InsurTech

Canada

With emerging technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and the internet of things laying a fertile ground for transformation and disruption, the use of technology in insurance-related processes and transactions is reshaping the insurance industry.

Through cross-market collaboration, insurers and service providers will soon be able to integrate insurance technology - increasingly known as InsurTech - into every aspect of the insurance value chain. But in order to do so, they need a law firm with the right mix of in-depth experience and broad expertise to help them leverage the significant opportunities presented by InsurTech.

Enter Gowling WLG, the first Canadian law firm to establish a dedicated InsurTech Group. By combining a broad understanding of underlying technologies with an in-depth knowledge of the regulatory frameworks in which insurance companies operate, our leading technology, insurance and intellectual property professionals provide full-service legal support across the InsurTech landscape.

Our capabilities span the full spectrum of insurance and technology law, including:

Technology and e-commerce law

Gowling WLG supports clients on every step of their digital journey. We help them negotiate technology and strategic partnership agreements, adopt electronic processes, and implement digitization projects. We also advise clients on the legal implications of emerging technologies on their business.

Insurance law

We handle complex insurance and reinsurance matters for major domestic and international insurers and reinsurers, including transactions and regulatory issues.

Privacy and cyber security law

Applying our collective expertise in technology and telecommunications, Gowling WLG is well-positioned to advise insurance clients on privacy issues arising out of new technologies and business models. We can assist them in all aspects of data management - from comprehensive privacy law advice to data breach preparedness and threat risk assessments. Our legal advice also extends to the aftermath of a data breach, including litigation.

Mergers and acquisitions

Members of our team serve as trusted M&A advisers to a wide range of Canadian and multinational clients - both publicly traded and privately held. We're consistently ranked among the busiest M&A law firms in Canada in terms of deal count, and have helped a number of prominent insurance and tech companies on their major M&A transactions.

Intellectual property law

With one of the world's leading intellectual property teams, we know how to maximize the value of our clients' intellectual property and protect what makes them unique. We help them overcome every challenge on the way to market by strategically defending and enforcing their intangible - and invaluable - assets, including those related to InsurTech.

Top-ranked team

Our team consistently achieves national recognition for its exceptional work. This includes taking home the Canadian "Insurance Firm of the Year" Award from Benchmark Litigation three years in a row (2014, 2015 and 2016). Members of our InsurTech team are consistently recognized by numerous publications, including Chambers Canada, The Best Lawyers in Canada and the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.

Industry and thought leadership

Gowling WLG is the only international law firm to be a founding partner and co-founding member of the Blockchain Research Institute, a knowledge network that studies the strategic implications of blockchain technology. As well, members of our team are in the midst of authoring The Law of Blockchain Technology, a comprehensive guide to blockchain that will be published by Thomson Reuters in 2018.

Our professionals are regularly invited to present at events hosted by leading associations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and the Cambridge Cyber Security Forum. Gowling WLG also hosts its own InsurTech events for clients; our most recent seminar was InsurTech & Disruption in Canada's Insurance Industry, held on Sept. 25, 2017 in Toronto. Our next event will be announced shortly.