Lighthouse eDiscovery, a leader in technology-enabled ediscovery services and consulting, today unveiled its new service organization, Focus Discovery.

Lighthouse says its latest offering deploys a unique combination of substantive assessments and technology applications to reduce document volume, organize, prioritize, and clarify document review, thereby reducing the overall time and expense spent on review, hosting, and production.

Lighthouse reports its service:

• Reduces review volume by providing substantive recommendations to eliminate irrelevant documents.
• Improves efficiency by organizing, prioritizing, and bringing greater clarity to review.
• Ensures precision by narrowing the potential review corpus and increasing relevance rates.
• Lowers time and cost by eliminating non-relevant documents at a fraction of the time and cost of linear review.

“Focus Discovery utilizes a technology driven approach to substantive culling, accelerated review, and categorization to reduce the volume of documents subject to eyes on review by counsel,” said John Olson, director of Focus Discovery. “Our team can achieve an in-depth understanding of your case goals and data, apply technology, and perform a substantive initial review and categorization prior to any traditional linear review. Utilizing Focus Discovery, clients can expect increased relevance rates, lower review and hosting costs, and a more concentrated set of review documents.”

Read the announcement.

Scott J. Fisher

Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP announced today a significant change in firm leadership. Litigation partner Scott J. Fisher will assume the role of managing partner from long-term leader Jerry H. Biederman.

The leadership shift is a significant step in investing in the firm’s future and will be effective Jan. 1, 2016, allowing for a planned transition for Fisher, 43, to assume the new role.

Biederman, 68, has been the only managing partner in the firm’s history and will remain active with the firm he helped found nearly 30 years ago. Since its inception, Neal Gerber Eisenberg has nearly quadrupled in size and has resisted, by design, the current legal trend of dramatic growth for the sake of growth.

“What sets Neal Gerber Eisenberg apart is that we retain many of the unique qualities that have been lost in the current law firm merger frenzy,” said Fisher, who will retain his active trial practice. “We have a distinct and compelling value proposition to offer clients. Our firm is positioned to service all of our clients’ needs in an atmosphere that is collaborative, innovative and diverse.”

Fisher said he is committed to focusing on Neal Gerber Eisenberg’s core strengths of intellectual property, strategic litigation, and the representation of middle market businesses and their owners. He is also firmly committed to maintaining the vision of the firm’s founders.

It was this vision that drew Fisher to Neal Gerber Eisenberg almost 10 years ago. “The firm has always enjoyed a sterling reputation as first-rate lawyers and business counselors who handle sophisticated matters as true professionals,” he said. “I look forward to building upon the tremendous foundation that Jerry, our partners and staff have put in place over the past 29 years.”

A diverse range of firm clients have remained committed to that model as well. In 2014, Neal Gerber Eisenberg represented 39 of the Fortune 100 companies and many of the best known private companies. The firm also acts as the trusted advisers to nonprofits, startups, growth companies and entrepreneurs.

Biederman is confident the leadership transition will be seamless.

“I have maintained a close relationship with Scott for nearly 10 years and know we are in good hands with the firm’s next generation of leaders,” said Biederman. “It has been an honor to serve Neal Gerber Eisenberg as managing partner for almost 20 years, and it’s reassuring to work with a successor who is no stranger to firm leadership and management. I respect Scott’s perspectives as a member of the firm’s executive committee and his leadership as chair of our General & Commercial Litigation practice group. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to guide the firm to continued success.”

Fisher received his J.D., with highest honors, in 1996 from Chicago-Kent College of Law and earned his B.A. from The Ohio State University in 1993. An experienced trial lawyer, he has been recognized repeatedly as a leader in the field.

Neal Gerber Eisenberg is a Chicago-based law firm whose attorneys share a culture of teamwork and devotion to personalized client service to advance our clients’ business interests. Our attorneys provide legal business solutions to public and private entities of all types—including Fortune 100 companies, financial institutions, nonprofits and high net worth individuals—in connection with domestic and global business transactions and litigation. Our full service firm is large enough to handle nearly any legal matter throughout the world, yet small enough that clients personally know the attorneys accountable to their matters.

