Responsible for more than a decade of high-profile appointments across the legal and insurance sectors, Sunny Everton shares his insights on the evolution of the global transactional risk insurance market and how this rapidly maturing landscape is reshaping talent demand worldwide. For support with your hiring or career goal needs, contact Sunny who will be happy to offer advice. How has transactional risk insurance evolved within global M&A, and what’s driving current market dynamics?
Transactional risk insurance has shifted from a niche product to a core component of global M&A execution. Deal flow has remained strong, with both buyers and sellers relying heavily on W&I/RWI and related covers to bridge valuation gaps and protect investments. Pricing remains historically low, but the market is clearly transitioning: the differentiators are no longer premium levels, but claims performance, underwriting quality and execution. Capacity is still plentiful, supported by new entrants, but the softest part of the cycle has passed. Insurers are becoming more selective in certain sectors, refining appetite, tightening claims processes and introducing product innovations such as synthetic cover and US-style enhancements. Appetite is evolving too, particularly in life sciences, financial services and IP-driven businesses, with underwriting decisions increasingly shaped by ESG considerations, data and AI-related risks, and regional regulatory developments.
What impact is this market shift having on hiring across insurers, MGAs, brokers and in-house legal teams?
The central role of transactional risk insurance in getting deals over the line is driving sustained hiring demand. Insurers and MGAs are seeking transactional risk underwriters who combine strong technical backgrounds with sector-specific expertise and the credibility to engage effectively with private equity sponsors, corporates and advisers. As the market moves away from a pure price play towards quality of underwriting and claims handling, employers are prioritising candidates who can evaluate complex risks, communicate commercially, and manage underwriting processes efficiently. Claims professionals with experience handling high-value, M&A-related notifications are also in demand, as their approach to disputes and settlements increasingly differentiates insurers in a competitive market.
How are law firms adapting their M&A and insurance practices in response to growth in W&I/RWI and related products?
Law firms are restructuring their offerings around the increasing sophistication of transactional risk. Instead of treating W&I/RWI as an occasional feature of M&A deals, many international firms are building formal transactional risk capabilities within their Corporate, Tax and Insurance/Litigation practices. Corporate teams now include dedicated transactional risk specialists who advise on insurability, manage underwriting processes and structure deals with insurance in mind from the outset. On the contentious side, insurance litigation and coverage teams are seeing more work on coverage disputes, claims strategy and insurer–insured relationships. This shift is driving demand for partners and senior associates who combine strong corporate deal experience with genuine W&I/RWI or tax insurance expertise, as well as litigators who understand policy structures, exclusions and typical claims behaviour.
What skills and profiles are most in demand as the transactional risk market becomes more sophisticated?
Technical M&A or insurance experience on its own is no longer enough. Employers across insurers, MGAs, brokers and law firms are paying a premium for professionals who can operate confidently at the intersection of deals, insurance and regulation. The most sought-after profiles include lawyers who can structure policies as part of the transaction and steer the underwriting process, underwriters who can assess and price complex sector and jurisdictional risks intelligently, and claims specialists who can resolve high-value notifications efficiently while safeguarding long-term commercial relationships.
Candidates with deep sector expertise—particularly in life sciences, financial services or technology—and those comfortable working with data, ESG frameworks and emerging tools such as AI are increasingly shaping the future talent landscape. As transactional risk insurance becomes fully embedded in mainstream M&A, hiring is shifting decisively toward individuals with specialist experience and genuinely multidisciplinary capability.