Our clients' legal problems often do not fit within neatly-defined cubbyholes. Frequently, our clients require expertise in more than one area of the law, including areas outside the categories discussed in the preceding sections. As we respond to our clients' varied needs, we take advantage of the fact that the talents and abilities of our lawyers are not confined to narrow categories. The skills and instincts developed by our attorneys in various areas for which Spiegel & McDiarmid is well-known have also been applied, to our clients' advantage, in other legal areas that perhaps can be captured best under the broader heading of "commercial litigation."
For example, a municipal electric utility may have a contractual dispute with a vendor that is not, strictly speaking, a matter of "energy law," or an airport client may encounter an antitrust problem that does not fit neatly under the heading of "transportation law." Similarly, a local government may face a challenge to its rights-of-way requirements or to a communications-related tax that does not fit squarely within the normal understanding of "communications law."
Our attorneys have, for example:
- Represented minority owners of electric generating projects in pursuing claims against project sponsors (failure to disclose problems, failure to manage construction activities in a prudent manner, etc.).
- Served as antitrust counsel to cities, municipal joint action agencies and cooperative utilities that have sued electric utility companies for failure to provide reasonable access to bulk power transmission facilities.
- Represented municipal electric utility systems in fraud and breach of contract actions against suppliers.
- Assisted utility clients seeking protection under the federal bankruptcy laws through the process of reorganization and emergence from bankruptcy proceedings.
- Advised creditors in bankruptcy proceedings.
- Represented local governments defending against attorneys’ fees claims by corporate plaintiffs.
- Represented a broadcaster in First Amendment and criminal contempt proceedings.
- Represented a media client in reporter privilege cases.
- Served as counsel in a variety of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) proceedings, such as arbitration and mediation.
- Under a pro bono representation, assisted individuals who were the victims of workplace discrimination, or who were improperly denied insurance benefits due to their HIV/AIDS status.
- Assisted municipalities in determining the scope of coverage under their liability insurance policies for environmental clean-up costs incurred by the cities under the Superfund laws.
Our ability to master technical issues and complex business problems – and our proclivity for finding innovative, long-lasting solutions – have served our clients just as well as they have in the areas for which Spiegel & McDiarmid is more widely known. We continue to sharpen and refine these skills every day as we serve our clients' expanding requirements for the highest quality legal services.
Print.pdf
