What’s New
Brief Note:
Greetings from the Editorial Team at Construction in Brief. Warmer weather has finally arrived! In this issue, in addition to spotlighting our Harrisburg Office, we have important news on Pennsylvania’s Contractor and Subcontractor Payment Act and new whistleblower law, as well as estate planning tips. You won’t want to miss this edition of Construction in Brief.
Ashling Ehrhardt, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Budd, Associate Editor
Habitat for Humanity
Once again Cohen Seglias is supporting Habitat for Humanity with an annual commitment of funding and volunteer days. The Firm shares Habitat’s commitment to building safe, sustainable and affordable homes that help families in need help themselves. This year, the Firm is donating $10,000 as well as two volunteer build days when Cohen Seglias attorneys, staff, and clients work together to help families achieve the dream of homeownership. Our first volunteer build day was May 6! We are excited about our volunteer efforts and we are looking forward to helping Habitat for Humanity Build-to-Succeed throughout the year. If you are interested in supporting our efforts, please consider donating construction materials or gently used furniture and appliances to your local ReStore, Habitat’s nonprofit home improvement store.
New Faces
Please join us in welcoming Partner Christopher Carusone! Chris is Chair of the new Government Law & Regulatory Affairs and Energy & Utilities Groups. Bringing twenty years of public sector experience to the Firm, Chris played an instrumental role in developing energy and transportation policy during the Corbett administration and went on to serve as liaison to the Marcellus Shale Coalition, Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association, and Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.
The Firm also welcomes Associate Allie Hallmark to our Construction Group. Allie will focus her practice on construction and employment litigation. She is a graduate of the Texas Tech University School of Law and is a volunteer judge for the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law moot court program.
Save the Date for the American Cancer Society Bike-A-Thon!
Cohen Seglias supports the American Cancer Society through its annual participation in the Philadelphia to Atlantic City bike-a-thon. This year’s June 14, 2015 ride features four different start-points. Whether you’re a casual rider or an avid cyclist, this is a fully supported ride perfect for a variety of abilities. Support includes volunteer mechanics from local bike shops, SAG wagons, fully stocked rest stops, repair & first aid patrols and safe return transportation if needed. Marc Furman and Marian Kornilowicz will be acting as our team co-captains.
It’s been a BIG year already!
Our Construction Litigation Group had an extraordinarily busy and successful first quarter. The Group has successfully mediated eleven major claims, including a water treatment project in Colorado; a public high school in New Jersey; a hospital tower in Delaware; a high rise condominium project in Philadelphia; a pharmaceutical project in suburban Philadelphia; a Veterans Hospital project in Philadelphia; and a Pennsylvania Turnpike project and a wastewater project in York County, PA. The Firm received a very favorable ruling in a construction company shareholder dispute in Kentucky which lowered our client’s potential exposure from $4,000,000 + to a loss totaling $350,000.
Our Labor & Employment Group also has good news to report. The Group won a major victory in a hotly contested non-compete jury trial; settled numerous EEOC charges without any agency action and settled numerous discrimination cases for nominal sums; reached very favorable settlements on two collective bargaining negotiations without any strike or work stoppage and prevailed in a union decertification proceeding. We’re excited to see what the rest of the year has in store!
