Alison McLaughlin is counsel in the firm’s Liability Risk Management group, a nationally recognized practice advising private equity sponsors, hedge fund and mutual fund clients, and public and private companies on liability and transactional risk insurance matters.
Alison counsels clients on a broad spectrum of insurance, indemnification, and other risk management issues. She leads a team of lawyers supporting the firm’s active transactional practice with negotiation of market-leading representations and warranties (“R&W”) policies, and advises clients on procuring, negotiating, and obtaining maximum coverage under a wide range of insurance policies.
Alison brings a litigator’s perspective to her practice, which is grounded in her experience litigating general commercial, securities, and insurance coverage matters during her previous tenure in the Ropes & Gray litigation department and at another national firm. Drawing on deep insurance industry experience, both in-house and as outside counsel, Alison regularly advises clients in negotiated and mediated resolution of insurance coverage disputes. Her proactive guidance helps clients anticipate and avoid pitfalls by ensuring favorable policy wording and taking a strategic approach to maximize insurance coverage.
Alison also maintains an active pro bono practice, providing advice to non-profits and individuals on insurance and litigation matters.
Experience
- Lead transactional risk practice, negotiating tailored representations and warranties insurance policies for a high volume of buy and sell-side private equity buyouts, secondary transactions, real estate investments, and strategic acquisitions.
- Serve as insurance and risk management counsel to dozens of private equity firms, hedge funds, and mutual funds, including negotiation of bespoke insurance contracts, management of claim recoveries, and advising on mitigation of risk in the context of operational and organizational change.
- Represent policyholder clients in negotiation and mediation of complex insurance coverage disputes on D&O, E&O, cyber, crime, transactional risk, and other types of policies.
- Advise private equity firms and portfolio companies regarding structure and implementation of comprehensive insurance coverage at firm level as well as across portfolio companies, including management and professional liability, cyber, crime, and commercial insurance.
- Represented large mutual fund complex on securing insurance coverage for trade error claims totaling more than $200m and involving novel insurance coverage issues.
- Advised controlling shareholder on contested insurance recovery from multiple sources in connection with large-scale shareholder litigation arising out of merger activity.
- Drafted comprehensive worldwide indemnification agreement for employees of global investment firm, involving synthesis of legal constructs from multiple foreign jurisdictions.
- Counsel universities and research institutions on structuring and implementing insurance and indemnity programs covering a broad spectrum of risks from research exposures and management liability to endowment management and cyber risks.
- Regularly provide advice to clients in restructuring and pre-bankruptcy scenarios on strategies to maximize insurance and mitigate downside risk associated with transactions and insolvency.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to clients on sensitive and high-profile claims, including regulatory investigations, ransomware attacks, cyber breaches, and high-stakes litigation.