Insurance litigator Kathleen Birrane joins DLA Piper in Baltimore
(Baltimore) November 13, 2012 – DLA Piper today announced that Kathleen Birrane has joined the Insurance and Reinsurance Sector and Litigation practices as of counsel in the Baltimore office. Birrane most recently served as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Maple Life Financial, Inc., where she led the legal, compliance and operational teams and was a member of the executive management team.
Birrane formerly served for five years as principal counsel to the Maryland Insurance Administration at the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, where she was the primary legal advisor to the Insurance Commissioner and to all units of the Insurance Administration. Her responsibilities included the management of all legal work of the administration, both in its capacity as a regulator and as a unit of state government, and legal approval of proposed legislation, agency regulations and administrative actions.
“Kathleen brings a wealth of legal and regulatory experience that will be instrumental as we continue to expand our insurance litigation capabilities in the US and abroad,” said Bob Mathias, joint global leader and US chair of DLA Piper’s Litigation practice. “Her wide-ranging knowledge of insurance regulation, risk management and compliance matters will be a tremendous asset to our clients operating in this rapidly evolving marketplace.”
“Kathleen is a lawyer’s lawyer who is well known for her impressive accomplishments and experience in insurance regulation and litigation,” said Paul A. Tiburzi, managing partner of DLA Piper’s Baltimore office. “I have enjoyed being Kathleen’s friend for years and have always admired her. Now it will be my privilege to practice law with her. We are excited to welcome her home to Baltimore and to add a lawyer of her caliber to our office.”
Birrane earned a J.D., with honors, from the University of Maryland School of Law and a B.A. from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.
The latest group of insurance lawyers follows a number of significant additions to DLA Piper’s Insurance practice, including the February 2012 addition in New York of partner Bill Marcoux, who leads the firm’s Global Insurance Transactions and Regulation group. In April 2012, senior counsel Peter Rice joined the firm’s Boston office and the London office added Prakash Paran as partner and Roger Loo and Melanie James as counsel. The firm also bolstered its global insurance capabilities in May 2012 with the addition of Paul Chen in Silicon Valley and a group of lawyers led by partners Joyce Chan and Heng Loong Cheong in Hong Kong.
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