The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP has announced that Patricia Spiccia has joined the firm’s Chicago office in its Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice Group.

Spiccia previously externed at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in the Tax-Exempt Organizations Group. She also served as a judicial extern with the U.S. Courts for the Honorable Magistrate Judge Paul R. Cherry and the Honorable Jon E. DeGuilio. During law school, Patricia was a member of the Moot Court Society and an executive editor of the law review.

She earned her law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law, her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University – Bloomington, and her master of laws degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

About Quarles & Brady LLP

Quarles & Brady is a full-service AmLaw 200 law firm with more than 475 attorneys offering an array of legal services to corporate and individual clients that range from small entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 companies, with practice focuses in health care and life sciences, business law, data privacy and security, and complex litigation. The firm has offices in Chicago; Indianapolis; Madison; Milwaukee; Naples, Florida; Phoenix; Scottsdale; Tampa; Tucson; and Washington, D.C. Additional information can be found online at quarles.com, as well as on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

A posting by by Mike Reilly on the Lane Powell website considers the question: When does the court apply “equitable tolling” to extend the time by which a claimant may file suit beyond the contractual limitations provision?

The article discusses the case of Wilson v. Standard Insurance Company, 2015 WL 3477864 (11th Cir. June 3, 2015)(Equitable tolling rejected even though claim denial letter failed to state date by which civil claim must be brought.)

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that equitable tolling does not trump the contractual limitations provision.

Read the article.

DLA Piper has announced that Matthew Genkin has joined the firm’s Corporate practice as an associate in its Philadelphia office.

Genkin previously served as in-house counsel at an intellectual property management company where he handled many of the company’s corporate legal issues, including operational agreements and intellectual property transactions, among other responsibilities.

Genkin received his B.A. from Emory University and his J.D. from the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law.

LifeStorage, L.P., an owner, acquirer and operator of premier self-storage facilities, announced that it has secured a new $300 million acquisition facility & term loan from a consortium led by Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and BMO Capital Markets Corp. together as joint lead arranger, with participation from Raymond James Bank, as detailed in the company press release below.

Latham & Watkins LLP advised LifeStorage, L.P. and its affiliates, in this financing transaction with a finance team led by partners Glen Collyer, Nathaniel Marrs and David Meckler, with associates Nathan Logan and Alexandra Koenig. Collyer is based in the firm’s Los Angeles office, Marrs, Logan and Koenig in Chicago, and Meckler in Orange County, CA.

LifeStorage will use the $300MM financing to support its growth strategy of acquiring premier properties in the top 50 markets across the U.S. Additional terms were not disclosed.

“This new financing builds on our excellent momentum and provides us with additional flexibility to continue adding best-in-class, institutional quality properties to our portfolio opportunistically,” said Mark Good, Chief Executive Officer of LifeStorage. “We are committed to building a brand that resonates with consumers by offering the very storage experience and top notch customer service expected in a premier facility.”;

LifeStorage has a rigorous selection criteria for acquiring facilities, including location and convenience for customers, property amenities, high standards for security, and a retail-like environment that is clean and brightly lit, ensuring an excellent customer experience. The company also reviews each property in terms of how it will add value to its overall portfolio of real estate assets as well as advance its strict brand standards.

“Citi is proud to support the LifeStorage team as it executes its strategy to become the leading brand in the self-storage industry,” said Matthew Greenberger, Managing Director, Real Estate and Lodging Corporate and Investment Banking at Citi. “Through our partnership, we are excited to help LifeStorage continue its strong growth plan and its efforts to provide an industry-leading customer experience.”;

LifeStorage clusters its properties in strategic locations, enabling the company to offer convenient and diverse storage options for its customers. In October 2014, TPG Real Estate (“TPG”), the real estate platform of TPG, a leading global private investment firm invested $120MM in LifeStorage.

