In the cases in which a court has found in favor of policyholders, the courts have held "direct physical loss" means "the act of losing possession" and "deprivation." Courts applying these definitions would find coverage in scenarios—even where an insured's operation is able to continue albeit at a reduced volume or capacity.In-House Defense Quarterly, The Past, Current, and Future: Landscape of COVID-19-Related Business Interruption Claims and Litigation Drew Eckl & Farnham Partner Karen Karabinos was recently featured in the DRI In-House Quarterly with her article "Landscape of COVID-19-Related Business Interruption Claims and Litigation. Karabinos spoke on the changing environment ... Continue Reading
An Inside Look at Rob Welch, Corporate Transactional Practice Group
Partner Rob Welch has been with Drew, Eckl & Farnham for over 25 years and leads its Corporate and Transactional Practice Group. He focuses on providing outside general counsel services to for-profit and nonprofit businesses in a wide range of industries, including: Healthcare Services, Software and Technology, Entertainment, Property Management, Industrial Recycling, Insurance Claims Investigation, and Construction Management. Rob works closely with corporate leadership to meet day-to-day legal challenges and accomplish long-term strategic objectives. His clients range from closely-held local businesses to mid-market national and multi-national companies. Rob also has ... Continue Reading
LISTEN NOW: Drew Eckl & Farnham’s Podcast Episode for Incoming Summer Associates and What to Expect
Congratulations to law students all across the United States on landing your Summer Associate position! You've worked hard to get to this point, but you may be wondering what to expect during your experience this summer (wherever you're headed)! We're here to help you out. Don't forget to ask us anything using this link to be entered into a raffle for a $50 Amazon gift card! Ask us questions for our next episode, tell us what piece of information you found helpful in this one, or just say hello! LISTEN HERE ... Continue Reading
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Please join us throughout the month of May as we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. ... Continue Reading
Lifetime Leader: How Hall McKinley’s Leadership Involvements Have Shaped His Career
Partner at Drew Eckl & Farnham, Hall McKinley, has built a successful career on serving general counsel, in-house legal departments, claims departments, and risk managers in litigating matters in state and federal courts, while also shaping his personal and professional leadership skills through a number of board and committee positions. Over the course of his 40-year career, McKinley has been an active member of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association (GDLA), where he worked his way up from graduating from the GDLA Trial Academy, to serving on the Board of Directors, and eventually serving as secretary, president-elect, and then president for the 2018-2019 term. After serving in ... Continue Reading
Barbara Marschalk Presented at the State Court Judges’ Spring Conference
Barbara A. Marschalk co-presented the Civil Case Law Update to Georgia trial judges who attended the annual State Court Judges’ Spring Conference at Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa on May 13th, 2021. During this presentation, Ms. Marschalk identified and discussed key appellate decisions from both the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court that impact the trial judges who preside over a wide variety of civil cases. Barbara A. Marschalk’s practice is devoted to defending a wide range of corporations and individuals in multiple practice areas including the defense of claims involving alleged childhood sexual abuse and sexual misconduct, clergy malpractice, defense of claims ... Continue Reading
LISTEN NOW: Drew Eckl & Farnham’s Special Podcast Episode on Workers’ Compensation, Work From Home Injuries and How We Define Them
As episode 2 of our ongoing Workers' Compensation Webinar Series, Partner Ryan V. Klee and Senior Associate Ryan Lawson discuss the new landscape of workers' compensation. With working from home becoming the norm for many since the beginning of the pandemic, injuries on the clock are more complicated to maneuver, and the line between work-related and personal incidents has gotten fuzzier. ... Continue Reading
Did you Know: Understanding the Department of Labor Withdrawal of FLSA Independent Contractor Rule
In response to the Department of Labor's announcement regarding an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act, attorney Meredith Riggs Guerrero has published an essay to help employers and independent contractors better understand these changes. Read her full article below. Department of Labor Withdraws FLSA Independent Contractor Rule On May 5, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it will formally withdraw the Independent Contractor Rule that it just put into effect just a few months ago, on March 8, 2021 in an effort to provide a formalized definition for independent contractor for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Why ... Continue Reading
Drew Eckl & Farnham’s Corporate Transactional Team Represents Gibson Technical Services in Sale of Stock to Orbital Energy Group
Drew Eckl & Farnham's Corporate Transactional team represented the shareholders of our long-time client, Gibson Technical Services, Inc. in the sale of 100% of their stock to Orbital Energy Group (NASDAQ: OEG). Congratulations to the GTS shareholders and to OEG on the closing of this transaction! See below to learn more. Orbital Energy Group, Inc. Acquires Privately Held Telecommunications Company, Gibson Technical Services, Inc., for $48.0 Million April 14, 2021 HOUSTON — Orbital Energy Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: OEG) (“OEG” or “Company”) today announced the completion of its previously announced acquisition of 100% of the capital stock of Gibson Technical Services, Inc. ... Continue Reading
Contracts in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: Enforceability and Performance
The COVID-19 pandemic may deem unenforceable or result in non-performance of executed contractual obligations. In light of global trends, deals are being drastically limited, postponed, or canceled until the virus is contained, and even permanently, resulting in tremendous economic consequences. Given of such events, compelling legal questions arise concerning the contractual rights and obligations related to these transactions. First, What Does Your Contract Say? Where possible, the mutual intent of the parties will be determined solely from the written terms of the contracts, and the general rule is that the terms in that document will bound a person who signs a contractual ... Continue Reading