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Suman Chakraborty

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[email protected]

+1.212.692.6739

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“The most effective advocate I have seen in the insurance / reinsurance arbitration space. He has an unparalleled ability to pair deep subject matter expertise with effective trial advocacy.”

“His level of client engagement is beyond expectations and the final work product always reiterates why we selected Suman to represent our company time and time again.”

— Chambers USA

Suman is a nationally recognized first-chair litigator with more than two decades of experience advocating for major insurers and reinsurers in high value arbitrations, and in state and federal court litigation across the United States. Collaborative and client-focused, Suman develops dispute resolution strategies tailored to his clients’ business and legal objectives. He leverages his deep industry experience and knowledge to serve as both a determined litigator and a trusted advisor, helping his clients navigate and resolve the full range of risks they face.  

Suman’s disputes practice confronts a broad range of issues affecting his clients in both the life and property and casualty industries. In the life re/insurance area, Suman serves as lead trial counsel to several of the largest national life insurance companies in their disputes with reinsurers. In the property and casualty field, Suman serves as lead national counsel for a third-party claims administrator and affiliated reinsurer in the defense of tort and contract actions relating to long-tail asbestos and environmental claims.

For several years, Chambers USA has listed Suman as a leading attorney in its New York insurer-side, and, more recently, in its national reinsurance disputes rankings, identifying him as a leader in the industry who is “rapidly building a substantial profile” and someone who “has developed a near-actuary level of understanding of the complex actuarial issues involved” in life reinsurance disputes. Clients have noted that “his true strength is strategy, allowing him to anticipate arguments and to play the game several steps ahead of his adversaries,” and that "Suman has a talent for foreseeing and diagnosing issues before they become a problem." His surging reputation has also been recognized in Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, Who's Who, and Expert Guides.

Suman also devotes his time to serving his community through both pro bono efforts and board service. He currently sits on the Board of the Stonewall Community Foundation. He previously served on the Board of the MCC Theater, one of New York’s leading off-Broadway theater companies, and as co-chair of the Board of the National LGBTQ Task Force, the country’s oldest LGBTQ national advocacy organization.

“The most effective advocate I have seen in the insurance / reinsurance arbitration space. He has an unparalleled ability to pair deep subject matter expertise with effective trial advocacy.”

“His level of client engagement is beyond expectations and the final work product always reiterates why we selected Suman to represent our company time and time again.”

— Chambers USA

Experience

  • Advised life retrocessionaire on implications of reinsurer rehabilitation proceedings in the Court of Chancery, Delaware.
  • Represented multiple reinsurers in cession of COVID-related claims to catastrophe reinsurance agreements.
  • Served as first-chair trial counsel to multiple leading life insurance company in several reinsurance arbitrations related to YRT reinsurance agreements.
  • Represented insurer in multiple state and federal court actions related to coverage for opioid claims.
  • Represented life insurance company in policyholder litigation involving premium financing arrangements.
  • Represented life retrocessionaire in disputes with reinsurer over claim administration and jumbo limit breaches.
  • Advised reinsurer on dispute regarding scope of coverage for block of annuities.
  • Counseled acquirer of closed block of in-force policies on litigation risk related to life reinsurance agreements.
  • Secured dismissal of RICO and other tort claims asserted by a policyholder against a reinsurer and third-party claims administrator.
  • Secured dismissal with prejudice of contract and bad faith claims against a third-party claims administrator.
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News & Press

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Events & Speaking

Speaker
Feb
18
2026

ReFocus2026

Potential Future Disputes Arising from Today’s Reinsurance Transactions

Las Vegas, NV

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Moderator
Feb
26
2025

ReFocus2025

A Deeper Dive into the World of Life Reinsurance Arbitration

Las Vegas, NV

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Speaker
Nov
4
2022

Do Ethics Matter in Arbitration?

ARIAS US Fall Conference

New York, NY

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Sep
24
2019

Regional Roundtable: Life Reinsurance Arbitration

Association of Life Insurance Counsel

Atlanta, GA

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Speaker
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“The most effective advocate I have seen in the insurance / reinsurance arbitration space. He has an unparalleled ability to pair deep subject matter expertise with effective trial advocacy.”

“His level of client engagement is beyond expectations and the final work product always reiterates why we selected Suman to represent our company time and time again.”

— Chambers USA

Recognition & Awards

  • Chambers USA: New York: Dispute Resolution: Insurer (2017 – 2026)

  • Chambers USA: Nationwide: Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Reinsurance (2025 – 2026)

  • The Legal 500: Recommended Lawyer (2016, 2018 – 2021, 2025 – 2026)

  • Benchmark Litigation (2019 – 2027)

  • Lexology Index: Thought Leader – Insurance & Reinsurance; USA; Insurance (2025)

  • Expert Guide: Insurance and Litigation (2015 – 2020)

  • Who’s Who of Insurance and Reinsurance (2019 – 2023)

  • Business Today: Top 10 Influential New York Insurance Dispute Resolution Lawyers (2023)

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“The most effective advocate I have seen in the insurance / reinsurance arbitration space. He has an unparalleled ability to pair deep subject matter expertise with effective trial advocacy.”

“His level of client engagement is beyond expectations and the final work product always reiterates why we selected Suman to represent our company time and time again.”

— Chambers USA

Involvement

  • Member, Society of Actuaries (Reinsurance Section)
  • Member, Association of Life Insurance Counsel
  • Member, ARIAS-US
  • Member, Asian American Bar Association of New York
  • Board Member, Stonewall Community Foundation
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