About LifeStorage

LifeStorage is an owner, acquirer and operator of premier self-storage facilities, committed to be the best self-storage option for customers, the best employer and neighbor in the communities it serves, while laser focused on creating value for investors. LifeStorage offers best-in-class storage solutions with high-quality customer service, engaged and knowledgeable employees, convenient locations, operating with impeccable housekeeping standards, as well as a full suite of customer focused amenities including climate-controlled units, drive-in access, and value-added services such as fully furnished office spaces and meeting rooms.

Founded in 2011, LifeStorage is headquartered in Roseville, CA. The company currently owns, has under purchase agreement and operates 89 properties in 9 states across the U.S. as of December 31, 2014. For more information, please visitwww.LifeStorage.com.

Two lawyers, Cristen D. Feldman and David M. Feldman, have formed a new Houston law firm called Feldman & Feldman.

Cris Feldman holds a B.A. in both Political Science and English from Tulane University (1993) where he graduated Cum Laude and a J.D. from the University of Texas (1999). He is a former partner at Rusty Hardin & Associates.

David Feldman, Cris’s father, holds a B.A. in Political Science from LSU (1970) and a J.D., Summa Cum Laude, from South Texas College of Law (1976). He is a former partner in Vinson & Elkins and was managing partner of his own firm, Feldman, Rogers, Morris and Grover, L.L.P. He left private practice to serve as City Attorney under Mayor Annise Parker from April 2010 to January 2015.

Associates with the new firm are Christin L. Grant and Deidra Norris Sullivan.

Feldman & Feldman’s office is at 3355 West Alabama Street, Suite 1220 , Houston, TX 77098. The telephone number is 713-986-9471.

A Texas federal judge handed down a $663 million judgment Tuesday against Trinity Industries, the guardrail maker accused of producing a faulty product that can jam and spear through vehicles, reports The New York Times.

The ruling in the court of Judge Rodney Gilstrap of United States District Court is the latest stage of a whistle-blower case filed by Josh Harman, a competitor. Harman said he discovered in 2011 that Trinity had made a critical change to the dimensions of its ET-Plus guardrail in 2005, but failed to tell federal regulators as required by law.

“The jury found the company liable for defrauding the Federal Highway Administration and awarded $175 million, which, under the False Claims Act, was tripled to $525 million.” The Times reports. Added-0n penalties brought the judgment up to $663 million.

Read the story.

A Delaware jury has determined that Boston Scientific Corp. must pay $100 million to a Delaware woman who blamed the company’s vaginal-mesh inserts for leaving her in constant pain, reports Bloomberg.

This case is the first verdict after the company agreed to begin settling cases over the devices, and the biggest yet.

Boston Scientific’s Pinnacle and Advantage Fit inserts, built to buttress sagging organs and treat incontinence in women, were defectively designed and company executives hid the flaws from Deborah Barba, the jury found.

Bloomberg says the 51-year-old former bank teller contends the inserts eroded once they were implanted, leaving her with a scarred vagina and a host of medical problems.

Read the story.

DTI, a global legal process outsourcing company providing eDiscovery, managed services and litigation support, announced today that it has finalized the acquisition of Merrill Corporation’s Legal Solutions business.

The acquisition, announced earlier this year, expands the DTI platform in both scope and geographic reach while adding legal service operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. The Merrill Legal Solutions lines of business included in the transaction are eDiscovery, Deposition and Court Reporting and Facilities Management. Merrill employees within the Legal Solutions group and some support services employees will transition to DTI as a part of the acquisition.

Read details of the acquisition.

Attorneys from Dallas-based Simon Greenstone Panatier Bartlett, PC, a nationally recognized trial law firm, won two of the largest verdicts in Texas last year, according to the publishers of VerdictSearch. The firm’s wins will be highlighted in Top Texas Verdicts & Settlements of 2014, which will be inserted in the May 25 edition of Texas Lawyer.

