Overview
Each state has a limited number of firms that represent participants in the insurance industry in regulatory and business matters. In Michigan (and throughout the country), Foster Swift has represented insurers in this practice area since the 1930s.
Our insurance industry clients are large and small, domestic and foreign. They include property and casualty insurers (both admitted and surplus line carriers), life insurers, reinsurers, accident and health insurers, HMOs, group self-insurance pools, managing general agents, retail agents and third-party administrators. These clients choose Foster Swift because our attorneys have many years of varied experience in representing these clients both in private practice and as in-house counsel.
Foster Swift has been named a Tier 1 firm in Insurance Law in Grand Rapids and Lansing by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" in 2014, 2017-2019 and 2024-2025.
Experience
Noteworthy
- Advised insurers on corporate governance matters.
- Represented a mutual insurer in a conversion to a stock insurer and the initial public offering for the insurer's holding company.
- Advised a mutual insurer in a conversion to a stock insurer and the formation of an insurance mutual holding company system.
- Represented a mutual insurer in a merger with another mutual insurer.
- Represents insurers on administrative matters before insurance regulators involving business practices, market conduct, financial audit and other matters.
- Assisted insurers with agency relationship matters.
- In a matter in front of the Michigan insurance bureau, successfully represented a crop insurance agency partly owned by a farm cooperative that was facing claims of rebating brought by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, resulting in a finding that no rebating had occurred.
- Represented large insurance group before the Michigan insurance bureau to obtain a quick approval of an ownership restructuring made necessary by its parent's financial issues, preserving the insurers' ratings.
- Represented mutual insurer in merger with mutual holding company and resultant acquisition of the holding company's subsidiary, believed to be the first such acquisition closed.
- Represented management in a successful management buyout of a group of insurers from its parent and controlling creditors.
- Assisted insurers with change of control matters, including Michigan insurance bureau issues.
- Represented both insurers and creditors on various insolvency and receivership matters.
