News & Events

NBF attorney Chris Reilly passed the test for the P&I Qualification Module 1: The Shipping Business, which is the first module in a qualification process for the P&I industry produced by the International Group of P&I Clubs.

Congratulations to NBF attorneys Chris Nicoll, Rivers Black and Curt Feig, who were again named as “Super Lawyers” by Super Lawyers Magazine for 2018.  

NBF attorney Chris Nicoll gave an hour long presentation at a luncheon seminar of the Marine Insurance Association of Seattle entitled “Coverage Considerations in Addressing Product Contamination and Recalls.” The topic focused on the competing and often overlapping types of coverages that can be implicated in product contaminations and recalls.

NBF Attorneys Chris Nicoll and Larry Altenbrun presented at the Current Issues in Maritime Law 2018 CLE in Tacoma, WA on May 18, 2018. Chris presented on “Big Changes in the Law of Personal Jurisdiction: a Survey of Recent Supreme Court Opinions Goodyear to Bristol-Myers Squibb” while Larry participated in a panel discussion titled, “Not a Puny Concern: The Pursuit and Defense of Punitive Damages Claims in Maritime Actions — From the Practical to Predictions.”

NBF attorneys Chris Nicoll and Jeremy Jones obtained for their client an award of over $300,000 for attorneys’ fees and costs following a successful outcome at trial.

NBF attorneys Chris Nicoll, Noah Jaffe and Jeremy Jones filed a Petition for Certiorari with the U. S. Supreme Court in an important personal jurisdiction case arising out of an accident on a Norwegian ship in Uruguay.

Congratulations to NBF attorneys Jeremy Jones and Noah Jaffe, who were both recently admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

NBF attorneys Chris Nicoll and Jeremy Jones obtained a defense verdict for an international freight forwarder following trial in federal court. Chris and Jeremy argued that their client was not liable for over $700,000 in demurrage and related claims due to alleged delays unloading a cargo ship in South America. After favorable resolution of certain of the claims on summary judgment, the case proceeded to trial where the court granted a motion for directed verdict after the plaintiff rested its case.

NBF welcomes aboard Melinda (Mindy) Drogseth and Shantrice (Trice) Anderson. With Mindy and Trice, we add two courtroom savvy litigators with skills to complement our practice and expand the range of services we provide to our clients.

Melinda Drogseth

Before joining Nicoll Black & Feig, Mindy was an attorney at Lee Smart where her practice focused on representing hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers in all stages of medical malpractice litigation. She also advised healthcare entities on risk management and regulatory compliance. As a very experienced litigator working with physicians and other healthcare providers, Mindy brings a wealth of medical knowledge, medical procedural practice and medical industry relationships that will complement the firm’s personal injury practice and work with medical experts in a legal setting. Mindy graduated magna cum laude from Seattle University School of Law in 2008. She clerked at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, then spent several years practicing as a public defender, gaining substantial trial experience. Mindy also has experience in public records disclosure, election law, and voting rights litigation. Mindy’s bio is here: http://nicollblack.com/our-team/melinda-drogseth/.

Shantrice Anderson 

Trice joins Nicoll Black & Feig after serving as a Public Defender at the King County Department of Public Defense and the Colorado State Public Defender. In both offices, Trice represented her clients in a breadth of criminal matters. As a former criminal defense attorney, Trice has extensive courtroom and litigation experience, to include a substantial amount of motions hearings, jury/bench trials, felony and appellate work. Shantrice was the recipient of the Lowrey Kelly Bootcamper of the Year Award in 2016 for her trial advocacy skills within the Colorado system. Trice graduated from Gonzaga University in 2011, and Seattle University School of Law in 2014. During her time in law school, Shantrice served as a Law Clerk at the Public Defender Service in Washington, D.C. and was the National Director of Community Service of the National Black Law Students Association. Shantrice is admitted to practice law in Washington and Colorado. Shantrice’s bio is here: http://nicollblack.com/our-team/shantrice-anderson/.

NBF hosted its 10th annual Mardi Gras Party at the J&M Cafe in Seattle on January 25, 2018 in conjunction with the Marine Insurance Association of Seattle (MIAS) week of activities. The event was exceedingly well attended and fun.