ? | DLA Piper , 20 May 2025
- Amla et ACPR : le choc des titans ? | L’Argus de l’assurance , 5 February 2025
- La prescription biennale, à l'épreuve du temps : un enjeu entre protection des assurés et résilience sectorielle | DLA Piper, 16 January 2025
- L’inflation sociale : enjeux en matière d’assurance | Option finance, 14 October 2024
- Que retenir de la nouvelle recommandation concernant DDA ?, 2 October 2024
- Polluants éternels, le début d’une histoire sans fin - Les Echos, 14 May 2024
- Les défis de l’inflation sociale en matière d’assurance (partie 2) | La Tribune de l'Assurance, 7 May 2024
- Les défis de l’inflation sociale en matière d’assurance (partie 1) | La Tribune de l'Assurance, 9 April 2024
- Warranty & Indemnity : couverture et connaissance de l'assuré | L’argus de l’assurance, 20 September 2023
- DDA, POG, Rémunération & Conflits d’intérêts – les exigences complémentaires de l’ACPR - Les Echos, 19 July 2023
- Devoir de vigilance, miroir aux alouettes pour les assureurs ? - Les Echos, 3 July 2023
- Les difficultés de la réglementation LCB-FT pour les acteurs de l’assurance | Option finance, 12 May 2023
- LCB-FT et assurance : duo maléfique ou couple maudit ? | L’Argus de l’assurance, 3 May 2023
- Les clarifications de l'ACPR sur les holdings financières | L’Argus de l’assurance, 12 April 2023
- Les AssurTech face aux défis réglementaires | La Tribune de l'Assurance, 11 October 2022
- Les prochains défis « climatiques » juridiques de l’industrie de l’assurance - Les Echos , 16 March 2022
- Les prochains défis « climatiques » juridiques de l’industrie de l’assurance | Option finance , 4 May 2022
- Crise sanitaire : une occasion pour repenser les mécanismes assurantiels | La Tribune de l'Assurance
- L’assurance à l’épreuve du droit durable | La Tribune de l'Assurance
- L'autorégulation du courtage : une réforme à marche forcée (Analyse)
- Captives d’assurance : une alternative crédible dans un marché difficile (Analyse)
- Le renouveau des captives d’assurance | Option finance
- Renouvellement d’une police et renouvellement du devoir d’information (cas d'espèce)
- Associations professionnelles : conditions d'agrément et modalités de fonctionnement (Analyse)
- Quelle assurance pour le monde d’après ? | Option finance
- L’appréciation des clauses abusives d’un contrat d’assurance-crédit | Option Droit & Affaires
Seminars
- Les différents régimes applicables à la réassurance internationale : opportunités business?, September 2026
- Value for money, une analyse comparative européenne, June 2026
- Moot Reinsurance Arbitration, June 2026
- IA et assurance : opportunités et réglementation, April 2026
- La réforme des class actions face aux risques émergents, December 2025
- Les risques climatiques et l’assurance paramétrique, June 2025
- La réforme de la LCB-FT en matière d’assurance, April 2025
- L’impact de la Loi Industrie Verte en Assurance vie, April 2024
- PFAS, Microplastics & antibioresistance, quels challenges? March 2025
- Devoir de vigilance, pratiques commerciales trompeuses et contentieux pénal, November 2024.
- Présentation des actualités réglementaires assurance.
- L'impact réglementaire des assurtech sur le marché de l'assurance, October 2023.
Additional Information
- Lecturer in Insurance and Regulatory Law at Sorbonne (Paris I) University (since 2016).
- Lecturer at the Professional Training School of the Paris Court of Appeal (EFB).
- Member of LexisNexis UK Consulting Editorial Board (insurance & ESG topics).
- Editorial Lead, (re)insurance undertakings section, Insurance Essentials collection, Lextenso Editions.
- Co-Founder of the Risk Observatory (L’Observatoire du Risque), a legal insights platform covering insurance regulation, product and industrial liability, and complex litigation, with a focus on emerging risks such as PFAS, climate change and artificial intelligence.
Memberships And Affiliations
- International Association of Insurance Law (AIDA).
- French Association of Risk Management and Insurance Professionals (AMRAE).
- Union of Young Insurers and Reinsurers of France (UJARF).
- Co-Founder of the Risk Observatory (L’Observatoire du Risque).