Forsberg & Umlauf, P.S.’s Post

Forsberg & Umlauf, P.S. is one of just a handful of Washington firms to be ranked by Chambers USA in Chambers’ first ever insurance coverage law firm ranking. Chambers has also recognized two of our insurance coverage partners, Carl Forsberg and Stephanie Andersen, individually.

Forsberg & Umlauf, P.S., is extremely proud to announce its two new shareholders, Michael D. Handler and Peter C. Nierman, who were elected as of January 1, 2024. Michael and Peter are both longstanding Seattle-based civil defense litigators who are talented, excited, and well-prepared for their new roles. Each has demonstrated a tremendous commitment to our clients and the firm’s values of excellence, integrity and service. We are delighted to welcome them to the ownership group and look forward to their continued success. Michael Handler works in the firm’s insurance coverage group. He has specialized in defense litigation for thirty years. Focusing on insurance over the last two decades, Michael became a nationally-recognized thought leader on emerging coverage trends and extracontractual claims, and he has continued to engage online and in-person audiences since joining the firm in 2019. He applies his expertise to effectively problem-solve a wide range of vexing issues in first-party and third-party liability insurance in Washington, Oregon and other Northwest jurisdictions.  Peter Nierman works in the firm’s general liability group and has tried and arbitrated cases all over the State of Washington. His practice is focused on construction defect, premises liability, professional liability, personal injury, general liability, and representing automobile manufacturers in Lemon Law and breach of warranty cases. Peter’s diverse practice gives him the experience and knowledge to handle a wide array of complex cases and to resolve them as quickly and efficiently as possible for his clients. 

We are proud to announce that Alexandra Ormsby Slader was awarded the Litigation Associate of the Year award for 2023 by Washington Defense Trial Lawyers. Each year, this award is given to an attorney who has practiced for 7 years or less and promotes the highest professional and ethical standards for Washington civil defense attorneys. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Alex! Learn more about Alex and her practice here: https://lnkd.in/eJ-k6Hek

Last week we closed our office to spend an afternoon at Food Lifeline's south Seattle warehouse. Our group packed over 3000lb of rice and shucked 5000lb of fresh corn during our 2-hour session. Food Lifeline then distributed these foods to local food banks where they will be given to members in our community experiencing hunger. Thank you to Food Lifeline for all the hard work they do to ensure that whole and nutritious foods are available to people experiencing hunger throughout Western Washington. We would also like to thank our employees for their time and effort on this project! We had a lot of fun during our time at Food Lifeline and are excited to go back again in the future.

We are proud to announce that 14 of our attorneys have been recognized as "Super Lawyers" or "Rising Stars" by Super Lawyers Magazine! Only the top 5% of attorneys earn the title of Super Lawyer each year, and only 2.5% of attorneys under the age of 40 or in practice for <10 years earn the title of Rising Star. Congratulations to Matt Adams, Stephanie Andersen, Carl Forsberg, Natalie A. Heineman, Lori Hurl, Galina Kletser Jakobson, Jeff Kestle, Rick Lee, A. Grant Lingg, Robert Novasky, Marty Pujolar, and Kim Reppart for earning the title of Super Lawyer, and to Nicole Morrow and Alexandra Ormsby Slader for earning the title of Rising Star! A special congratulations to Stephanie Andersen for being recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Attorneys in Washington for the second year in a row, and to Carl Forsberg for his continued recognition as one of Washington's Top 100 Attorneys! Visit our website to learn more about our firm: https://foum.law/ #superlawyers #risingstars

Chantal Peters obtained a defense award for our clients, a trucking company and its employee driver, in the arbitration of a disputed liability automobile accident case. The Plaintiff alleged that our client’s actions while driving a semi-truck led to a multi-vehicle collision. Plaintiff claimed injuries because of the accident. At arbitration, Chantal established that our client did not proximately cause the accident. The arbitrator entered a defense award. Learn more about Chantal's practice here: https://lnkd.in/e5X6t9BH