Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Additions

Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl announced the addition of a new attorney to the firm, Michael H. Sampson.

Sampson joins the firm as a partner in the litigation practice group and will serve as chair of the firm's insurance coverage group as well as co-chair of the cannabis group.

Sampson is based in Leech Tishman's Pittsburgh office, where he will represent clients in a variety of complex civil and commercial litigation.

Sampson focuses his insurance coverage practice on assisting policyholders across various industries to address and resolve insurance coverage matters relating to commercial general liability policies, property insurance, management liability coverages, and other types of insurance, such as cyber liability, hull and marine liability, specie insurance and pollution liability insurance.

While Sampson counsels clients at various stages on a range of insurance coverage matters, a significant portion of his practice is dedicated to litigating coverage claims against insurance companies and third-party claims administrators.

Sampson also regularly advises U.S. and international cannabis-related businesses, as well as ancillary businesses servicing the U.S. cannabis industry.

He helps clients in the state-compliant medical and adult-use cannabis, as well as the CBD and hemp, markets comply with U.S. federal law (in particular, the federal Controlled Substances Act), understand the potential for aiding-and-abetting liability, navigate the conflict between federal and state laws, adhere to applicable state regulations, and protect their contractual rights.

Bridging his insurance recovery and cannabis law practices, Sampson also assists cannabis dispensaries, REITs and other cannabis-related businesses with various insurance coverage and risk management matters.

Representing policyholders, as well as other clients, Sampson regularly appears in federal and state trial and appellate courts across the country. In addition to insurer bad-faith, Sampson litigates insurance-coverage issues including trigger of coverage, other-insurance clauses, and application of the "employer's liability" exclusion.

Sampson also has experience working with and representing Old Order Amish families across the United States. In that regard, he advises Amish individuals denied U.S. permanent resident status due to their religious beliefs.

Events

The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia Inc. sponsored a webinar featuring Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

Shapiro discussed his office's consumer initiatives and addressed audience questions.

The event was hosted by Barristers' immediate past president Tianna Kalogerakis of Kang, Haggerty & Fetbroyt.

The event was co-sponsored by the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania, the South Asian Bar Association of Philadelphia, the Brehons, the Justinian Law Society of Philadelphia, the Louis Brandeis Law Society, the Philadelphia LBTQ Bar Association, the National Society of Black Engineers Philadelphia chapter, and the National Association of Black Accountants Philadelphia chapter.