Ronald A. Jacks, a retired senior partner of the Chicago-based international law firm of Mayer, Brown Rowe and Maw, died July 6 in Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand.

As a veteran participant of the Newport to Bermuda race, Mr. Jacks was known in the local sailing fraternity. And as a lawyer specialising in international insurance and reinsurance matters, he was also known in Bermuda international business circles and was the husband of former Business Insurance editor Kathryn J. McIntyre.

Mr. Jacks, 71, resided in both Matapouri, New Zealand and Annapolis, Maryland after leaving Chicago in 2001. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February.

He began his legal career as a trial attorney in the Appellate Section of the Civil Division of the US Department of Justice. In 1961, he became a Special Assistant to then Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Chairman of the Attorney General's Honour Graduate Programme. After representing the US Department of State and other governmental agencies while in the Department of Justice and subsequent private practice, he was chosen in 1968 as the founding President of the Reinsurance Association of America (RAA) and later served as General Counsel of the CNA Insurance Companies from 1975-1979. He returned to private practice in 1979 with Isham Lincoln & Beale where he specialised in international insurance and reinsurance matters. He joined the law firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt (now Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw) in 1987 as head of the Insurance Practice Group. After his retirement in 1997 he continued to engage in international insurance and reinsurance arbitrations and mediations.

Mr. Jacks is an honour graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School where he was an Editor of the Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. In addition to serving as a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Law and National Security and advisor to the US Government on national security matters, he was chairman of the ABA's Committee on International Insurance and Reinsurance Law.

Mr. Jacks also served as President of the US Chapter of the International Association of Insurance Law (AIDA) and a member of its world-wide Presidential Council. He was a founding member of ARIAS US and a Director Emeritus. He also served on the Board of Governors at the University of Minnesota Law School.

An avid yachtsman, Mr. Jacks enjoyed both long distance cruising and ocean racing. He and his wife cruised the East Coast of the United States every summer, primarily from the Chesapeake Bay to Down East in Maine. Mr. Jacks also cruised on the West Coast of the United States, in Europe and in New Zealand. His major ocean racing experiences included the Newport to Bermuda Yacht Race, the Chicago-Mackinac Yacht Race as well as The Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race.

Mr. Jacks was member of several yacht clubs, including the Cruising Club of America, The New York Yacht Club, The Nantucket Yacht Club, The New Bedford Yacht Club, The Annapolis Yacht Club and The Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club of Scotland.

He is survived by his wife, Kathryn J. McIntyre; sons Brian Carter (Jeri) of Mundelein and Bradley Ward (Ampy) of Los Angeles; grandson Benjamin Carter of Mundelein and brothers Craig (Kathy) of Mound, Minnesota and Gary of St. Louis Park.

Mr. Jacks was cremated in Auckland on July 7. A private memorial service will be held at his home New Zealand on July 13. Another memorial service will be held in Chicago at St. James Cathedral on August 14 and 10 am.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to City of Hope in Duarte, CA (1500 E. Duarte Road, Duarte, California, 91010) or North Haven Hospice in Tikipunga, New Zealand (PO Box 7050, Whangarei, New Zealand).