Bert Adams helps buyers and sellers strategically negotiate and find consensus in complex corporate mergers and acquisitions. His clients are financial services companies, especially life and property and casualty insurers and reinsurers.
Bert has represented clients in mergers and acquisitions for over 20 years. Bert’s insurance industry experience includes transactions structured as acquisitions of entities and as acquisitions of blocks of business via indemnity or assumption reinsurance. He also counsels retirement services businesses, broker-dealers, investment advisers, and mutual fund complexes.
Bert is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and is the Deputy Practice Group Leader of the Eversheds Sutherland (US) Insurance team.
Awards and Rankings
“He is not only bright and knowledgeable, but also even-tempered and never gets flustered. He’s always cool, collected and poised, which is very constructive in negotiations when tempers flare.” - From Chambers USA 2019
Recognized by Expert Guides in the area of mergers and acquisitions (2016)
Recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of mergers and acquisitions: middle-market (2015-2019) and insurance: non-contentious (2017-2018)
Recognized by Chambers USA: Guide to Leading Business Lawyers in the area of mergers and acquisitions (2011, 2012, 2013) and in the area of insurance: transactional and regulatory (2017-2020)
Named to The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of mergers and acquisitions (2009-2010, 2013-2020) and leveraged buyouts and private equity law (2009-2020)
Named to New York Area Best Lawyers for leveraged buy-outs & private equity law, and mergers & acquisitions law (2014)
Experience
“What I enjoy most about the mergers and acquisitions practice is interacting with a large group of very intelligent people as a team, often getting to serve as a point person and helping to keep the transaction moving forward under pressure. When the deal finally closes after months of hard work, the resulting sense of accomplishment is unbeatable.”
Experience
Represented Nassau Financial Group in an agreement to acquire Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company.
Represented Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company in the sale of its individual life insurance and annuity business via reinsurance to Protective Life Corporation.
Represented Allstate Insurance Company in the acquisition of PlumChoice, Inc.
Represented Capital One in the sale of its 401(k) advisory business.
Represented Scottish Widows in its pension risk longevity reinsurance transaction with Prudential Insurance Company.
Represented Automobile Club of Southern California in the acquisition of 50% of Motor Club Insurance Company and in the formation of a related joint venture.
Represented Aflac in a product development and reinsurance transaction with DRMS New York (SunLife).
Represented Allstate Insurance Company in the acquisition of First Jersey Casualty Insurance Company.
Represented Aflac in a product development and reinsurance transaction with Reinsurance Group of America (RGA).
Represented MassMutual in the acquisition of the retail brokerage business of MetLife.
Represented Legal & General/Banner Life as group annuity contract provider in a large pension de-risking transaction with Philips Electronics.
Represented The Hartford in the strategic sale of its life insurance business to Prudential.
Represented the shareholders of Maxum Group in its sale of Maxum Insurance Company and its affiliates to The Hartford.
Represented Great-West Financial in its acquisition of the J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services large-market recordkeeping business.
Represented Voya in the sale of a block of term life policies to RGA.
Advised EXOR S.p.A as global insurance transactional and regulatory counsel on its $6.8 billion contested acquisition of PartnerRe Group, which was recognized by The American Lawyer as 2016 M&A Deal of the Year: Offshore.
Represented Qatar Insurance Company in its minority investment in a U.S. insurance company.
Represented QBE Holdings, Inc. in the acquisition of the Balboa Insurance business from Bank of America.
Represented Great-West Lifeco Inc. in the acquisition of Putnam Investments for $4 billion.
Represented The Hartford in the $117.5 million sale of its private placement life insurance business to Philadelphia Financial.
Represented The Hartford in its sale of First State Management Group.
Represented The Hartford in its acquisition of Sun Life Retirement Services (U.S.) Inc..
Advised Putnam Investments on restructuring its relationship with Mercer related to Mercer’s defined-contribution retirement plan business.
Represented Securian Financial Group, Inc. in the acquisition of majority interest in insurance asset manager.
Represented MassMutual in the reinsurance sale of a block of life insurance policies and transition of administration.
Represented a major U.S. multi-lines insurer in the amendment of a $1 billion revolving credit facility.
Represented TIG Insurance Company in its sale of two TIG insurance units to Hamilton Insurance Group Ltd.
Represented Teucrium Trading LLC in its formation and the private placement of its securities.
News
“He is the one who is incredibly technical. He gets into the weeds, he’s an incredibly hard worker, and more than anything he understands the ins and outs of reinsurance ... More than other lawyers he knows the running of it in a sector where that is very important.” - From Chambers USA 2017
Press Releases
24 Eversheds Sutherland Practice Areas, 63 Attorneys Named Among Nation’s Best in 2020 Chambers USA (April 23, 2020)
Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce that 24 practices and 63 attorneys have earned recognition in the 2020 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Chambers USA, a ...
