July 2022

Tamara F. Lawson named dean of the School of Law

News releases

July 5, 2022

Tamara F. Lawson has been named to the next Toni Rembe Endowed Deanship of the University of Washington’s School of Law, Provost Mark A. Richards announced today. Her appointment, set to begin Aug. 16, is subject to approval by the UW Board of Regents.

Lawson will replace UW Professor Elizabeth Porter, who has served as interim dean since the beginning of the calendar year.

Lawson comes to the UW from her position as dean and professor at St. Thomas University College of Law in Miami. Prior to becoming dean, she was the associate dean for academic affairs and associate dean for faculty development. She is the chair of the Law Professors Division of the National Bar Association and a board member of the Law School Admission Council. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Governors for the Society of American Law Teachers.

“Dean Lawson brings a wealth of experience and expertise in enrollment and student success, financial management, fundraising, and diversity and inclusion in the field of law, as well as impressive scholarship in criminal law,” Richards said. “We expect that, under Dean Lawson’s leadership, the UW School of Law will

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July 12, 2022 by LAW

Sanctions on Russia’s debt entangle default insurance payouts

By Davide Barbuscia and Karin Strohecker

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Investors hit by Russia’s debt default may have to settle some of their positions privately if the U.S. Treasury does not green-light an auction that would allow billions of dollars of insurance to be paid out.

Russia last month defaulted on its international bonds for the first time in decades under the pressure of Western sanctions. While investors have already written down a large part of their debt holdings, an outstanding question is how they can recoup some of those losses through credit default swaps (CDS) – an insurance against defaults. A large chunk of those CDS are held by U.S. bond giant PIMCO.

“If this is not resolved for months and months, maybe there is an opportunity to settle in a private way,” said Yerlan Syzdykov, global head of emerging markets and co-head of emerging markets fixed income at Amundi, who owns both Russia bonds and CDS.

An auction would normally be held to determine the price of the underlying bonds, but the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) last month banned U.S. investors from buying any Russian securities in secondary markets. That’s clouded the outlook for

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July 10, 2022 by INSURANCE

Summer 2022 Law Firm Expansions, Legal Industry Awards, Diversity and Justice

Happy July from the whole team at the National Law Review! We hope you are enjoying the warm weather. Please read on for our coverage of the latest in legal industry news, including firm hiring and expansion, industry awards and recognition, and notable diversity and justice initiatives.

Law Firm Hiring and Expansion

Frost Brown Todd has added Member Sohan Dasgupta, Ph.D to its Business Litigation Practice Group. An experienced litigator, Mr. Dasgupta has represented clients before U.S. courts of appeals, trial courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. His practice focuses on regulatory and compliance issues, investigations, and international law; previously, he served as Deputy General Counsel to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and as Special Counsel to the U.S. Department of Education. In his new role, Mr. Dasgupta will continue advising on matters related to compliance, investigations, and regulation.

Hill Ward Henderson has added four new attorneys to its Tampa, Florida office:

  • David Keel, who joins the firm as Senior Counsel. Mr. Keel is an experienced construction attorney. He represents clients across the industry, including owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors and design professionals, in matters such as litigation, transactions, and the preparation and design of contracts.

  • Steven Cline

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July 10, 2022 by LAW

Chesa Boudin’s replacement named as Brooke Jenkins

SAN FRANCSICO (KRON) — Brooke Jenkins has been named the new District Attorney of San Francisco. She replaces former DA Chesa Boudin who was removed from office after last month’s special recall election.

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District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman confirmed the news to KRON4 Thursday afternoon. Confirmation of Jenkins’ appointment was later corroborated independently to KRON4 by a representative from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office.

Jenkins previously served as assistant district attorney from 2014 until October 2021. She resigned in her role to lead the effort to recall Boudin leading up to June’s election, and now Jenkins will be his replacement.

“I left the District Attorney’s office and joined the recall campaign because Chesa Boudin no longer allows the DA’s office to be a voice for victims, particularly victims of color” Jenkins tweeted in May.

Jenkins will serve in her role as the city’s district attorney until, at the very least, after November’s election. It’s possible Boudin could run for district attorney again in that election.

San Francisco Police Department Chief Bill Scott sent his congratulations to Jenkins in a tweet. “I know Brooke

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July 9, 2022 by ATTORNEY

AM Best Places Credit Ratings of Topa Insurance Company and Dorchester Insurance Company, Ltd. Under Review with Negative Implications

OLDWICK, N.J., July 07, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AM Best has placed under review with negative implications the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” (Excellent) of Topa Insurance Company (Calabasas, CA) and its subsidiary, Dorchester Insurance Company, Ltd. (U.S. Virgin Islands). These companies, which collectively are referred to as Topa Insurance Group (Topa), are wholly owned subsidiaries of Topa Equities, Ltd.

The Credit Rating (rating) actions reflect the need for AM Best to have further discussions with company management regarding strategic business initiatives to improve operating performance over the near term. AM Best will review the group’s progress on strategic initiatives, as well as the financial and operational impacts of these initiatives on the group’s operating results. The under review with negative implications status reflects a level of execution risk within the strategic initiatives as management seeks to improve results going forward following deteriorated underwriting results in 2021 and in the first quarter of 2022. In 2021, Topa’s underwriting performance was impacted by further adverse reserve development in the commercial auto liability line, including the group’s bus program in run-off, as well as increased loss severity and a lack of

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July 9, 2022 by INSURANCE