Ellen M. Dunn

ELLEN DUNN is co-leader of the firm’s Insurance Litigation group and has 30 years of experience representing life, health, and property casualty insurers in litigation, regulatory investigations, administrative hearings, and compliance matters, including AI, privacy, and data security. She has extensive experience with internal investigations, crisis management and strategic response, insurance insolvencies, policyholder and shareholder class actions, complex contractual disputes, and commercial arbitrations.

Ellen regularly represents insurers before state insurance departments and in investigations and inquiries by state attorneys general, particularly in connection with market conduct, compliance, and governance issues.

Formerly co-head of another global law firm’s U.S. Litigation practice, Ellen also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Banca Nazionale Del Lavoro (Iraqgate) investigation for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ellen is recognized in Chambers USA for Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Insurer—New York (2023–2025). Clients note that “she was dedicated and highly competent in every aspect of the representation,” her “pragmatic approach, encyclopedic knowledge of state insurance law and her ability to solve complex legal issues have been of significant benefit to us,” and that she “has always given straightforward, well-reasoned and sound legal advice, while also keeping our business interests at the top of her mind.” Ellen has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for her work in Insurance Law since 2018.

Ellen’s recent experience includes:

• Representation of numerous U.S. and global insurance companies and brokers in regulatory enforcement inquiries and examinations on a range of issues, including licensing and pension risk transfer, claims and underwriting standards, liability for actions of third-party service providers, consumer disclosure for mobile phone insurance, social media advertising, cybersecurity, and unclaimed property
• Representation of long-term care insurers and their affiliates in connection with restructuring strategies, solvency issues, evaluation of capital standards, premium rate and benefit adjustments, and regulatory actions 
• Representation of several leading insurers in connection with the Affordable Care Act, insurance exchanges, and structural responses to uncertainty in the U.S. health insurance markets
• Representation of an innovative not-for-profit corporation formed by a coalition of 19 of New York’s largest life annuity issuers to address policyholders needs triggered by the insolvency of a prominent structured settlement annuity issuer 
• Representation of a number of different life insurers in connection with regulatory risk analyses, claims and underwriting inquiries, producer compensation, and privacy issues

Ellen is a member of the Association of Life Insurance Counsel, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and the Federal Bar Council. She has served as a director of a mutual insurance company as well as a trustee and director on not-for-profit boards. Currently, Ellen serves as Board Chair to Encore Community Services, which provides meals and other essential services to seniors in need on Manhattan’s West Side.