The bulk of Biglaw firm Wiley Rein’s insurance coverage practice has said adieu to Biglaw. On Thursday, 12 partners and nine other lawyers left the Am Law 200 firm to launch Tyka, a Washington, D.C. boutique that will represent insurers and only insurers in their big ticket cases.
The group is led by Ben Eggert, who will serve as Tyka’s managing partner, and Kim Melvin, who co-chaired Wiley’s insurance practice alongside him. They’re bringing the carrier relationships and five practice areas: D&O and financial institution liability; cyber, privacy, and technology; professional E&O; general liability; and, because it is 2026 and every press release is now legally required to include it, artificial intelligence. When Eggert was named co-chair, Wiley described the group as a 35-lawyer practice. Tyka launches with 21, from the founding partners down through counsel Elizabeth Jewell and eight associates, all of whom practiced together at Wiley.
And Tyka’s founders would like you to know that nothing has really changed.
“This is not a pivot or a reinvention,” Melvin said. “Tyka is a continuation of the exceptional work we have always done together for over 20 years, now within a firm built entirely around representing insurers.”
Which is a very gracious way of saying the work is continuing, the clients are continuing, and the lawyers are continuing… and the only thing that isn’t continuing is the part where Wiley gets a cut. Melvin also offered that “we built something exceptional at Wiley, and we built it together,” a line that lands differently depending on whether you’re one of the people who left or one of the people who now has to explain the empty offices.
Peter Shields, Wiley Managing Partner, had this to say about the departures:
“This transition will give both firms greater flexibility to pursue their respective strategies and growth opportunities. For Wiley, it will allow us to further focus our talent and investment on the work at the heart of our ‘Wired into Washington’ brand. We appreciate the contributions these partners and colleagues have made to the firm and our clients and wish them continued success. Our remaining insurance practice will continue to focus on professional liability, high-stakes insurance litigation, and cyber insurance, building on Wiley’s longstanding strengths and positioning us to meet evolving client needs in these areas.”
Tyka, per the release, is adapted from tyche, the word ancient Greeks used for chance and its effects, because insurance “rests on the promise that inevitable risk can be managed.” Wiley’s executive committee is presumably getting a crash course in tyche today as they plan to reinvest in their insurance practice.
Earlier: The Wiley Rein Data Breach Lawsuit: Yet Another Cybersecurity Wake-Up Call
A Biglaw Firm Bids Bye-Bye To Its Bankruptcy Department
Another Litigation Boutique With Market-Beating Bonuses
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Bluesky @Kathryn1
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