The firm scored the state’s largest toxic tort verdict in Vicki Lynn Rogers, et al. v. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Dallas County jurors awarded $18.6 million to the family of a tire builder who died after exposure to asbestos fibers at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Tyler, Texas. The verdict was No. 22 overall in Texas last year.

In Bobbie Bush v. Greenwood Motor Lines Inc., et al., another Dallas County jury awarded $4.1 million to Bobbie Bush for her injuries from a collision with a double tractor-trailer owned by Greenwood Motor Lines. The award was the state’s ninth largest motor vehicle verdict and ranked No. 44 overall.

Read more details.

Christopher Kratovil, a member of Dykema, has been elected to membership in the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation.

Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation are selected for their outstanding professional achievements and demonstrated commitment to the improvement of the justice system throughout the state of Texas. Annually, only one-third of one percent of Texas State Bar members are invited to become Fellows.

Kratovil is a Member of Dykema’s Litigation practice in the Dallas office. His practice focuses on appellate matters with a particular concentration on matters in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and in the Texas courts of appeals. Kratovil represents clients in complex commercial disputes before tribunals ranging from small town Texas trial courts to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In addition to his extensive appellate work, Kratovil handles case dispositive briefing and argument, jury charges, complex motions, research intensive legal issues and error preservation in the trial courts. He is the author of several high-profile amicus curiae briefs, including one on behalf of United States Senator John Cornyn.

The Texas Bar Foundation is the largest charitably-funded bar foundation in the country. Founded in 1965 by lawyers determined to assist the public and improve the profession of law, the Texas Bar Foundation has maintained its mission of using the financial contributions of its membership to build a strong justice system for all Texans.

About Dykema

Dykema serves business entities worldwide on a wide range of complex legal issues. Dykema lawyers and other professionals in 15 U.S. offices work in close partnership with clients – from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies – to deliver outstanding results, unparalleled service and exceptional value in every engagement. To learn more, visit www.dykema.com and follow Dykema on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Dykema.

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The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP announced that Nicole A. Bashor, an associate with the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, has been appointed as an affiliate representative of the National LGBT Bar Association and Foundation board of directors.

“I am honored to serve on the board of the National LGBT Bar Association and Foundation,” said Bashor. “I join an accomplished group of professionals dedicated to promoting justice in and through the legal profession for the LGBT community.”

In 2014, the National LGBT Bar Association named Bashor one of the 40 Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40. The award honors LGBT legal professionals who have distinguished themselves in their field and demonstrate a commitment to LGBT equality. Bashor also is active in the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, where she is first vice president on the board of directors, and serves as chair of the Community Outreach Committee.

About Quarles & Brady LLP

Quarles & Brady is a full-service law firm with more than 475 attorneys offering an array of legal services to corporate and individual clients that range from small entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 companies, with practice focuses in health care and life sciences, business law, data privacy and security, and complex litigation. The firm has offices in Chicago; Indianapolis; Madison; Milwaukee; Naples, Florida; Phoenix; Scottsdale; Tampa; Tucson; and Washington, D.C. Additional information can be found online at quarles.com, as well as on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

In recognition of the firm’s trial successes in 2014, Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, has earned selection as a Litigation Department of the Year for 2015  by the publishers of Texas Lawyer newspaper.

The annual honor recognizes the Texas-based litigation groups that have excelled during the previous year based on courtroom results. Just three general litigation firms are chosen statewide for having the top litigation departments.  AZA claimed the top spot among all Texas firms in their size category. The firm is featured in a June 1 profile story in Texas Lawyer titled, “Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing More Than a ‘Tough Name’” (subscription required).

Read the story.

Cooley is enhancing its higher education practice with the addition of Katherine “Kate” Lee Carey who is joining the firm’s San Diego office as Special Counsel.

Carey has more than 14 years of experience in the legal, accreditation, administrative and regulatory aspects of higher education institutions and companies that provide services to the education industry. Most recently she served as the General Counsel and Vice President for Government Affairs at West Coast University and American Career College in California.

