Marian heads Sullivan’s UK insurance and disputes practices, working closely with the firm’s established and multi-disciplinary trade and export finance team, and the firm’s U.S.-based disputes team, providing advice on commercial dispute resolution, insurance and risk management.
With over 30 years' experience, Marian’s contentious experience includes advising clients in relation to disputes arising from trade finance, professional negligence, commercial insurance and breach of contract claims. These disputes are often international in nature and result in large-scale, highly complex multi-party litigation, arbitrations and mediations.
Marian advises banks, insurance brokers, investment funds, government agencies and corporates in relation to their commercial insurance arrangements which support structured trade, commodity and pre-export financings as well as corporate finance, energy, property, M&A and outsourcing transactions.
She advises on the management of insurance claims and subrogation actions and issues arising from the restructuring of insured loans. She also drafts and interprets insurance policies and advises on the use of insurance by credit institutions and investments firms as credit risk mitigation for capital adequacy purposes under the UK’s Capital Requirements Regulation and the EU’s equivalent capital requirements regimes. Marian’s contentious experience informs her approach to policy drafting and eligibility of insurance for use as credit risk mitigation.
Marian has been recognized in the 2023 – 2025 editions of Best Lawyers, United Kingdom for her work in Insurance Law.
Partner Geoffrey Wynne will participate in The Trade Finance Compliance Conference hosted by leading global consultancy HKA and IIBLP (the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice) in London on October 6, the theme of which is “Inside Real-World Trade Finance Compliance Decision-Making.” Geoff will join the panel discussing “Fraud, TBML (Trade-Based Money Laundering) and credit risk - one fact pattern, three silos” which will be moderated by Lorna Strong (Associate
Richard Jones will speak on a panel discussion titled "Practitioner Feedback" on October 8, 2026, at the 46th Annual National Conference of State Tax Judges at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Conference meets annually to review recent state tax decisions, consider methods of dealing with complex tax and valuation disputes, and share experiences in case management. Rich's practitioner-focused panel will explore practical strategies and best practices
First, a crucial clarification. While The Princess Bride (the wonderful movie) has the frame narrative of a grandfather who reads the book to his grandson, The Princess Bride (the wonderful book) has the frame narrative of a man whose father read it to him, and who wants to share it with his own son. The book is out of print, and the man sends his lawyer to a used bookstore
Sullivan partners Carole Bass and Douglas Schneidman have been recognized in the 2026 edition of Doyle’s Guide among New York City’s Leading Wealth, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyers. Carole, who leads the firm’s Private Clients/Trusts & Estates practice, was named a leading lawyer, and Doug was named a recommended lawyer. Carole advises high-net-worth individuals, multigenerational families, family offices and fiduciaries on estate, wealth transfer and trust planning. She designs sophisticated, tax-efficient
On Friday, September 18, 2026, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (the “SJC”) affirmed the dismissal of the Town of Marshfield’s challenge to the MBTA Communities Act (the “Act” or “Section 3A”).[1] The decision confirms that covered municipalities must adopt and maintain zoning that permits multifamily housing as of right in at least one district. It also rejects Marshfield’s four principal theories for avoiding that obligation, which are explored in more
The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently issued a useful reminder that aggressive discovery positions risk negative consequences far beyond facing motions to compel. In Old Ironsides Energy LLC v. Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC[1], the court affirmed summary judgment against a plaintiff seeking approximately $20 million in damages after concluding that the plaintiff lacked admissible expert testimony necessary to prove its claimed damages. The $20 million kicker? Expert testimony would have been admissible
On September 16, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued two proposals that, if adopted, would represent significant changes to the federal proxy rules for U.S. public companies. The first proposal would eliminate Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act). Rule 14a-8 currently requires companies to include qualifying shareholder proposals in their proxy materials and has been part of the federal proxy rules for more than
Alexandra (Ali) Wannop, counsel in Sullivan’s Real Estate Practice Group, was featured in the New England Real Estate Journal’s “2026 Women in CRE: CREW Boston Member Spotlight.” In the feature, Ali reflects on how advice from an early mentor shaped her approach to resolving complex title issues. She emphasizes the value of looking beyond conventional interpretations and questioning assumptions to find solutions in challenging transactions. “I’ve learned that what looks like a dead
Molly Depew will co-present “Estate Tax and the Gross Estate,” a webinar hosted by the American Bar Association’s Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, on October 8, alongside Preston Channing Demouchet. The first session in the ABA’s “Basics of Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax” webinar series will review the application of the federal estate tax. Topics will include the tax rate and unified credit for residents and non-residents,
Partner Geoffrey Wynne will participate in The Trade Finance Compliance Conference hosted by leading global consultancy HKA and IIBLP (the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice) in London on October 6, the theme of which is “Inside Real-World Trade Finance Compliance Decision-Making.” Geoff will join the panel discussing “Fraud, TBML (Trade-Based Money Laundering) and credit risk - one fact pattern, three silos” which will be moderated by Lorna Strong (Associate
Richard Jones will speak on a panel discussion titled "Practitioner Feedback" on October 8, 2026, at the 46th Annual National Conference of State Tax Judges at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Conference meets annually to review recent state tax decisions, consider methods of dealing with complex tax and valuation disputes, and share experiences in case management. Rich's practitioner-focused panel will explore practical strategies and best practices
First, a crucial clarification. While The Princess Bride (the wonderful movie) has the frame narrative of a grandfather who reads the book to his grandson, The Princess Bride (the wonderful book) has the frame narrative of a man whose father read it to him, and who wants to share it with his own son. The book is out of print, and the man sends his lawyer to a used bookstore
Sullivan partners Carole Bass and Douglas Schneidman have been recognized in the 2026 edition of Doyle’s Guide among New York City’s Leading Wealth, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyers. Carole, who leads the firm’s Private Clients/Trusts & Estates practice, was named a leading lawyer, and Doug was named a recommended lawyer. Carole advises high-net-worth individuals, multigenerational families, family offices and fiduciaries on estate, wealth transfer and trust planning. She designs sophisticated, tax-efficient
On Friday, September 18, 2026, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (the “SJC”) affirmed the dismissal of the Town of Marshfield’s challenge to the MBTA Communities Act (the “Act” or “Section 3A”).[1] The decision confirms that covered municipalities must adopt and maintain zoning that permits multifamily housing as of right in at least one district. It also rejects Marshfield’s four principal theories for avoiding that obligation, which are explored in more
