Hermès Marangos

Hermès advises on political risks, political violence, and terrorism-related exposures, helping clients identify, manage, and mitigate complex threats to protect operations, assets, and business continuity worldwide.

• Advised on both public and private international law issues relating to the war in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, including war losses and distinction with terrorist losses, and sanctions-related issues, including the boarding of civilian vessels by military units.
• Advised on civil unrest losses in the KwazuluNaal region in South Africa.
• Advised European reinsurers and US counsel as expert co-counsel on the Liberian Civil War and litigation on the meaning of war, insurrection, civil commotion and riot losses and on supervising evidence and expert and contemporaneous testimony on the genesis and escalation of the civil war, to include forensic and historical analysis leading to the Liberian Civil War.
• Advised reinsurers following the assassination of Premier Benazir Bhutto in Lahore in Pakistan and the applicability of terrorism and political violence exclusions, to include forensic issues concerning evidence on bomb attacks and explosions and subsequent riots.
• Advised major reinsurers on involvement of terrorists in bank robberies in Colombia and analysis of distinctions of terrorism acts versus acts of terrorists or participation of proscribed individuals in disturbances and membership of criminals in proscribed terrorist and drug dealing organisations.
• Advised on the Intifada and uprising, civil commotion, violent riots in Israel and the Occupied Territories, including on local versus international provisions on terrorism and state security. This included advising on distinctions between criminal activity legislation and insurance regulations.
• Advised on the legal position of convoy attacks in coastal towns and applicability of political violence provisions in relation to the civil war in Colombia.
• Advised on sabotage attacks on petroleum company installations pipelines and storage facilities in the Ogoni region in Nigeria.
• Arbitrated on State-related industrial losses following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, including mass looting and wanton destruction in Kuwait.
• Advised on riot-related losses in Indonesia and insurance provisions interpretation and government pronouncements on the Red Shirt movement.
• Advised on insurance disputes relating to the coup d’état and political violence in Haiti, including on the chronological trajectory and conclusions under the Spinney’s guidelines.
• Advised on war and terrorism-related disputes following the Israel-Lebanon war and the actions of Hezbollah, starting with the abduction of Israeli border guards, leading to the commencement and escalation of hostilities.
• Advised on the impact of the Israeli Defence Force operations and embargo in Jericho and losses at hotel and casino operations and property and business interruption covers.
• Advised on the meaning and applicability of civil commotion/riot/looting provisions and aggregation and hours clauses position and inter-play, if any, with riot provisions to losses following Katrina and major floods and earthquakes.
• Advised on the St Mary Axe, IRA bombings and the resulting legislation and set up of Pool Re.
• Advised on major reinsurers on the applicability of war and terrorism provisions and riots strikes and malicious damage sub-limits to the World Trade Center.
• Advised and provided professional training workshops across Europe to major insurers and reinsurers on the various political violence/societal risk wordings and war and terrorism exclusions, including on the operation and efficacy of riots, strikes and malicious damage sub-limit.
• Provided advice to major insurers and reinsurers on the new set of exclusions and applicability based on NMA2918-2921.
• Advised on attacks by Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement on the Peruvian army and nature and definition of political violence.
• Advised on appropriate wordings for chronic civil war and continuing industrial and factory losses in Beirut.
• Advised on riot wordings and “interpleader” issues between terrorism provisions and all risk covers in Hong Kong and violent anti-government protests, including advising on economic versus political riots interpretation as applicable to Lloyds wordings.
• Representing policyholders on terrorism-related losses following attacks in London and Paris. Proceedings in relation to the London Bridge and Westminster Bridge and Parsons Green attacks.
• Advised intermediaries as expert international counsel on whether extensive fires in the Araucanía indigenous region were set off deliberately in Chilean forests, and whether these were orchestrated or perpetrated by the indigenous Mapuche, as well as advising on the applicable legal principles locally and internationally.
• Advised on the operation of special war-related provisions following declaratory action by insurers looking to refuse liability to claimants under their insurance for damage caused due to an attempt to diffuse a WWII unexploded bomb, and the operation of the standard war exclusion clause.
• Advised on a complex sanction, insurance, shipping, and commodities trading matter concerning the arrest of a vessel for sanctions-related issues.

Hermès supports clients in international insurance and reinsurance matters, providing guidance on global risk management, complex claims, and cross-border regulatory challenges.

