Experience 

Cliff Schoenberg has more than 30 years of insurance and reinsurance experience. He has handled many large and complex “bet the company” cases that extend beyond the traditional reinsurance arbitration and litigation realm, where he obtained one of the largest arbitral awards for compensatory damages ($1 billion) and punitive damages ($100 million) in US history. For example, Cliff led a team of attorneys representing Swiss and US reinsurance companies and individuals in the SEC’s finite reinsurance investigation; and he led another team representing a former CEO of a major reinsurance company in the highest profile criminal case in reinsurance industry history. Cliff also was retained last year to put together a team of corporate, bankruptcy and reinsurance attorneys to handle the successful financial restructuring of a monoline insurer. Cliff has acted as coordinating and supervising counsel for federal and state class action lawsuits against insurers, including a large number of actions in the State of Alabama involving significant punitive damage claims. More generally, he has represented insurers, reinsurers, brokers, underwriting agents and other industry participants in arbitrations and litigations (including class actions) that have involved virtually every critical issue that has arisen in this specialized field.

In the transactional and regulatory arena, Cliff has represented reinsurers, banks, investment banks, hedge funds and private equity funds in negotiating and structuring complex reinsurance and hybrid insurance/capital markets products such as sidecars and industry loss warranties. He has advised on matters including life settlements, premium finance and other insurance/capital markets products, and has served as lead counsel on various significant insurance company mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. Mr. Schoenberg served on the board of directors of Zurich Kemper Life Insurance Company of New York and was formerly Assistant General Counsel of The Home Insurance Company.

Cliff also has significant experience relating to the rehabilitation and liquidation of insurance companies.  He has litigated direct insurance coverage actions, been retained as an arbitrator and expert in reinsurance arbitrations, and represented insurance companies in regulatory matters before the New York State Insurance Department.

Cliff is listed in Euromoney's Guide to the World's Leading Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers, Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers, The Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, The International Who's Who of Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers, the Manhattan and Corporate Counsel editions of New York Super Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, and in New York Magazine's "Best Lawyers" edition.  Most recently, Expert Guides named him to the “Best of the Best USA 2009” list, an honor recognizing him as one of the top 25 lawyers in the US in the insurance and reinsurance practice area.  He has written numerous articles and lectured extensively on reinsurance topics.  He currently serves on the editorial board of Harris Martin's Reinsurance Disputes.  He joined Mayer Brown in 2009.

Education 

Boston University School of Law, JD, magna cum laude, 1975 • Dickinson College, BA, summa cum laude, 1972; Phi Beta Kappa

Admitted

• US Supreme Court
• US Court of Appeals for the Second, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Circuits
• US District Court for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York
• New York