News & Events

NBF attorney Larry Altenbrun was elected Treasurer and Secretary of the Puget Sound Maritime Claims Association at their annual meeting.

On November 9, 2018, NBF attorney Nina Mitchell moderated a panel discussion at the Longshore Claims Association’s fall lunch meeting at Ivar’s Salmon House on Lake Union. The panel included a Professor of Psychiatry and a Quality Assurance Manager from a company that contracts with forensic medical experts.  The panelists and Ms. Mitchell discussed best practices for working with medical experts.

NBF attorneys Larry Altenbrun and Chris Reilly presented “WE THE JURY…The Unpredictability of Jury Decisions in Assessing Marine Insurance Risks & Possible Coverage for Punitive Damages” to the Marine Insurance Association of Seattle monthly luncheon.

We are very pleased to announce that Rod Fonda has associated with Nicoll Black & Feig. Rod is one of the most experienced, well known and respected maritime attorneys in the Pacific Northwest. With Rod, we add a true litigator with a diverse transportation practice to expand the range of services we provide to our clients.

Since 1977, Rod’s practice has focused on maritime and transportation law, including aviation, inland, and multimodal transportation. Rod received his B.A. from Yale University in 1973, and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1975. For more than 40 years he practiced with leading firms in Seattle, including Madden Poliak, Cozen O’Connor and Preg O’Donnell. Rod has represented marine and transportation insurers in defense, subrogation, and coverage cases involving yachts, fish boats, container ships, tugs and barges, and conveyances of goods on water, land, and air. He has tried jury and non-jury cases in state and federal courts, involving issues ranging from crewmember injuries to shipyard repairs to complex cargo cases to salvage claims. He also has litigated in a variety of alternative dispute resolution forums, including the Society of Maritime Arbitrators in New York. Over the years, Rod has been a frequent lecturer to industry groups and CLEs, and has also been an instructor for Marine Claims classes on behalf of the Marine Insurance Association of Seattle. He has been a Proctor in Admiralty in the Maritime Law Association since 1981, serves on the Carriage of Goods and Marine Insurance committees, and is presently the Chair of the MLA’s General Average sub-committee. Rod is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He is admitted to practice in the states of Washington and New York.

We are very thankful for the loyal and enthusiastic support of a wonderful group of friends and clients. We remind you that we have attorneys admitted in Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado (and now New York), and thus are able to provide a wide variety of assistance throughout the Pacific Northwest region. We look forward to our continued success together. To learn more about Rod, or any of our other fine attorneys, please visit: nicollblack.com/our-team.

NBF attorney Nina Mitchell organized a panel discussion for the annual Longshore Claims Association meeting in Long Beach, California.  Ms. Mitchell discussed how fraud is handled under the United States Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, and prosecutors from Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County explained how they prosecute fraud  under state laws. The audience learned how to spot and report fraud by disabled workers and their medical service providers.

Earlier this year, NBF attorney Pegeen Mulhern assisted her client, Jesse Co., in delivery of 126’ bunker vessel, Global Provider to Maxum Petroleum.

NBF attorney Nina Mitchell presented at a seminar sponsored by the Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee and the Workers’ Compensation Committee of the ABA Torts, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, and by WISTA USA’s Delaware River and Bay Area Chapter. She spoke about recent cases under the Longshore Act, the State Act, and the Jones Act, and about  the interplay of those three compensation schemes when injuries occur in Alaska.

NBF attorney Chris Reilly visited two clients in the Bay area on September 24 to provide training on the changing landscape for punitive damage claims under maritime law.

NBF attorneys Larry Altenbrun and Chris Reilly provided training to a client in Atlanta, Georgia on the topics of punitive damages and marine personal injury investigations.

NBF attorneys Chris Reilly and Noah Jaffe participated in the MIAS annual golf tournament at the Everett Country Club. No co-participants or passersby were injured by errant shots. All divots were filled. It was an excellent day. NBF attorney Rivers Black joined them for the MIAS banquet that evening. A fun time was had by all.