Insurance
Leonardo is a specialist in commercial and insurance disputes and advisory and heads our Italian insurance practice. With 20 years’ experience in top-tier Italian and international law firms, Leonardo combines strong technical skills with a practical approach and a real understanding of the insurance industry. He regularly represents international clients in complex cross-border disputes as well as in domestic litigation and arbitration.
Regional experience
Full Profile
Leonardo assists financial institutions and corporates navigate major disputes across a wide range of industries, either in court or arbitration.
He is a litigator and leading expert in insurance and reinsurance matters, where he acts as either as monitoring, coverage or defense counsel in complex domestic or cross-border litigations and advises insurers in relation to coverage assessment. His practice focuses on financial lines (D&O, PI, EPLI), property and casualty, product liability and recalls, surety as well as W&I and cyber. He also handles commercial, corporate and bankruptcy disputes either in court or arbitration.
Leonardo is recognized in Chambers Europe 2025 for insurance and has been listed for dispute resolution by Legal 500. In 2019, he has been awarded “Insurance Lawyer of the Year” at the TopLegal Industry Awards. Furthermore, he was named “Lawyer of the Year” for product liability at the Legalcommunity Litigation Awards in 2024, when Clyde & Co was selected “Insurance Law Firm of the Year” at Italy’s TopLegal Industry Awards.
Leonardo speaks Italian and English.
Leonardo Giani is a highly refined legal mind who has the ability to solve complex issues with efficiency and practicality.” – Client in Chambers Europe 2025
Leonardo Giani is a technically very prepared person with a strong commercial attitude, so as to make any discussion simple.” – Client in The Legal 500 EMEA 2022
Experience
- Acting for an international insurer in the € 2bn claim for mismanagement brought by the Court-appointed Administrators of a large Italian bank against its former directors and auditors
- Acting for the D&O insurer in the high-value claim brought by the minority shareholders of the policyholder against the company’s former directors and auditors
- Advising a leading insurer of a publicly owned company on a claim for mismanagement of a public tender
- Defending PI insurers in claims relating to different categories of professionals (lawyers, doctors, architects, accountants, insurance/financial brokers etc.)
- Advising a W&I insurer on a claim for breach of the rep and warranties taken out in the SPA relating to the compliance with tax duties
- Defending the insured professionals or D&Os, upon instruction of their insurer
- Acting as coverage counsel in cyber incidents
- Acting for the environmental insurer in the coverage litigation brought by the insured seeking cover for the losses arising from the contamination of its reservoir
- Assisting the product liability insurer in handling claims arising from the contamination of the product supplied by the insured