• Advised reinsurers under a CAR/EAR cover in relation to a series of losses to an extension of an existing oil refinery which included a water canal diversion project forming part of preparatory works in Colombia.
• Advised US and Canadian insurers in relation to coverage issues under an all risk policy arising out of physical damage to a drilling rig owned by a Canadian corporation during operations in Brazil. Advised in particular on issues of placement, definition of insured and property insured, the test required for want of due diligence and subrogation.
• Advised reinsurers under an EAR cover including Delay in Start-up in relation to damage to an electrical generator which was to be used in a project for the conversion of two existing gas turbines in Bolivia.
• Advised reinsurers under a CAR cover in respect of damage due to water leakage to a sulphur combustion furnace boiler in a sulphuric acid plant in Chile and subrogation action against the Chinese manufacturers.
• Instructed by major UK reinsurers under an all risks policy concerning a significant theft of electronic devices in Mexico, involving complex issues of employee infidelity.
• Advised London Market and US reinsurers on high-profile and complex D&O coverage issues in Brazil in connection with a class action brought in the US and an insured v insured claim in Brazil.
• Advised London market underwriters in connection with a group action arising from complex claims before the Brazilian Appellate Courts, arising out of cattle feeding programmes.
• Advised reinsurers on major mining damage and business interruption claims in Mexico involving extra-contractual and loss of opportunity to pursue civil law arguments under Mexican, US and UK law.
• Advised reinsurers on TPL claims under a product liability programme for engineering fleet vehicles, with parallel proceedings in the UK and Switzerland, involving English, Swiss, German and US law issues.
• Represented London market and European insurers on power plant disputes involving turbine failures and fires in West Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.
• Represented London market and European reinsurers in proceedings in Turkey, both in property/engineering disputes involving the application of sub-limits and first-loss reinsurance arguments, and in product liability disputes involving defective building materials allegations and arguments on financial law and efficacy exclusions.
• Represented London reinsurers in multiple claims in Argentina, including class actions and major energy losses.
• Advised reinsurers on machinery collapse and turbine failure and consequent BI issues.
• Advised a London market reinsurer on complex proceedings brought directly against them by the insured in the Brazilian courts.
• Advised worldwide insurers in connection with a multiple-fatality accident at a Barrick Gold Corporation mine in Chile in 2000.
• Advised Miami insurers in connection with multi-claimant litigation involving pollution caused by a water treatment plant installed in Santiago de Chile.
• Advised London market reinsurers on a pollution claim brought by the government of Colombia against the Colombian National Oil Company, c. $1.7bn in value.
• Advised Lloyd’s syndicates in connection with a dispute relating to a collapsed road bridge in Mexico.

• Advised a specialty insurance and reinsurance provider, defending against a claim relating to an allegedly defectively designed oil tanker that exploded in the historic centre of an ancient city in Mexico, destroying various sites, buildings, and monuments of national and historic importance.
• Advised a leading local and global insurer in relation to multibillion-dollar losses by hotel chains and how specialist contingency wordings operate and what policies qualify as contingency wordings and the meaning of physical damage in civil and common law jurisdictions.
• Advised on business interruption losses due to COVID-19 in various Latin America jurisdictions.
• Advised an insurance and reinsurance provider, defending against claims arising from the operation of a major port in Puerto Montt in Chile, as well as advising on the obligation of reinsurers to indemnify.
• Advised on insurers’ obligations and underlying litigation concerning a major metals fraud scandal involving trader global freezing orders over alleged fraudster property following discoveries that its related companies were selling inferior metals as top-grade nickel.
• Advised on a major reinsurance dispute involving a mining operation disrupted due to flooding with multiple claims following property damage and business interruption, as well as on issues of recoverability of expenses and alleged obligations of reinsurers to indemnify non-contractual and other punitive losses, c. £300m in value.

Hermès advises on cross-border disputes, litigation, and arbitration, including complex international conflicts.

