Bert Adams helps buyers and sellers strategically negotiate and find consensus in complex corporate mergers and acquisitions.
His clients are financial services companies, especially life and property and casualty insurers and reinsurers.
Bert has represented clients in mergers and acquisitions for over 25 years. Bert’s insurance industry experience includes transactions structured as acquisitions of entities and as acquisitions of blocks of business via indemnity or assumption reinsurance. He also has significant mergers and acquisitions experience involving retirement services businesses, broker-dealers and investment advisers.
Bert is the co-Practice Group Leader of the Eversheds Sutherland (US) Insurance team and a former member of the firm’s Executive Committee.
Represented Gemini Financial Holdings Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Olympus MGA Corp. and Olympus Insurance Company, a leading underwriting franchise in Florida, on its acquisition by SageSure.
Represented Equitable Holdings Inc. in its acquisition of Stifel Independent Advisors, LLC, a premier independent broker-dealer, registered investment adviser and a subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp.
Represented IGM Financial Inc., one of Canada's largest diversified wealth and asset management companies, in its strategic investment in Rockefeller Capital Management as part of RCM’s $6.6 billion recapitalization.
Represented Somerset Reinsurance Ltd. in its reinsurance of a block of corporate-owned life insurance and bank-owned life insurance business from a US-domiciled life insurance company.
Represented Allianz SE in connection with the sale of its Fireman’s Fund insurance business to Arch Insurance North America for a transaction value of $1.4 billion.
Represented Pan-American Life Insurance Company in its acquisition of Encova Life Insurance Company from Motorists Commercial Mutual Insurance Company.
Represented Empower in its acquisition of Prudential's retirement plan business for a total transaction value of $3.55 billion.
Represented Automobile Club of Southern California in the acquisition of 50% of Motor Club Insurance Company and in the formation of a related joint venture.
Represented Securian Financial Group, Inc. in the auctioned sale of its retirement plan recordkeeping business to Standard Insurance Company.
Represented The Hartford in the $117.5 million sale of its private placement life insurance business to Philadelphia Financial.
Represented MassMutual in the reinsurance sale of a block of life insurance policies and transition of administration.
Represented TIG Insurance Company in its sale of two TIG insurance units to Hamilton Insurance Group Ltd.
Represented Voya in the sale of a block of term life policies to RGA.
Represented Qatar Insurance Company in its minority investment in a U.S. insurance company.
Represented MassMutual in the acquisition of the retail brokerage business of MetLife.
Represented Empower in its acquisition of MassMutual’s retirement services business for a total transaction value of $2.35 billion.
Represented Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest member club affiliated with the American Automobile Association (AAA) national federation, in the acquisition by its affiliated insurer the Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club, of Wawanesa General Insurance Company.
Represented Equitable Life Insurance Company in the acquisition of Penn Investment Advisors, a registered investment adviser and subsidiary of Penn Community Bank.
Represented IGM Financial, one of Canada's largest diversified wealth and asset management companies, in its purchase of an approximately 20.5 percent equity interest in Rockefeller Capital Management, for consideration of approximately $622 million.
Served as independent adviser to the board of directors of Resolution Life, a global life insurance group, in entering into a strategic partnership with Blackstone.
Represented Empower in its acquisition of MassMutual’s retirement services business for a total transaction value of $3.35 billion.
Represented Nassau Financial Group in its acquisition of Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company.
Represented Aflac in a product development and reinsurance transaction with Reinsurance Group of America (RGA).
Represented Allstate Insurance Company in the acquisition of First Jersey Casualty Insurance Company.
Represented Aflac in a product development and reinsurance transaction with DRMS New York (SunLife).
Represented Capital One in the sale of its 401(k) advisory business.
Represented Allstate Insurance Company in the acquisition of PlumChoice, Inc.
Represented Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company in the sale of its individual life insurance and annuity business via reinsurance to Protective Life Corporation.
Represented Scottish Widows in its pension risk longevity reinsurance transaction with Prudential Insurance Company.
Recognized by Chambers USA: Guide to Leading Business Lawyers in the area of mergers and acquisitions (2011, 2012, 2013) and in the area of insurance: transactional and regulatory (2017-2025)
Recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of mergers and acquisitions: middle-market (2015-2019) and insurance: non-contentious (2017-2018, 2020-2025)
Recognized by The Legal 500 United States as a "Leading Partner" in the area insurance: non-contentious (2025) and as a "leading lawyer" in the area insurance: non-contentious (2024)
Recognized as a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer (2022-2023), an independent, client-driven recognition
Named to The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of mergers and acquisitions (2009-2010, 2013-2023) and leveraged buyouts and private equity law (2009-2023)
Recognized as BTI M&A Client Service All-Star (2021)
Recognized by Expert Guides in the area of mergers and acquisitions (2016)
Named to New York Area Best Lawyers for leveraged buy-outs & private equity law, and mergers & acquisitions law (2014)
Member, American Bar Association
Member, New York City Bar Association
Member, Life Insurance Council of New York (LICONY)
Graduate, Leadership Atlanta (Class of 2006)
Georgia
Illinois
New York
A.B., magna cum laude, Harvard College
J.D., cum laude, Northwestern University School of Law,