Eversheds Sutherland Represents Nassau Financial Group in Agreement to Acquire Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company (October 17, 2019)
Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce that it represented Nassau Financial Group L.P. in entering into a definitive agreement for Nassau Life Insurance Company (NNY) to acquire Foresters ...
Eversheds Sutherland Represents The Phoenix Group in Reinsurance Agreement with Prudential Retirement (August 14, 2019)
Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce that it collaborated with CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP in London in representing The Phoenix Group in its inaugural longevity reinsurance ...
19 Eversheds Sutherland Practice Areas, 87 Attorneys Named Among Nation’s Best in 2019 Legal 500 United States (June 10, 2019)
Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce that 19 practice areas and 87 attorneys have been recognized in the 2019 edition of The Legal 500 United States, a comprehensive survey of legal service ...
19 Eversheds Sutherland Practice Areas, 55 Attorneys Named Among Nation’s Best in 2019 Chambers USA (April 25, 2019)
Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce that 19 practices and 55 attorneys have earned recognition in the 2019 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Chambers USA, a ...
Eversheds Sutherland Represents Great-West in proposed sale of its individual life insurance and annuity business (January 25, 2019)
NEW YORK - Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce that it is representing Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company in the proposed sale of its individual life insurance and annuity business ...
Eversheds Sutherland Elects Two New US Executive Committee Members (June 11, 2018)
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP is pleased to announce the election of two new members to its Executive Committee: Partners Bert Adams and Dorothy Black Franzoni. With these newly elected partners, ...
18 Eversheds Sutherland Practice Areas, 68 Attorneys Named Among Nation’s Best in 2018 Legal 500 United States (May 30, 2018)
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP is pleased to announce that 18 practice areas and 68 attorneys have been recognized in the 2018 edition of The Legal 500 United States, a comprehensive survey of legal ...
19 Eversheds Sutherland Practice Areas, 59 Attorneys Named Among Nation’s Best in 2018 Chambers USA (May 3, 2018)
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP is pleased to announce that 19 practices and 59 attorneys have earned recognition in the 2018 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Chambers ...
16 Eversheds Sutherland Partners Named Among the Best in the World by Expert Guides (September 8, 2017)
Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce that 16 partners have been selected by Expert Guides as among the best legal practitioners in the world in their respective practice areas. Published by ...
Publications
“Clients hire Eversheds Sutherland (US) because we develop expertise in our clients’ business and industry, and deliver individualized, partner-focused service.”
Legal Alerts
COVID-19-related insurance regulatory developments (May 12, 2020)
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a significant amount of insurance regulatory activity for both life and property & casualty insurers. This alert summarizes the current state of some of the most ...
Legal and Regulatory Developments - Business Interruption Insurance for COVID-19 Related Losses (Updated May 6, 2020)
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have significant economic consequences in the US, a key issue for insurers and businesses throughout the country will be whether all or a portion of losses may ...
COVID-19-related insurance regulatory developments for the week of March 23 (March 31, 2020)
There continues to be significant regulatory activity related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on the insurance industry, including suspension of the National Association of ...
COVID-19-related insurance regulatory developments (March 23, 2020)
There has been significant activity at both the state and federal levels related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on the insurance industry. This alert summarizes some of the most ...
It's Curtains for Some Lump-Sum Window Programs (July 15, 2015)
On July 9, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2015-49 to announce it intends to prohibit retirees who are receiving annuity payments from a defined benefit pension plan from electing ...
Legal Alert: Focus On International Standards (May 13, 2015)
The influence of international standards on the direction of insurance regulation in the United States has dominated public discussion about insurance regulation during recent years. Nowhere was that ...
Legal Alert: Insurance Topics We Will Be Watching in 2015 (February 18, 2015)
With the first month of the year behind us, this report outlines major insurance topics that we will be watching throughout 2015. Forces, trends and events that we believe will affect regulation, ...
Legal Alert: Insurance Topics We Will Be Watching in 2014 (February 6, 2014)
With the first month of the year behind us, this report outlines major insurance topics that we will be watching throughout 2014.Forces, trends and events that we believe will affect regulation, ...
Legal Alert: Final Volcker Rule: Update and Key Takeaways for Insurers (January 14, 2014)
If you have any questions, please contact Brian Barrett or Jamie Cain. On December 10, 2013, the Federal Reserve Board (FRB), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller ...
Legal Alert: FIO Report Sets the Agenda for Discourse on the Future of Insurance Regulation (January 14, 2014)
INTRODUCTION On December 12, 2013, the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury released its much anticipated study, How to Modernize and Improve the System of Insurance ...
Articles
Recent Trends in Pension Buyouts and Lump Sum Offers (March 18, 2015)
Law360
Several sponsors of defined benefit plans, also known as pension plans, have taken steps to reduce the size of their pension liabilities since 2012. First, several plan sponsors have executed pension ...
