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The Eighth Circuit reversed a decision Tuesday that a Liberty Mutual unit= owed coverage as a matter of law to an engineering firm for an underlying = action over a bridge collapse that injured several construction workers and= resulted in a $2.5 million settlement.

Construction

WEDNESDA= Y, DECEMBER 6, 2023

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TOP NEWS

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8th Circ. Reverses Bridge Collapse Covera= ge Ruling

=09

By Jennifer Mandato

The Eighth Circuit reversed a deci= sion Tuesday that a Liberty Mutual unit owed coverage as a matter of law to= an engineering firm for an underlying action over a bridge collapse that i= njured several construction workers and resulted in a $2.5 million settleme= nt.

=20 2 documents attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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Trump's Broker & Club Member Touts Ma= r-A-Lago's $1B Value

=09

By Frank G. Runyeon

A Florida real estate broker and m= ember of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club took the stand Tuesday in New York = state court to defend the former president's valuation of the property, say= ing it was worth more than $1 billion based on his billions in sales experi= ence and "gut" feelings.

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Chicagoans Seek OK Of $12.25M Deal Over T= oxic Demolition

=09

By Lauraann Wood

A group of Chicago residents asked= an Illinois federal judge Monday for her initial blessing of their $12.25 = million settlement with a developer and several contractors that allegedly = covered a neighborhood in potentially toxic dust during a smokestack demoli= tion.

=20 Motion attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »


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DOL Board OKs H-2B Bid For Hurricane Reco= very Floor Work

=09

By Rae Ann Varona

An administrative law judge has or= dered a U.S. Department of Labor officer to grant a Florida company's reque= st to temporarily hire five foreign flooring installation workers, saying t= he company demonstrated that the workers wouldn't become part of the compan= y's regular business.

=20 Decision attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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Cos. Deny Liability For Nooses Found At C= onn. Amazon Site

=09

By Brian Steele

Amazon.com Inc. wants out of a fed= eral lawsuit filed by a group of electricians over the display of eight noo= ses at a Connecticut job site, arguing that the Black and Latino plaintiffs= are suing under an anti-discrimination law that only applies when parties = are under contract.

=20 3 documents attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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Seattle High-Rise Critics Slam 'Nonsensic= al' Permit Argument

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By Rachel Riley

An attorney for two Seattle groups= suing over the city's approval of a downtown waterfront high-rise told Was= hington state appellate judges on Tuesday that the developer's position was= "totally nonsensical," arguing they shouldn't have been required to contes= t the permitting approval before it was finalized.

=20 2 documents attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Opinion

Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires E= qual Parental Leave

=09 =09

To truly foster equity in the lega= l profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better s= upport all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal= and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says = Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.=20

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

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Ulmer & Berne, Greensfelder Hemker To= Create 275-Atty Firm

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By Emma Cueto

Mid-Law firms Ulmer & Berne LL= P and Greensfelder Hemker & Gale PC voted on Tuesday to approve a merge= r of equals, which will form a firm dubbed UB Greensfelder with about 275 a= ttorneys and over $150 million in total gross annual revenue when the merge= r is completed in 2024.

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Bonus Spotlight

Bonus Wave Continues As Ropes & Gray = Expands Top Tier

=09

By Xiumei Dong

The wave of bonus announcements co= ntinued Tuesday as several more law firms followed suit in matching the pre= vailing year-end bonuses and 2024 associate salaries set by Cravath Swaine = & Moore LLP, with Ropes & Gray LLP topping the list by adding a tie= r for associates from the class of 2015 and earlier.

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Fla. Bar Passes On Atty Investments In No= n-Atty-Owned Firms

=09

By Madison Arnold

The Florida Bar's board of governo= rs has scrapped a proposed advisory opinion that would have allowed Sunshin= e State attorneys to passively invest in out-of-state law firms using alter= native business structures under certain conditions, dropping the tentative= decision after receiving negative feedback from past bar presidents.

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Over 90 Law Firms Agree To Disability Inc= lusion Proposals

=09

By Tracey Read

Diversity Lab, the company behind = the Mansfield Rule certification — which aims to ensure more attorney= s from historically underrepresented groups win leadership positions and co= nsideration for development opportunities — is recommending 10 new ac= tions that law firms and legal departments can take to promote inclusion fo= r people with disabilities in the legal profession.

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Wright Files Title IX Action As Judge Tos= ses $108M Suit

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By Aebra Coe

Former Federal Trade Commission me= mber, BigLaw partner and law professor Joshua Wright has filed a lawsuit ag= ainst George Mason University over its handling of sexual misconduct accusa= tions against him just a day before a judge dismissed Wright's defamation c= omplaint against two of the alleged misconduct victims in Virginia state co= urt.

