John H. Rooney, Jr.

Insurance

A former vice president and general counsel of two insurance corporations, Mr. Rooney now focuses on reinsurance issues. This primarily involves contracts, international disputes and arbitration, and the qualification of foreign reinsurers. His industry experience also extends to Louisiana, where he has been a licensed attorney for many years, and which is the only civil law jurisdiction in the United States.

With his experience in the civil law system and his knowledge of foreign insurance laws, he has been effective at resolving disputes. Companies also call on him to enforce subrogation claims involving the reinsurance of foreign risk and to supervise domestic litigation by cedent's counsel. He has dealt directly with industry regulators in Latin America as well. In June of 2004, he addressed the staff of Brazil’s Superintendency of Private Insurance on the regulation of the insurance industry in the United States.

International Business & Arbitration

Mr. Rooney has spent more than twenty years advising clients on international business. He has experience in transactions, litigation and arbitration and is an International Neutral Arbitrator, certified by the American Arbitration Association. His knowledge and reputation in these areas have allowed him to serve on several high-profile cases overseen by the World Bank and other global organizations. It has also led him to chair committees such as the International Arbitration Law Committee of the Inter-American Bar Association, which he has chaired for the past 10 years. He is the immediate past chair of the Florida Bar’s International Law Section.

Other Professional Activities

Mr. Rooney frequently speaks before international industry groups on insurance and arbitration law topics. He also teaches seminars and law classes each year, with the most current being a comparative law class for the International Summer Program of Loyola University in New Orleans. Seminars include the Insurance Law and International Commercial Arbitration Law seminars at the University of Miami School of Law. Louisiana State University is another institution he serves as an Advisory Council member for its Latin American Continuing Legal Education Program.

Background

Mr. Rooney’s insurance experience began when he worked as counsel for the international operations of Pan-American Life Insurance and John Alden Life Insurance.  He later served as Managing Partner of the Miami Office of Fowler, Rodriguez, Kingsmill, Flint and Gray, LLP. His early legal experience includes a clerkship with Associate Justice Watson and Associate Justice Stone of the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana.