With more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, Dodie Kent advises a wide range of insurance companies and industry participants on product design, implementation and administrative issues as they relate to variable, index-linked and fixed life insurance, and annuity products. Dodie also has particular experience advising on novel and complex insurer initiatives, including de-risking of legacy product offerings, as well as product-related regulatory compliance and enforcement matters.
Dodie is an expert in the design and regulation of registered index-linked insurance contracts -- an insurance space that is seeing exponential growth. She is also a leading industry proponent of simplified, modernized variable product disclosure, including summary product prospectuses.
Dodie's in-depth knowledge of these topics-particularly registered life and annuity insurance regulations and issues-makes her a sought-after speaker at industry conferences. Her years of experience as in-house counsel provides her with a unique and practical understanding of insurance companies’ internal processes and competing business inputs and goals.
Dodie joined Eversheds Sutherland (US) from one of the world’s leading insurance groups, where she was Vice President, Lead Director and Associate General Counsel in its US-based Insurance Practice Group. There, she served as the principal legal securities advisor with respect to its life and annuity product lines.
Awards and Rankings
Recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of insurance: non-contentious (2016)
News
In the News
New Guidelines Governing IUL Illustrations Coming (June 11, 2015)
Employee Benefit News
Sutherland’s legal alert, “NAIC Close to Adopting Guideline for IUL Illustrations,” is featured in Employee Benefits News.
Press Releases
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 ...
16 Sutherland Practice Areas, 59 Attorneys Named Among Nation’s Best in 2016 Legal 500 United States (June 16, 2016)
ATLANTA and WASHINGTON-Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP is pleased to announce that 16 practice areas and 59 attorneys have been ranked in the 2016 edition of The Legal 500 United States. Legal 500 is ...
Sutherland Adds Insurance and Financial Services Partner in New York (October 20, 2014)
NEW YORK-Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP announced today that Dodie C. Kent has joined the firm’s insurance and financial services practice as partner in New York. Prior to joining Sutherland, Ms. ...
Presentations
The SEC’s New VA and VLI Summary Prospectus Proposal and Recent Variable Product Disclosure Developments (November 2018)
ALI-CLE Conference on Life Insurance Company Products
Eversheds Sutherland (US) Partner Dodie Kent presents The SEC’s New VA and VLI Summary Prospectus Proposal and Recent Variable Product Disclosure Developments at the ALI-CLE Conference on Life ...
Innovation in Fixed, Indexed, and Registered Index-Linked Annuities (May 2018)
IRI ACTION Regulation & Technology Conference
Eversheds Sutherland (US) Partner Dodie Kent presents Innovation in Fixed, Indexed, and Registered Index-Linked Annuities at the IRI ACTION Regulation & Technology Conference in May 2018.
35th Annual ALI-CLE Conference on Life Insurance Company Products (November 2017)
Eversheds Sutherland (US) Partner Dodie Kent presents at the 35th Annual ALI-CLE Conference on Life Insurance Company Products in November 2017.
Hot Button SEC Disclosure, Regulatory, and Accounting Issues for SEC Registered Products (November 2016)
ALI-CLE Conference on Life Insurance Company Products
Eversheds Sutherland (US) Partner Dodie Kent presents Hot Button SEC Disclosure, Regulatory, and Accounting Issues for SEC Registered Products at the (ALI-CLE Conference on Life Insurance Company ...
Publications
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 ...
SEC extends flexibility due to COVID-19 (March 26, 2020)
On March 25, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued several orders (the Orders) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), the Investment Company Act of 1940 ...
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 ...
On track with the SEC-staff proposes rules on streamlining private exemptions (March 23, 2020)
Introduction On March 4, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) issued a proposed rule (the “Proposed Rule”)1 on ways to “simplify, harmonize, and improve certain aspects of ...
SEC adopts groundbreaking disclosure improvements for variable insurance contracts (March 19, 2020)
On March 11, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) adopted a new prospectus disclosure framework, including new rules, rule amendments and registration statement form ...
Coronavirus - The SEC provides relief for investment companies (March 17, 2020)
On March 13, 2020, the SEC issued an exemptive order under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act” and the “1940 Act Order”) providing relief for registered management investment companies ...
The SEC feels the need for speed-SEC proposes amendments to exemptive application procedures (October 29, 2019)
On October 18, 2019, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced that it had voted to propose rule amendments1 intended to improve the efficiency of the exemptive application ...
Legal Alert: In tune with the SEC-staff continues dialogue on harmonizing private exemptions (September 20, 2019)
Introduction On June 18, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued a concept release (the “Release”) on ways to “simplify, harmonize, and improve the exempt offering ...
Articles
Modernizing The Variable Contract Disclosure Regime (December 2018)
Law360
The US Securities and Exchange Commission recently proposed a new disclosure framework for SEC-registered variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies that reflects almost a decade ...
The Final Rule: DOL’s Expanded Definition of Investment Advice Fiduciary Under ERISA and Revised Complex of Exemptions (April 12, 2016)
Just less than a year since its proposal, and just more than six months after receiving thousands of pages of commentary, petitions and hearing testimony, the Department of Labor finalized its ...
A New Layered Disclosure Framework For Variable Annuities (January 2013)
Practicing Law Institute - Securities Products of Insurance Companies in the Course of Regulatory Reform 2013 Course Handbook
Variable Insurance Products: Recent Product Trends and Challenges (November 2015)
American Law Institute - CLE: Life Insurance Company Products 2015 Course Materials
Hot Button Regulatory Issues for Variable Products and Underlying Funds (November 2015)
American Law Institute - CLE: Life Insurance Company Products 2016 Course Materials
Substitution Transactions Under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (November 2017)
American Law Institute - CLE: Life Insurance Company Products 2017 Course Materials
Noteworthy 2018 Variable Insurance Product Disclosure, Regulatory & Operational Considerations (November 2018)
American Law Institute - CLE: Life Insurance Company Products 2018 Course Materials
Buffered Annuities (January 2014)
Practicing Law Institute - Securities Products of Insurance Companies in the Course of Regulatory Reform 2014 Course Handbook
The Design and Regulatory Framework of Registered Index-Linked Insurance Contracts (November 2018)
American Law Institute - CLE: Life Insurance Company Products 2018 Course Materials