“Kate not only has tremendous hands-on experience but she is a highly-regarded leader in the formulation of California higher education policy,” said Mike Goldstein, the Washington, DC-based head of Cooley’s higher education practice. “Her arrival will strengthen our ability to assist our clients in their dealings with a complex web of regulatory agencies at all levels of government.”

In addition to her unique insider’s perspective regarding the day-to-day legal issues facing nationally and regionally accredited institutions, Carey brings deep experience in the development and implementation of legislative and policy priorities at the federal and state levels, including preparing legislative strategies and working on advocacy efforts. She currently serves on the Board of the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools and on the Advisory Board for the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education.

A release from Cooley continues:

“Beyond her regulatory and policy expertise, Kate will provide strong leadership and expert guidance on legal issues relating to general business matters such as labor and employment law, student-related concerns and processes, litigation management and dispute resolution,” said Jay Vaughan, Cooley education partner who also focuses on regulatory issues impacting Cooley’s West Coast clients.

About Cooley’s Higher Education Practice

Cooley is at the forefront of the global transformation of the education and edtech sectors. The firm’s 2014 merger with DC-based regulatory firm Dow Lohnes has created a premier education industry practice, benefiting from Cooley’s long history as a leading technology law firm and coupled with best-in-class emerging company, business, IP and litigation practices to serve efficiently this fast-changing global sector.

About Cooley LLP

Cooley’s lawyers solve legal issues for entrepreneurs, investors, financial institutions and established companies. Clients partner with Cooley on transformative deals, complex IP and regulatory matters, and high-stakes litigation, often where innovation meets the law.

Cooley has 850 lawyers across 12 offices in the United States, China and Europe.

In a new book, noted environmentalist Lester Brown says the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is not only unstoppable, but will happen much faster than anyone expected, reports Public Radio International.

Brown, founder of Worldwatch Institute and the Earth Policy Institute, has written 54 books and was called “one of the world’s most influential thinkers” by the Washington Post. PRI says that, when he speaks, people tend to pay attention. His new book is “The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy.”

“In many parts of the U.S., he says, putting solar panels on your roof now provides electricity at a lower cost than the local utility. Consequently, more and more people are putting solar panels on their roofs,” the report says.

Read the story and listen to the recorded interview.

The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that life settlements sold by Life Partners Inc. are securities under state law, breathing new life into lawsuits brought by the Texas State Securities Board and a putative class of investors, reports law360.com.

“In the Texas cases brought by the state securities regulator and a group of investors, Life Partners had won trial court dismissals. But appeals courts in Austin and Dallas revived the claims after finding the life settlements were investment contracts, not insurance contracts, making them securities under state law.” the report says.

Keith Langston of Langston Law Firm, based in Longview, Texas, represents the investors.

Read the opinion.

Read the story.

The top Texas premises liability verdict during the past 10 years is the record $27 million jury award won by the Dallas law firm Standly Hamilton, LLP, against fast food giant McDonald’s, according to the publishers ofVerdictSearch, the firm reported in a release.

Attorney Chris Hamilton of Standly Hamilton represented the families of Denton James Ward, 18, and Lauren Bailey Crisp, 19, in their claims that lax security contributed to the two teenagers’ deaths, the firm said in the release. Ward died after being severely beaten by a large group of people who had gathered in the McDonald’s parking lot in College Station during the early morning hours of Feb. 18, 2012. Crisp died shortly afterward in a car wreck while a friend attempted to rush her and Ward to the hospital.

“The jurors’ award in this case is in line with what they saw in McDonald’s complete lack of respect for customer safety,” Hamilton said. “While it is professionally gratifying to know that a verdict our firm won is ranked among the largest in Texas, the fact is that no amount of money will ever be able to reunite the victims and their families.”

Read the story.

Leading Texas-based design professionals attorney Mitchell S. Milby has joined Wilson Elser’s Dallas office as a partner.