• Advised on an ICC arbitration brought by an Argentinean EPC contractor relating to the design and construction of a marine oil terminal.
• Advised on a matter concerning the countrywide contamination of Chilean farms due to defective chemical sprays.
• Advised an international company on rights of recovery under local policies and interplay of local and global policies in its possession.
• Advised on asset tracing of family wealth feared to have been dissipated prior to the death of a leading Latin American businessman.
• Advised on a liquid petroleum gas explosion and subsequent fire.
• Advised investors in relation to investigating issues of fraud, deception, allegations of fake bonds being traded, and agency of traders in oil companies’ bonds.
• Advised a major luxury hotel chain on earthquake losses and recoveries under local and global policies and issues under its DIL/DIC multinational programme.
• Advised major sporting organisations on risk management issues and their D&O and professional negligence rights and obligations and their underlying arbitrations.
• Advised on major international construction disputes involving LEG 2, LEG 3 and operational issues affecting large-scale construction contracts / EAR in West Africa and the Middle East, including firefighting obligations, mitigation and BI calculation methodology, c. £40–50m in value.
• Advised on various Caribbean claims involving failed turbines and coverage under operational policies for damage and business interruption claims, including issues of applicability of foreign law and competing jurisdictional provisions, c. US$50m in value.

Hermès advises on international construction disputes, including ICC arbitrations, FIDIC contracts, joint ventures, and engineering claims, guiding contractors, reinsurers, and insurers through technical, legal, and operational challenges worldwide.

• Advised on an ICC arbitration brought by an Argentinean EPC contractor relating to the design and construction of a marine oil terminal.
• Represented London market and European reinsurers in proceedings in Turkey, both in property/engineering disputes involving the application of sub-limits and first-loss reinsurance arguments, and in product liability disputes involving defective building materials allegations and arguments on financial law and efficacy exclusions.
• Advised contractors on enforcement of English judgments on FIDIC contracts for failures in completion on projects in Wales.
• Advised on major international construction disputes involving LEG 2, LEG 3 and operational issues affecting large-scale construction contracts / EAR in West Africa and the Middle East, including firefighting obligations, mitigation and BI calculation methodology, c. £40–50m in value.
• Advised on a contractor and subcontractor dispute in the Middle East, involving a joint venture between Chinese and Spanish companies.

Hermès advises global insurers and reinsurers on energy and natural resources disputes, including CAR/EAR claims, turbine failures, refinery and mining losses, business interruption, and cross-border insurance matters.

• Advised reinsurers under a CAR/EAR cover in relation to a series of losses to an extension of an existing oil refinery which included a water canal diversion project forming part of preparatory works in Colombia. Advised specifically on issues of pre-existing damage, non-disclosure, concurrent design and construction causation, gradual deterioration, mitigation of loss obligation and want of due diligence.
• Advised US and Canadian insurers in relation to coverage issues under an all risk policy arising out of physical damage to a drilling rig owned by a Canadian corporation during operations in Brazil. Advised in particular on issues of placement, definition of insured and property insured, the test required for want of due diligence and subrogation.
• Advised reinsurers under an EAR cover including Delay in Start-up in relation to damage to an electrical generator which was to be used in a project for the conversion of two existing gas turbines in Bolivia. Advised on spoliation of evidence issues arising from refusal to grant access on-site, assessed whether the insured’s conduct in the measures it took to test the generator prior to start-up satisfied the obligation to take reasonable precautions, and advised on the effect of a false declaration by the insured, wilful negligence, potential subrogation actions against German manufacturer and on the Bolivian law and political angle.
• Advised reinsurers under a CAR cover in respect of damage due to water leakage to a sulphur combustion furnace boiler in a sulphuric acid plant in Chile. Advised inter alia on possible subrogation action against manufacturers in China, technical analysis of the processes involved in the production of sulphur to identify root cause and exclusion of proportion of costs under LEG wordings.
• Advised on a major reinsurance dispute involving a mining operation disrupted due to flooding with multiple claims following property damage and business interruption, as well as on issues of recoverability of expenses and alleged obligations of reinsurers to indemnify non-contractual and other punitive losses, c. £300m in value.
• Advised on various Caribbean claims involving failed turbines and coverage under operational policies for damage and business interruption claims, including issues of applicability of foreign law and competing jurisdictional provisions, c. US$50m in value.
• Represented London market and European insurers on power plant disputes involving turbine failures and fires in West Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.
• Advised on an ICC arbitration brought by an Argentinean EPC contractor relating to the design and construction of a marine oil terminal.
• Represented London reinsurers in multiple claims in Argentina, including class actions and major energy losses.
• Advised reinsurers on machinery collapse and turbine failure and consequent BI issues.
• Advised on sabotage attacks on petroleum company installations pipelines and storage facilities in the Ogoni region in Nigeria.

Recognised by Chambers Global – Insurance – Latin America – International Counsel, Insurance 2025–2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 as a Leading Individual for Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation 2021–2026