Nicholas A. Secara

Special Counsel

Nicholas A. Secara

Special Counsel

Nicholas Secara has spent his entire legal career in the (re)insurance industry, where he provides clients with practical, business-friendly advice, helping them to navigate the complex and ever-evolving (re)insurance landscape. Clients rely on Nick for clear guidance when acquiring and selling (re)insurance companies and producers. Clients also depend on Nick to represent them before state insurance regulatory bodies and to guide them in the development of new and novel insurance products and distribution models.

Nick is a special counsel in the firm’s Insurance Practice Group and Health Care & Life Sciences Sector. He represents investors, start-ups, (re)insurers, MGAs, TPAs, and other insurance industry producers and participants in transactional, regulatory, and commercial matters. Nick counsels his clients across all lines of business, with a focus on L&H and specialty P&C, and often serves as outside general counsel.

Prior to joining Foley, Nick served as Deputy General Counsel for a global specialty risk assumption organization. He was integral to launching and rapidly scaling its North American platform, which included multiple insurance (admitted and surplus lines) and reinsurance companies; an MGU; a diverse specialty program business portfolio; surety and WC platforms; and a Lloyd’s coverholder. Earlier in his career, Nick spent seven years at leading international law firms, where he represented (re)insurance clients in various transactional and regulatory matters, as well as in high-value coverage and commercial arbitrations and litigations. He also advised on cutting-edge FinTech/InsurTech matters involving blockchain and digital asset development.

Representative Experience

  • Represented a private equity firm in its strategic minority investment in a tech-enabled insurance distribution platform focused on serving niche insurance markets.
  • Advised a leading specialty insurance provider in its acquisition of a portfolio of MGA and service companies primarily serving the medical stop loss and managed care markets.
  • Counseling one of the nation’s largest personal lines and commercial insurance brokers, handling significant roll-up transactions, including several acquisitions with an enterprise value of approximately US$1bn each.
  • Represented a private equity firm in its acquisition of an MGA that managed a diverse portfolio of specialty P&C business, including various niche programs, a risk purchasing group, and a Lloyd’s coverholder.
  • While in-house, negotiated myriad contracts to support internal underwriting, programs, and IT/Ops teams, including Inter-Company Agreements, Program Manager Agreements, Producer Agreements, Third-Party Administrator Agreements, and Claims Services Agreements, as well as Binding Authority Agreements and Terms of Business Agreements with Lloyd’s Syndicates.*
  • While in-house, co-designed a first-of-its-kind cannabis program that offered PL, E&O, and CGL coverage, advising on banking and insurance regulatory concerns, developing policy language, and supporting its program-based distribution model.*
  • Represented insurance carriers and producers before state insurance regulators in financial examinations, licensure applications, and various Insurance Holding Company Act filings.
  • Represented commercial, mutual, and captive (re)insurers in arbitrations and advised on coverage issues involving first- and third-party claims for CAT losses exceeding US$1bn that resulted from war and terrorism, pipeline failures, and mining disasters.

*Matter handled prior to joining Foley.

Awards and Recognition

  • New York Metro Rising Stars, Super Lawyers, 2022
  • Certificate of Recognition, Pro Bono, New York State Bar Association, 2018

Affiliations

  • Co-founder and Advisory Council Member, Insurance Federation of New York, Inc., Emerging Leaders
  • Member, Insurance Law Committee for the New York Bar Association
  • Executive Officer, U.S. Reinsurance Under 40s Group, Inc.

Presentations and Publications

  • “Hacking Cyber Risk: Emerging Issues and Trends,” Insurance Federation of New York, New York, NY (March 1, 2023)

Pro Bono

  • Counseled immigrants seeking asylum who were detained at the U.S.-Mexico border, preparing them for credible fear interviews.
  • Advised a non-profit on matters of international law concerning the crime of genocide to facilitate peace negotiations between opposing forces in Sudan and recommending counterterrorism measures to implement in Tanzania.
17 January 2024 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents Thrivent in a First-of-its-Kind $400M Collateralized Fund Obligation

Foley & Lardner LLP served as insurance regulatory counsel to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in its role as sponsor of White Rose CFO 2023 Holdings’ $400 million issuance of Class A notes as a private equity collateralized fund obligation.
21 December 2023 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents GuideOne Insurance in $200M Investment by Bain Capital, Creation of Innovative Platform Dedicated to Mutuals

Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal adviser to GuideOne Insurance Company, a leading niche-market insurance carrier founded in 1947, in receiving a $200 million investment from Bain Capital Insurance.
22 September 2023 Honors and Awards

Foley Attorneys Named to 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists

Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that 13 of its attorneys were selected for inclusion in the 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.
15 March 2023 In the News

Nick Secara Appointed to New York City Bar Association’s Insurance Law Committee

Foley & Lardner LLP Special Counsel Nicholas Secara was appointed to the Insurance Law Committee for the New York City Bar Association, effective February 22, 2023.
1 March 2023 Events

Hacking Cyber Risk: Emerging

Foley is proud to sponsor the Insurance Federation of New York (IFNY) Emerging Leaders panel discussion and networking event on Hacking Cyber Risk: Emerging Issues and Trends. Partner Nick Secara will be moderating the panel as they dissect the cyber market, discuss emerging trends and forecast their impact on this evolving specialty line of business.
28 November 2022 Deals and Wins

Foley Advises CIVC Partners in Minority Investment in Signers National

Foley & Lardner LLP represented CIVC Partners as regulatory counsel in its strategic minority investment in Signers National, a tech-enabled insurance distribution platform focused on serving niche insurance markets.