Michael Knoerzer

Full Profile

For more than 25 years, Michael Knoerzer has concentrated his practice upon the litigation and arbitration of disputes of interest to insurers and reinsurers, as well as providing advice to insurers and reinsurers in non-contentious matters. He has been recognized as a leading litigator of complex insurance and reinsurance disputes, having successfully first-chaired scores of complex and high dollar value matters, spanning numerous types of industry covers, including Bermuda Form, general liability, excess liability, trade credit, D&O, surety, life/health and reinsurance. Michael's advice is also often sought in non-contentious matters related to insurance and reinsurance, including in the reorganization of the Panama Canal construction surety bonds. 

Michael is widely recognized for the strength of his practice. In 2019, he was selected as one of "America's Top 100 Bet the Company Litigators," recognizing his success in trying high stakes business litigation matters, and as a "Thought Leader – Insurance and Reinsurance," by Who's Who Legal. Chambers USA 2018 stated that: "Michael Knoerzer has considerable experience advising on an array of complex insurance and reinsurance matters. He is noted for his skill across litigious and noncontentious issues." One pleased client lauds, "Michael is not just an excellent litigator, he is also an excellent counselor. His advice both in litigation and strategy has been invaluable." In prior years, Chambers USA wrote of Michael, "Michael Knoerzer is highly regarded by peers as 'a tenacious, able insurance and reinsurance lawyer'- remarkably strong in all kinds of insurance claim defense work" with "an excellent reputation and an understated approach that gets outstanding results." The 2018 edition of The Legal 500 said, "the 'brilliant' New York-based Michael Knoerzer is representing London-based syndicates in conjunction with claims arising under a D&O policy issued to FIFA." The International Who's Who of Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers describes him as, "definitely one to have on your side during a complex dispute."

Admissions

• New York
• Connecticut
• US District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
• US Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, Third and Eleventh Circuits

Education

• J.D., St. John's University School of Law
• B.A., Economics, Hamilton College

Experience

• Successful representation of a major US reinsurer in a USD 500 million dispute concerning retrospective insurance agreements.
• Representation of major international insurer regarding restructuring of USD 600 million in Latin-American surety bonds.
• Successful representation of the leading managed care corporation in a USD 1.5 billion dispute involving the purchase and sale of a book of insurance business.
• Scores of reinsurance arbitrations involving disputes arising under every kind of reinsurance contracts and touching the United States, UK and Bermuda.