Northwest Insurance Law Quarterly Newsletter Winter 2023
Please find the Winter 2023 edition of the Williams Kastner Northwest Insurance Law Newsletter. Our newsletter features articles regarding some of the most important decisions and developments in insurance law over the past few months. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Eliot Harris. Follow us on LinkedIn for more legal updates.
CONGRATULATIONS TO RODNEY L. UMBERGER ELECTED MANAGING DIRECTOR OF WILLIAMS KASTNER
Williams Kastner is pleased to announce that Rodney (Rod) Umberger has been elected Managing Director of the firm. Rod is a trial lawyer practicing in the firm’s Seattle office and handles a wide variety of high-stakes litigation matters across the Pacific Northwest. Prior to his election into this role, Umberger chaired the largest practice group...
Williams Kastner Announces 2023 New Members
January 01, 2023 ─ Williams Kastner is pleased to announce that three new Members will be admitted to the firm. Earning a place in Williams Kastner’s 2023 Member class are: Jeff M. Wells (Seattle), Frank S. Harrison (Seattle), and Brendan T. Vandor (Seattle). “We are excited and proud to...
Williams Kastner Trial Attorneys Rodney Umberger and Eddy Silverman Obtain Defense Verdict in $50 Million Premises Liability Trial
Seattle attorneys Rodney Umberger and Eddy Silverman, with the help of Seattle paralegal Tristan Pirak, recently obtained a defense verdict in a $50 million premises liability/product liability case following a three-week in-person trial in King County, Washington with Superior Court Judge Chad Allred presiding. The case, Strout v. Walmart arose out of allegations that Walmart...
Managing Director Nicole R. MacKenzie Recognized in Women We Admire: As One of The Top 50 Women Leaders of Washington for 2022
Nicole MacKenzie is a Seattle based Member and the Managing Director of Williams Kastner. Williams Kastner is a Pacific Northwest Regional law firm with a reputation for trial and litigation expertise, supported by exemplary service in the areas of business and real estate transactions, labor and employment, securities, intellectual property, environmental and land use, and...
Williams Kastner Recognized in US News – 2023 Best Lawyers: Best Law Firms, 2023 Best Lawyers in America & 2023 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
Williams Kastner is pleased to announce that it has been recognized with 1 national ranking and 19 regional rankings in U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” publication. The 2023 rankings incorporate more than 8.2 million evaluations of more than 115,000 leading lawyers from more than 22,000 firms. Metropolitan Tier 1 Seattle Commercial Litigation...
Serving the Community: Fighting Homelessness in Portland
Williams Kastner strongly believes in the importance of giving back to the communities that have contributed so deeply to the firm’s success. Our commitment to our local community enriches us as professionals, adds depth to our perspective, and gives credence to our roots as a Pacific Northwest law firm. Tom Ped, a Member of Williams...
Williams Kastner: Northwest Insurance Law Quarterly Newsletter Summer 2022
Please find the Summer 2022 edition of the Williams Kastner Northwest Insurance Law Newsletter. Our newsletter features articles regarding some of the most important decisions and developments in insurance law over the past few months. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Eliot Harris. Follow us on LinkedIn for more legal updates.
Scarred by SCCAR and Marred by MAR: Why to Avoid Arbitration Like COVID in the COVID Era (And What to Do When You Can’t)
I. Introduction I was crestfallen after my first arbitration. Here I was, on my own finally: “Eddy on the case.” I had total creative control…I had a defense-minded arbitrator…I felt comfortable during the process. I was a regular Clarence Darrow in there. And then the result came back: a decision in the Plaintiff’s favor. I had...
Sheryl Willert Named 2022 MOST INFLUENTIAL BLACK LAWYERS
Sheryl Willert is a Member in the firm’s Seattle office and served as the firm’s Managing Director from 1996-2001 and again from 2006-2013. Willert continues to serve the firm on its Board of Directors and chairs the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group as well as the Diversity Committee. Willert concentrates her legal practice on...
Leading with Diversity: A Message from Managing Director Nicole R. MacKenzie
“Williams Kastner recognizes that through diversity amongst all levels of our attorneys and staff, we are a more complete, stronger organization that is best equipped to understand and serve our community and our clients at the highest level. While diversity might be achieved on a short-term basis through policies aimed at recruiting, hiring, and promotion,...
WHEN IS COVID-19 A DISABILITY UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT?
On December 14, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) updated its COVID related guidance: “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws,” to address when COVID-19 may qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The updated guidance makes clear that the ADA’s...