Helmsing, Leach, Herlong, Newman & Rouse, P.C.
Skilled. Effective. Respected. Since 1976.

Firm News





Annie Dike Elected Director of Mobile Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Program

Posted: 10 Feb 2012
Associate Annie Dike was recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Mobile Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Program ("VLP"), a nonprofit organization that provides free legal assistance in civil matters to low income Mobile County residents.  The VLP boasts one of the most active and successful programs of its kind in Alabama and is set to expand beyond Mobile County this year, including...

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Warren Herlong Elected to Serve on Owners’ Counsel of America Board of Directors

Posted: 30 Jan 2012
At its recent annual meeting in San Diego, California, the members of the Owners' Counsel of America elected Warren Herlong to serve on its Board of Directors.  The Owners' Counsel of America is a nationwide network of independent condemnation attorneys who focus on representing property owners in eminent domain actions.  Warren is the only lawyer from Alabama who is a member of the Owners' Counsel...

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Firm’s Partners At National Eminent Domain Conference

Posted: 30 Jan 2012
Warren Herlong, Casey Pipes and Chris Conte attended the annual ALI-ABA Eminent Domain and Condemnation 101 conference in San Diego, California from January 26-28, 2012. While at this conference, Warren Herlong co-presented a paper on How to Depose the Opposing Appraiser. This is one of the leading eminent domain conferences in the country.

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Annie Dike Elected Vice-President of the Mobile Bar Association Women Lawyers Group

Posted: 30 Jan 2012
In January 2012, associate Annie Dike was elected to serve as Vice-President of the Mobile Bar Association Women Lawyers.  This group hosts monthly luncheons featuring a diverse range of speakers, but does much more besides.  For example, in September 2011, it held a successful Women's Networking Event which provided professional women from across the Mobile region a valuable opportunity to make...

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Associate Annie Dike’s article on defending “non-delegable duty” claims in medical malpractice cases appears in the Defense Research Institute’s on-line publication, The Voice.

Posted: 19 Jan 2012
In the medical malpractice arena, more and more plaintiffs' attorneys are attempting to use "non-delegable duty" claims to establish liability against hospitals based on physician conduct.  Such claims essentially allege that a hospital's compliance with Medicare provisions prohibit it from delegating the duty to provide non-negligent care to physicians it hires as independent contractors. ...

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Christopher Conte, a partner in the firm’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights practice group, gives presentation at December 5, 2011 foreclosure and bankruptcy seminar in Mobile sponsored by National Business Institute.

Posted: 20 Dec 2011
Mr. Conte's presentation focused on debtor and creditor issues in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases, and the elements of a confirmable Chapter 13 Plan.  Mr. Conte also covered recent developments in bankruptcy law, including the United States Supreme Court’s June 23, 2011 decision in Stern v. Marshall, 131 S. Ct. 2594 (2011) and its impact on bankruptcy court jurisdiction.

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Firm Makes Annual Christmas Donation to Local Family

Posted: 20 Dec 2011
Donating funds to help a local family in need has become an annual Christmas-time tradition at Helmsing Leach.  This year, members of the firm and staff donated $1,545.00, which was more than enough to pay for items on the family's Christmas lists, plus a few extras.  The remainder of the money will be divided between the Bay Area Food Bank and Waterfront Rescue Mission.  Thanks to our members and staff...

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Firm Managing Member James B. Newman was recently named Legal Counsel and elected to the Executive Council and Board of Directors of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce.

Posted: 13 Dec 2011
Established in 1836, the Chamber serves as a regional economic development agency, coordinating with city, county and private partners.  The Chamber is composed of more than 2,200 businesses representing more than 108,000 professionals who have joined together to maximize their business opportunities.  Membership is open to all businesses in the Mobile area, or businesses with an interest in doing...

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Warren Herlong and Casey Pipes Make Presentation to the PCMA December Meeting

Posted: 09 Dec 2011
Warren Herlong and Casey Pipes made a presentation to the Petroleum and Convenience Marketers of Alabama Association at its December 7, 2011 meeting in Birmingham, Alabama concerning eminent domain and inverse condemnation issues of interest to convenience store owners and operators.  Their presentation covered such topics as the measure of damages in partial takings, applicable appraisal methodologies,...

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Casey Pipes Panelist In Strafford Webinar

Posted: 02 Dec 2011
Casey Pipes was a panelist in a Strafford Webinar on "Eminent Domain: Redevelopment Challenges for Local Government" that took place on December 1, 2011.  Casey's topic was on local government compliance with federal aid conditions in the context of eminent domain property acquisitions.  Other panelists from New Jersey,California and Hawaii discussed similar issues of concern to local government...

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