
145 Leadenhall Street, 3rd Floor
London, EC3V 4QT
TEL: 020 3805 6295



Practice Areas
- Reinsurance
- Class Actions
- Climate Change
- Commercial Litigation
- Corporate Plaintiff Affirmative Recovery
- Engineering and Construction
- General Liability Coverage and Defense
- Indirect and Direct Purchaser Class Actions
- Insurance
- International Competition
- Pandemic Claims and Litigation
- Property Insurance
- Subrogation
Bar and Court Admissions
- State Court: California
- U.S. District Court: Northern District of California; Central District of California
- England & Wales
- Spain
Education
- Hamline University School of Law, Master of Laws (LL.M.), 2001
- Universidad Pontificia Comillas – ICADE, Madrid, Spain, B.A.s in Law and Business Administration, 1999
Past Professional Experience
- Cuatrecasas, Madrid and Barcelona, Spain 1999-2001
José M. Umbert
(he/him/his)
José is an English solicitor and a licensed attorney in California and Spain. José represents clients in complex insurance and recovery matters. He acts for (re)insurance companies in first-party coverage cases involving property damage and business interruption losses at energy, construction, and industrial facilities. José also represents (re)insurers in third-party liability coverage matters, and in subrogation and recovery actions. He handles disputes in the U.S., many countries in Latin America, Spain, and other jurisdictions. José has written and presented on a number of (re)insurance coverage issues.
Representative Matters
First-Party (Re)Insurance
Represented insurer in Hurricane Harvey flood losses at cement plants and port terminal
Acting for insurers in Hurricane Harvey flood claim at construction project
Advised on coverage for water damage loss at government building in Puerto Rico
Acted for reinsurance market in power loss in Argentina
Advised reinsurers on coverage for multiple construction claims at naval shipyard in Brazil
Acted for reinsurers in fire and BI loss at hydroelectric plant in Colombia
Representing reinsurance market in claim for damage to turbines at power plant in Guatemala
Advised reinsurers on coverage for explosion at Guatemalan mining facility
Acted for reinsurers in Hurricane Odile loss to resort in Mexico
Advised reinsurers on coverage for construction claim at hydroelectric project in Peru
Represented reinsurers in loss at solar thermal plant in Spain
Acting for reinsurance market in power loss in Turkey
Liability (Re)Insurance
Advising reinsurer on coverage for global warming litigation in California against insured oil company
Acting for reinsurance market in liability claim for fire at industrial complex in Spain
Representing insurers in claim for pipeline failure in California
Acting for reinsurers in marine liability claim in Argentina
Subrogation / Recovery
Representing reinsurers in subrogation claim following fire at Colombian power plant
Acting for London insurers in recovery claim for machinery breakdown at Peruvian mine
Representing reinsurers in subrogation action for loss at mine in Chile
Advised reinsurance market on recovery for defective construction of hydroelectric plant in Costa Rica
Acted for reinsurers in subrogation claim for pipeline loss in Mexico
Articles & Presentations
"Insurer Implications As 3 Climate Suits Return to State Courts," Law360 Insurance Authority, April 26, 2022, co-author
"California Wildfires - Underwriting Considerations," November 1, 2021, co-author
"COVID-19 Insurance Issues To Watch In Civil Law Countries," Insurance Law360, March 2, 2021, co-author
"Climate Change Litigation Goes Before the Supreme Court," January 5, 2021, co-author
"Climate Change and Insurance: Insurers' Subrogation Claims," Insurance Law360, July 12, 2019, co-author
"Climate Change and Insurance: Lliuya v. RWE Makes History," Insurance Law360, March 22, 2019, co-author
"Climate Change and Insurance: Litigation Risks for Insurers," Insurance Law360, January 23, 2019, co-author
"Stressed about CATs? The London Market Is Ready," CAT-Law Navigator, April 11, 2017, author
"The “El Niño” Effect In Peru, Can Anything Be Done?," LatAm Insurance Navigator, March 23, 2017, co-author
"Atmospheric Rivers Making Landfall in California and Causing Major Flooding," CAT-Law Navigator, February 8, 2017, author
"Handling (Re) insurance Claims in Mexico," Lloyd's Market Association Masterclass, June 14, 2016, co-presenter
"Claims in Latin America: Critical Issues for International (Re)Insurers," Lloyd's Market Association Masterclass, May 5, 2016, co-presenter
"California Fair Claims Settlement Practices," multiple in-house client seminars, 2016 & 2017, co-presenter
"Adjusting International Claims," Zelle Insurance Webinar Series - Catastrophes, November 14, 2016, co-presenter
"Natural Disasters in Latin America: Reinsurance Issues," Insurance Law360, November 6, 2015, co-author
"A Primer on Insurance Dispute Resolution in China," Insurance Law360, July 14, 2015, co-author
"Latin American Business Series - Legal Tour of Latin America," Lloyd's Market Association Masterclass, July 7, 2015, co-presenter
"A Primer on Insurance Underwriting in China," Insurance Law360, June 10, 2015, co-author
"Latin America Business Series – Introduction: The Common Themes," Lloyd's Market Association Masterclass, April 29, 2015, co-presenter
"'Loss' In Translation: Insurers Beware," Insurance Law360, February 19, 2015, co-author
"Primer On Civil And Common Law For The Int’l Insurer," Insurance Law360, October 31, 2014, co-author
"Insurance In Brazil: A Reinsurance Perspective," Insurance Law360, August 14, 2014, co-author
"Primer On Underwriting Insurance Risks In Argentina," Insurance Law360, June 19, 2014, co-author
Professional Affiliations
- Law Society of England & Wales
- American Bar Association
- State Bar of California
- Madrid Bar Association