Dodie C. Kent

Dodie advises life insurance companies and other financial services organizations and industry participants on the SEC regulatory framework relating to the design, implementation and administration of insurance and annuity contracts, including variable annuities and variable life insurance; registered index-linked annuities (“RILAs”) and registered index-linked life insurance; contingent deferred annuities; funding agreements; and market value adjusted contracts. Relatedly, she has extensive expertise in the design and operation of guaranteed living and guaranteed death benefits, which are often offered in the retirement and protection marketplace through such insurance contracts.

She frequently advises on novel and complex insurer initiatives and issues, including the management of insurers’ close block offerings; product-related regulatory compliance and enforcement matters; company and separate account financial statement requirements; insurance company consolidations and combinations; and certain state insurance regulatory considerations.

Dodie was at the forefront of advocating for, and helping to shape, the current regulatory framework for RILAs, as well as the SEC’s adoption of a modernized and simplified insurance disclosure framework, including summary prospectuses.  Her in-depth knowledge of these topics makes her a sought-after speaker at industry conferences, and her years of experience as in-house counsel provides her with a unique and practical understanding of insurance companies’ internal processes, operations and business drivers.

Dodie joined Eversheds Sutherland from one of the world’s leading insurance groups, where she was Vice President, Lead Director and Associate General Counsel in its U.S. based insurance practice group. There, she managed the legal team responsible for the securities law support of its vast retail and institutional life and annuity product lines.

Dodie has served as the Eversheds Sutherland New York Office Managing Partner for over five years, and she was recently elected by the Partnership as a member of the firm’s US Executive Committee.