=20 Complaint attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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6th Circ. Casts Skeptical Eye On Dykema's= Age Bias Win

=09

By Patrick Hoff

The Sixth Circuit seemed likely to= revive a former Dykema Gossett PLLC legal secretary's suit claiming she wa= s terminated shortly after turning 50, with judges questioning Tuesday whet= her it's plausible that the ex-employee's manager was oblivious to age-base= d comments made about her subordinate.

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Senate Confirms O'Melveny Alum As DC Dist= rict Judge

=09

By Courtney Bubl=E9

The U.S. Senate voted 51-50 o= n Tuesday to confirm District of Columbia Court of Appeals Judge Loren L. A= liKhan to the D.C. District after she took much heat from Republicans durin= g her confirmation hearing.

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Jackson Urges High Court To Dispose Of Au= tomatic Vacaturs

=09

By Katie Buehler

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji= Brown Jackson on Tuesday again criticized a procedural mechanism that obli= gates the justices to vacate lower court opinions and offered up an al= ternative analysis they could use to decide whether to vacate rulings by th= e lower courts.

=20 Opinion attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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FBI Director In The Hot Seat Over Warrant= less Surveillance

=09

By Courtney Buble

FBI Director Christopher Wray told= a U.S. Senate committee on Tuesday that the loss of the targeted foreign w= arrantless surveillance program would be detrimental to national security, = but he faced bipartisan skepticism from lawmakers who are mulling reauthori= zing and renewing it.

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Feature

Married Attys To Face Off Against Judicia= ry In Their 1st Trial

=09

By Hayley Fowler

A former North Carolina federal pu= blic defender is preparing to try her own case accusing the judiciary of bu= ngling an investigation into her sexual harassment claim, capping off a tho= rny litigation path that left her with only her husband as co-counsel after= the abrupt departure of her legal team.

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Trump, SBF Trials Spotlight Nonverbal Si= gnaling, Prof Says

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By Cara Salvatore

Recent trials involving Donald Tru= mp and Sam Bankman-Fried — and even the much older O.J. Simpson trial= — show clearly that savvy trial lawyers are wielding forms of nonver= bal communication that aren't subject to ethics guidelines, an expert on th= e topic said Tuesday.

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9th Circ. Throws Out Tinder Age Bias Set= tlement Again

=09

By Hailey Konnath

The Ninth Circuit held Tuesday tha= t a revised $5.2 million settlement between Tinder and users accusing it of= age bias still doesn't hold up, ruling that the class representative has a= conflict of interest and failed to vigorously litigate on behalf of the pr= oposed class before agreeing to the deal.

=20 Opinion attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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Macy's Recruits Ex-Hanes, Neiman Marcus = Atty For CLO Role

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By Michele Gorman

A seasoned chief legal officer who= has worked in-house for several well-known retail companies, including Han= es, Neiman Marcus and Levi Strauss & Co., is set to be the next top law= yer at Macy's, the department store chain said Tuesday.

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Girardi Keese Trustee's $3M Fees OK'd Ov= er Feds' Objection

=09

By Craig Clough

A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Tuesday= approved the Girardi Keese bankruptcy trustee's bid to pay more than $3 mi= llion in fees to herself and other firms over the U.S. Trustee's Office's o= bjection, pushing back on the notion that the interim request is "unprecede= nted" in a Chapter 7 case.

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Fla. Judicial Candidate Can Wear Clothes= Displaying Web Info

=09

By Adrian Cruz

A Florida attorney who's campaigni= ng for a judicial position is allowed to wear clothing displaying the websi= te of the attorney's campaign committee with donation and endorsement optio= ns, according to a recent ethics opinion.

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Andersen Global Lands Collab With Irish = Firm Philip Lee

=09

By Andrea Keckley

Andersen Global, an association of= legally separate, independent member firms, announced its collaboration ag= reement with the Ireland-based corporate and commercial law firm Philip Lee= on Tuesday, saying the move will enhance its existing tax capabilities in = the nation.

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COMPA= NIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Amazon.com Inc.

American Civil Liberties Union

Andersen Tax LLC

Association of Corporate Counse= l

Brennan Center for Justice

Center for Democracy & Techn= ology

Discover Financial Services Inc.=

Georgetown University

Liberty Mutual Insurance Group

The Neiman Marcus Group LLC

Tinder Inc.

Trump Organization Inc.

Twitter Inc.

University of Virginia

Wayne J. Griffin Electric Inc.


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LAW = FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Carpenter & Zuckerman

Garrison Levin-Epstein

James L. Best Law Office

Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC

GOVE= RNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Equal Employment Opportun= ity Commission

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Emergency Management = Agency

Federal Trade Commission

Florida Supreme Court

Judicial Conference of t= he United States

New York Attorney General'= s Office

U.S. Court of Appeals= for the Eighth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals = for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. District Cou= rt for the District of Columbia

U.S. District = Court for the District of Connecticut

U.S. Dis= trict Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

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