Lewis Brisbois is pleased to welcome Allyson Avila to its New York office as a partner in the firm’s General Liability Practice. With over 20 years of litigation and trial experience, Ms. Avila joins Lewis Brisbois from Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP where she served as the assistant managing partner of the firm’s Westchester, New York office. Prior to practicing with Gordon Rees, she was a partner at Wilson Elser.

Lewis Brisbois is pleased to welcome Stephanie Peters to the firm as its Chief People Officer. Ms. Peters, who will be resident in the Washington, D.C. office, has more than 25 years of experience as a human resources leader in the professional services, healthcare, and consulting industries. She joins Lewis Brisbois from McGuire Woods, LLP where she served as its chief human resources officer (CHRO).

On Dec. 13, the North Carolina Supreme Court issued decisions in two COVID-19 business interruption coverage cases that will have far-reaching consequences for carriers doing business in the state. In one of the rulings, the state high court bucked an overwhelming national trend by holding that businesses’ inability to access or fully use their properties due to government shutdown orders may constitute a “direct physical loss” under an “all risk” property policy, while in the other, it found that a "contamination" exclusion barred coverage for losses resulting from the pandemic.

Nashville Co-Managing Partner Matt Cottingham was recently featured in an American Weekly article detailing how he has found success representing clients in the fast-growing country music industry.

The rise of ransomware attacks has significantly impacted the cryptocurrency payment ecosystem. Cybercriminals often demand payments in cryptocurrency due to its pseudonymous nature and global accessibility. However, for businesses facilitating such transactions, including cryptocurrency payment vendors, this environment presents not only operational challenges but also complex legal and regulatory risks. Chief among these risks is the necessity of complying with U.S. sanctions, particularly those targeting various ransomware groups.

Nashville Associate Austin Wells has been named to MusicRow's 2025 N.B.T. Industry Directory list, which highlights rising leaders in the music industry. 

The N.B.T. Industry Directory list, now in its sixth year, showcases "music business professionals who occupy important roles at their respective companies," according to MusicRow's announcement. The list includes several dozen professionals from law firms, music labels, publicity agencies, and other organizations.

After a six-day jury trial in Maricopa County Superior Court, Phoenix Partners Kevin C. Nicholas and Jay Rademacher recently secured a defense verdict in a wrongful death medical malpractice action. Mr. Nicholas and Mr. Rademacher represented a hospitalist accused of failing to diagnose a strangulated hernia, which resulted in the patient’s death. The patient was survived by three beneficiaries.

In a recent appeal, Rivera v. Sodexo, Inc., 2024 NY Slip Op 06071 (2d Dep’t 2024), the New York office successfully obtained an affirmance of the summary judgment dismissal of the plaintiff’s consolidated slip-and-fall actions for the Firm’s management agency client. Associate Dean Pillarella, a member of the Appellate Practice, argued the appeal. Partner Erin O’Leary, a member of the General Liability and Professional Liability Practices, and her team drafted the winning appellate briefs and underlying summary judgment motion.

On November 13, 2024, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) amended several Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), including numbers 61-65, 68, 69, and 102-104. OFAC also published two new insurance-related FAQs, which are 1199 and 1200. Below please find a summary of these new and amended FAQs.

Philadelphia Partner Jason Berger recently spoke with The Source for an article on maintaining a successful entertainment law practice. 

Philadelphia Partner Jason Berger recently spoke with Billboard for an article concerning music producers' allegations that they have yet to be paid for their work on Kanye West's first two collaborative albums with Ty Dolla $ign.