Leonardo is a specialist in commercial and insurance disputes and advisory and heads our Italian insurance practice. With 20 years’ experience in top-tier Italian and international law firms, Leonardo combines strong technical skills with a practical approach and a real understanding of the insurance industry. He regularly represents international clients in complex cross-border disputes as well as in domestic litigation and arbitration.
Leonardo assists financial institutions and corporates navigate major disputes across a wide range of industries, either in court or arbitration.
He is a leading expert in insurance and reinsurance matters, where he acts as either monitoring, coverage or defense counsel in complex domestic or cross-border litigations and advises insurers in relation to coverage assessment. His practice focuses on Financial Lines (D&O, PI, PO), EPLI, product liability and recall, property as well as W&I and cyber.
Leonardo is recognized in Chambers Europe 2024 for insurance and has been listed for dispute resolution by Legal 500. In 2019, he has been awarded “Insurance Lawyer of the Year” at the TopLegal Industry Awards.
Leonardo speaks Italian and English.
“Leonardo Giani is a technically very prepared person with a strong commercial attitude, so as to make any discussion simple.”, Client in The Legal 500 EMEA 2022
Expérience
Acting for an international insurer in the €2 billion claim for mismanagement brought by the Court-appointed Administrators of a large Italian bank against its former directors and auditors
Acting for the D&O insurer in the high-value claim brought by the minority shareholders of the policyholder against the company’s former directors and auditors
Advising a leading insurer of a publicly owned company on a claim for mismanagement of a public tender
Defending PI insurers in claims relating to different categories of professionals (lawyers, doctors, architects, accountants, insurance/financial brokers etc.)
Advising a W&I insurer on a claim for breach of the rep and warranties taken out in the SPA relating to the compliance with tax duties
Defending the insured professionals or D&Os, upon instruction of their insurer
Acting as coverage counsel in cyber incidents
Acting for the environmental insurer in the coverage litigation brought by the insured seeking cover for the losses arising from the contamination of its reservoir
Assisting the product liability insurer in handling claims arising from the contamination of the product supplied by the insured