Barry Leigh Weissman

With a legal career spanning more than five decades, Barry Weissman offers significant insurance and reinsurance industry experience. He partners with clients in advising them on various methodologies to help them achieve their desired results.

He represents various forms of insurance and reinsurance entities in regulatory proceedings, transactional matters, and resolution of disputes in both litigation scenarios and alternative dispute mechanisms such as arbitrations and mediations. He also works with numerous national and international corporations, banking and financial institutions, insurers, reinsurers, captives (on and offshore), insurance and reinsurance intermediaries, risk purchasing and retention groups, and departments of insurance. On behalf of departments of insurance, his work has included representing the departments in various types of matters such as Form As, licensing matter hearings, and various legal maters. He has also continued to represent insurance and reinsurance companies in regulatory matters such as Form As, acting as liquidator and rehabilitator of troubled insurance companies.

Barry partners with clients in both investing and purchasing insurance entities such as brokerages, insurance companies, and insurtech entities. In the last two years, he has been involved in performing due diligence (including drafting transaction documents) for clients that have invested in the entities an excess of $1 billion.

Barry partners with his clients on various complex and diverse matters, such as formations, capitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, portfolio transfers, insurance-linked securities, commutations, restructurings, working with clients to prepare for and handle insurance examinations such as financial and market conduct exams, dissolution of insurers, captives, and receiverships, and assisting his clients on their operational and regulatory needs, including global licensing, policy drafting, and participating in legislative activities. His legislative activities have included working as part of the team that drafted the California Risk Retention Act, and the Cumis legislation (regarding insurance companies’ use of separate counsel when their interests potentially conflict with those of their insureds), and serving on the California State Senate Advisory Commission on Malpractice Insurance.

His largest source of business has always been his clients, who have complimented him and recommend him to others. He has been told frequently by his clients that he "thinks out of the box” and “is practical, understands the client, and knows how to get them to the finish line.”

• The Best Lawyers in America, Insurance Law, Reinsurance Law (2026)
• Who's Who Legal: Insurance & Reinsurance (2023–2024)
• Chambers USA, Band 1 for Insurance: Reinsurance (2007–2019)
• Leading Lawyers for Business (2007–2015)
• Southern California Super Lawyers, Law & Politics  (2005, 2007, 2010)

• International Association of Insurance Receivers
• ARIAS-U.S. (1995–present)
• American Bar Association
  • General Practice, International Law, Litigation Sections
  • Council of the General Practice Section
• State Bar of California
  • Council on Access and Fairness (2016–2019)
  • Chair, Standing Committee on Insurance Law, Business Law Section (2014)
• California State Senate Advisory Commission on Malpractice Insurance
• Nevada Division of Insurance
  • Commissioner’s Property and Casualty Insurance Advisory Committee

• "Innovations in Life Insurance and State Insurance Regulatory Initiatives," ALI CLE Conference on Life Insurance Products, Washington, D.C. (November 13, 2025)
• “Innovations in Life Insurance and State Insurance Regulatory Initiatives,” ALI CLE Conference on Life Insurance Products, Washington, D.C. (November 7, 2024)
• "Regulatory Developments in Latin America," 2024 (Re)Insurance Latin American Regulatory Conference, Miami, FL (May 10, 2024)
• Integrity Marketing Group LLC Compliance Summit (2023)
• "Representations and Warranties Insurance: A Third-Party Risk Partner for M&A Transactions," California Lawyers Association Business Law Section Insurance Law Symposium - Insurance Law and Regulation for Non-Insurance Lawyers (May 20, 2021)
• "Plenary Session No. 10: Brexit! What Happens Next?," ABA 43rd Annual TIPS Midwinter Symposium on Insurance and Employee Benefits, Coral Gables, FL (January 14, 2017)
• "Insurance in the Age of a Shared Economy: A Primer and a View of the Future Impact," Association of Professional Insurance Women, New York, NY (September 21, 2016)
• "Member Company General Counsel Panel," Northeast General Counsel Seminar, American Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, Philadelphia, PA (September 19, 2016)
• "California Fair Claims Settlement Regulations," International Underwriting Association of London, London (May 10, 2016)
• “New and Emerging Risks and Regions: Top Ten Global Risks, New and Emerging Regions, and Types of Coverages for Which Captives Are Being Used,” ACI's Fourth Annual Forum on Captive Insurance, New York, NY (May 2–3, 2016)
• “Collection Issues for Alternative Capital Funding,” Re Claims Bermuda 2016: Navigating the World of Reinsurance Protection When Loss Strikes, Reinsurance Association of America, Hamilton, Bermuda (March 16–17, 2016)
• "Collection Issues for Alternative Capital Funding," Re Claims 2015: Navigating the World of Reinsurance Protection When Loss Strikes, Reinsurance Association of America, New York, NY (October 16, 2015)
• "Governance of Captives, Complying With Regulatory Demands, and Regulatory Issues with NAIC, FIO, and the IAIS," ACI's Third Annual Forum on Captive Insurance, New York, NY (April 24, 2015)

• Partner, Edwards Wildman, Los Angeles, CA