Sergio Oehninger represents companies in high-stakes insurance coverage disputes in the United States and around the world. He counsels multinational corporations on complex insurance recovery and risk management issues arising in various industries, including retail, energy, aviation, technology, sports and entertainment, hospitality, gaming, financial services, infrastructure construction, and real estate. Sergio leads the firm’s global insurance recovery practice.
Sergio's advice focuses on risks such as commercial general liability (CGL); products and environmental liability; directors and officers (D&O) and errors and omissions (E&O) liability; property and casualty; business interruption; supply chain disruptions; war, nationalization, and political risks; trade credit exposures; aviation and marine hull and cargo risks; commercial crime; surety bond risks; representations and warranties (R&W); contingent liability; high excess, umbrella, and integrated risks; pooled risks managed by managing general agents; risks insured by captives; and other specialized insured and reinsured risks under occurrence based or claims-made policies.
Sergio's litigation, arbitration, and counseling experience includes insurance coverage and bad-faith matters involving billions of dollars in cumulative losses or exposures. Sergio has led high-value matters concerning defense and indemnity coverage for exposures arising out of long-tail products liability, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), asbestos, and other substances, as well as environmental matters involving federal and state statutes such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). He also leads global litigation under aviation hull all-risks, war, and political risk insurance policies covering commercial aircraft loss or damage. He has handled matters before federal and state courts throughout the United States and alternative dispute resolution tribunals, including the American Arbitration Association (AAA), the AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society (ARIAS-US), and the Society of Maritime Arbitrators.
As part of his Latin America practice, Sergio advises corporate clients on cross-border exposures and risk transfer in connection with transactions, supply chain logistics, projects, operations, products, and services. He serves as co-chair of the Juncadella Corporate Counsel Group (JCCG), an informal organization of more than 300 South Florida–based in-house counsel who primarily advise companies with business interests in Latin America and the Caribbean. A strong advocate of public service, Sergio has served on the boards of several nonprofits. His pro bono work includes advice to a 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to combating gang violence and raising funds benefitting children living in poverty, appellate work on behalf of a nonprofit that advocates for immigrant survivors of violence, and insurance coverage advice and litigation for a not-for-profit entity that was the target of a social engineering and funds transfer fraud scheme involving millions in stolen funds.
Advice and Counseling
Financial Services
Retail
Energy
Real Estate, Construction, and Hospitality
Arbitration/Litigation
Financial Services
Retail
Energy
Real Estate, Construction, and Hospitality
Co-chair, Juncadella Corporate Counsel Group
Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Insurance Law, Washington, DC (2023–2025)
Recommended, Industry focus: Insurance: advice to policyholders, The Legal 500 US (2022–2024)
Member, Editorial Advisory Board – Insurance Authority Specialty Lines, Law360 (2022–2024)
Member, Litigation Department of the Year, Specialty Insurance, National Law Journal (2021)
Member, Practice Group of the Year, Insurance, Law360 (2020)
Hispanic Bar Association of DC, 2002–present; Board of Directors, 2011; Vice President, 2009; Endorsements Committee, 2008–2016 (co-chair 2008, 2013, 2014); Task Force on Advancing Latino Attorneys, 2012–2018; Elections Committee, 2012–2013; Equal Justice Awards Steering/Development Committee, 2009, 2011–2013, 2016–2018; Website Committee, 2009
DC Bar Board of Governors Nominations Committee Member, 2015; Board of Governors Candidate, 2014; DC Bar Pro Bono Center Development Committee, 2017
The George Washington University Law School Alumni Board of Directors, 2012–2016; Latino Law Alumni Association, Board of Directors, 2012–2017, and Vice Chair of Steering Committee, 2010–2012; Alumni Association Class Reunion Committee, 2007, 2012, 2017
The Esperanza Education Fund, Board of Advisors, Development and Scholarship Committees, 2009–2016
Hispanic National Bar Association, 2002–Present; Annual Convention Keynote Speaker Committee, 2011; Midyear Corporate Counsel Conference Panelist, 2013, 2015–2019; Annual Convention Panelist, 2014, 2015–2019, 2021; Elections Board, 2019
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, 2012–present; LCLD Fellow, 2015; Law School Mentoring Program Mentor, 2012–2014