In a release, the firm said the founder and sole shareholder of his former firm, Milby PLLC in Dallas, Milby says he has moved his practice to Wilson Elser because of its national, full-service platform and its high-caliber lawyers.

The release continues:

An accomplished trial attorney with more than 100 cases reaching verdict over his 21-year legal career, Milby focuses his practice on representing design professionals, primarily contractors, architects and engineers, as outside general counsel on matters that involve professional liability, corporate governance and all aspects of contracts and deal-making. He has represented numerous tier-one insurers, professional associations and major corporations across Texas and in other venues, including Florida, Oklahoma and California.

“We are fortunate to have such an accomplished, well-respected attorney join our ranks,” shared Stratton Horres, regional managing partner of Wilson Elser’s Dallas office and the partner in charge of lateral acquisitions. “Mitch adds depth to our growing Architects & Engineers Professional Liability practice throughout the state of Texas and nationwide. He is a tremendous asset to our firm and to our clients.”;

To stay closely aligned with the business sectors he serves, Milby is active in industry organizations; he serves as an advisory board member for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and conducts continuing education courses designed for architects and engineers for organizations such as the AIA, the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, the University of Texas at Arlington Engineering Graduate Program, Texas Association of Paralegals and various bar associations. He also is an ongoing visiting instructor for the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, Construction Management.

Additionally, Milby’s opinions have been published in the AIA magazine columns, the Dallas Business Journal, Texas Bar Journal, and Texas Lawyer. He also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of American Law.

Among his many accolades is his AV® Preeminent™ Rating by Martindale-Hubbell, selection for inclusion as a Texas Top Rated Lawyer, and achieving Professional Affiliate of the Year and Sustaining Partner status with the Dallas chapter of the AIA.

Milby graduated with honors with his J.D. degree from Lewis & Clark Law School (1994), where he also earned his certification in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. He graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University with his B.A. degree (1991).

With an intense desire to win inside and out of the courtroom, Milby has finished one Ironman Triathlon and several marathons, and holds a number of awards for running races in Texas and Oregon.

Since January 1, 2015, Wilson Elser has opened its 27th U.S. office in Edwardsville, IL, and added 11 new partners nationally across practice areas including Bankruptcy, Commercial Services, Employment & Labor, and Insurance-Reinsurance Coverage. Lawrence Waks, a premier Texas-based intellectual property/entertainment attorney, joined the Dallas office in March.

Quarles & Brady LLP has announced that Mark W. Bina, a partner in the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Health Law Practice Groups, has been elected to the board of directors of Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS).

CVLS is the oldest civil pro bono organization in Chicago, comprised of more than 3,000 attorneys who donate free legal services to thousands of low-income residents. Bina’s election to the board continues the firm’s association with the more than 50-year-old organization. CVLS operates 22 legal clinics across the Chicago area, hosted evenings and weekends at community organizations and churches.

Bina succeeds Quarles & Brady partner Christopher N. Skey on the board of directors. Firm associate Adam J. Falkof was recently elected to the CVLS Junior Board. All three practice out of the firm’s Chicago office.

“Mark is a distinguished pro bono attorney in his own right, and will be a great addition to the CVLS board of directors,” said Skey. “Quarles & Brady is extremely proud of its longtime relationship with this organization.”

Bina’s practice encompasses a variety of matters affecting businesses in state and federal trial and appellate courts across the country. In 2013, he received an award for excellence in pro bono service from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

About Quarles & Brady LLP

Quarles & Brady is a full-service law firm with more than 475 attorneys offering an array of legal services to corporate and individual clients that range from small entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 companies, with practice focuses in health care and life sciences, business law, data privacy and security, and complex litigation. The firm has offices in Chicago; Indianapolis; Madison; Milwaukee; Naples, Florida; Phoenix; Scottsdale; Tampa; Tucson; and Washington, D.C. Additional information can be found online at quarles.com, as well as on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.