Appleby wins back Gary Harris in Bermuda

Appleby, the specialist offshore law firm and fiduciary services provider, has announced the return of one of its insurance team, as Gary Harris returns as Partner after a spell with a reinsurance company on the island.

Harris had been with Appleby in Bermuda for six years, becoming a Partner with a focus on insurance, reinsurance corporate and investment funds business in 2018.

He departed from the company in 2020, by which time he was a well-known face among reinsurance and insurance-linked securities (ILS) underwriters and counterparts in Bermuda and around the world.

Harris went to work for reinsurer Fortitude Re as its Head of Legal and Compliance in 2020, where has spent almost three years now.

But Appleby has lured Harris back and he returns to re-join the law firms Bermuda office and insurance-focused team at the end of this month.

He originally joined Appleby in 2014, advising commercial insurers, special purpose vehicles, InsurTech companies, segregated account companies, captives, banks, and investment firms.

His practice has had a focus on sales and acquisitions of reinsurance companies and portfolios of reinsurance business, including legacy or runoff transactions.

He also has broad experience of a wide range of multijurisdictional and multiline transactions, and advised corporate and institutional clients on the establishment of, or participation in, a variety of reinsurance and investment products, public and private M&A, IPOs and private placings, note issuances, and complex syndicated loan arrangements.

Harris commented, “Appleby has always had a stellar insurance team, which has only grown in the breadth and depth of its offering since I was previously with the firm. I am excited to re-join Appleby’s talented team in Bermuda and help our corporate clients achieve their strategic, corporate, and regulatory objectives. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to have worked at as great a company as Fortitude Re over the past 3 years. I believe that my expanded legal, compliance, and regulatory knowledge, coupled with my gained client perspective, will add value to an already top-notch Appleby team and their ever-growing client roster.”

Brad Adderley, Bermuda Managing Partner, added, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Gary back to our market-leading insurance team as a key member of the corporate practice group. Gary brings a wealth of experience having worked on both the law firm and client side and not only understands the complexities of the reinsurance sector, but has the expertise and enthusiasm to go beyond the expected and consistently find solutions for clients. Gary’s commerciality further enhances our already very strong corporate practice. We have an awesome team and I am thrilled to have Gary back where his career in Bermuda began.”