Lorena Avila

Foreign Legal Consultant (Not Admitted to Practice Law in Florida) Partner (Qualified in Venezuela) | Miami, United States

Profile

Originally from Venezuela, Lorena qualified as a Venezuelan lawyer in 2005. Lorena joined Kennedys in 2012 after relocating to the United States whereupon she became a Foreign Legal Consultant (Not Admitted to Practice Law in Florida). Prior to joining Kennedys, Lorena worked for a boutique law firm in Venezuela handling corporate and commercial matters.

Lorena works for major insurers and reinsurers on large and complex claims, particularly on property and liability matters. Her experience is also focused on regulatory matters and providing legal assistance to international reinsurers and intermediaries to comply with the regulatory framework for insurance activity. Lorena is the coordinator for “The Guide of Insurance and Reinsurance Law”.

Lorena also contributed to the fourth edition of Kennedys’ Global Legal Handbook, one of our most popular guides, which outlines the main legal and procedural issues that case handlers may encounter when dealing with claims across multiple jurisdictions globally.

Associate-to-watch Lorena Avila enjoys expertise handling insurance matters. 'She is a good lawyer,' recognises a peer, whilst a client points out: 'Lorena Avila is a careful and helpful practitioner.'

Qualifications and admissions

  • Qualified in Venezuela in 2005
  • Foreign Legal Consultant, (Not Admitted to Practice Law in Florida)

Market recognition

  • Associate-to-watch and notable practitioner for 'International Counsel'
    Chambers 2023

Work highlights

  • Advised international reinsurers on the application of the exchange control system in the handling of claims and interpretation of payment clauses in policies subject to Venezuelan law.
  • Handled property damage and business interruption complex claims for international reinsurers, with Venezuelan government related entities involved, under insurance policies subject to Venezuelan law.  
  • Advising an international reinsurer in the handling of a claim related to bonds granted for a large construction project in Venezuela, including acting as monitoring counsel for litigation.
  • Advising an international reinsurer in the handling of claims arising out of a large fire in a plant in Venezuela and civil actions arising from it. 
  • Handled property damage and business interruption complex claims for international reinsurers arising from a fire in a food production plant located in Venezuela under policies subject to Venezuelan law.    
  • Advising international reinsurers in the handling of a claim under a Terminal/Operators and Port Authority Insurance policy.
  • Coordinated global instruction addressing regulatory queries from reinsurer with international operations.
  • Completed licensing/registration processes for international reinsurers and followed up on renewals.
  • Assisted in the adaptation process of policy wordings for new products to be offered by international reinsurer.