Ball Janik LLP Elevates Construction Litigation Attorneys Keegan A. Berry and Nicholas B. Vargo to Partner
February 02, 2026 —
Ball Janik LLPOrlando, FL – January 28, 2026 –
Ball Janik LLP is pleased to announce the elevation of
Keegan A. Berry and
Nicholas B. Vargo to Partner, effective 2026. Both attorneys are dedicated to their clients and have provided significant contributions to the firm's Construction Defect and Litigation practice.
"Keegan and Nicholas exemplify the excellence and client-focused approach that define Ball Janik LLP," said James C. Prichard, Managing Partner of Ball Janik LLP. "Their elevation to Partner reflects not only their exceptional legal skills and dedication to our clients but also their commitment to advancing the firm's mission. We are proud to recognize their achievements and look forward to their continued leadership."
Berry is based in Ball Janik LLP's Orlando office and is a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Construction Law. Throughout his career, Berry has focused on complex litigation and resolving matters through arbitration, alternative dispute resolution, and trial, with extensive experience both prosecuting and defending construction claims on behalf of owners, contractors, and manufacturers. His practice also encompasses complex commercial and general litigation, including business torts, professional liability, products liability, and general liability.
"I'm honored to continue serving Florida's business and property owner communities as a partner at Ball Janik, leveraging my experience to deliver efficient, results-driven solutions in even the most complex construction disputes," said Berry.
Vargo is based in Ball Janik LLP's Tampa office and is a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Construction Law. He focuses on Construction Litigation, representing residential and commercial property owners in construction defect litigation. Vargo has spent most of his career in construction defect law with Ball Janik and has been instrumental in growing Ball Janik's presence in Florida's west coast.
"Becoming a partner at Ball Janik is both a privilege and a responsibility, and I look forward to continuing to advocate fiercely for our clients while holding accountable those who attempt to evade their obligations," said Vargo.
About Ball Janik LLP
Ball Janik LLP is a Florida-based law firm offering construction defect, construction law, insurance recovery, and commercial litigation counsel, to its local and national clients. The firm was founded in 1982 and has expanded its capabilities, professionals, and geographic footprint. What started as a small firm focused on real property, land use, and litigation (known then as Ball Janik & Novack) has grown to a team of 50-plus attorneys and paralegals in 5 offices in Florida, with centuries of combined experience and capabilities. The firm has been recognized by Chambers USA, U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®, The Best Lawyers in America©, and Corporate International. Read more here: https://www.balljanik.com/.
$400M Tunnel Project Faces Scrutiny from Nashville Leaders
November 21, 2025 —
Vince Kong - Engineering News-RecordAs state and local officials in Tennessee raise concerns over limited transparency surrounding the proposed $400-million Music City Loop - a transit tunnel in Nashville intended to connect downtown with the city’s international airport - lead developer The Boring Co. has quietly begun excavation near the Tennessee State Capitol.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Vince Kong, Engineering News-RecordMr. Kong may be contacted at
kongv@enr.com
Colorado Court of Appeals Confirms: Prevailing Parties Can Recover “Fees on Fees” — Reinforcing Why Builders Should Strike Attorneys’ Fee Clauses From Their Contracts
December 30, 2025 —
David McLain - Colorado Construction Litigation BlogColorado developers, builders, and contractors should take notice of a recently published Colorado Court of Appeals decision that increases the financial exposure created by prevailing party attorneys’ fee clauses. In 1046 Munras Properties, L.P. v. Kabod Coffee, 2025 COA 71, the Court held, for the first time in a published Colorado case, that a prevailing party may recover not only contractual attorneys’ fees, but also the attorney fees incurred to obtain those fees. In short: “fees on fees” are now recoverable when a contract contains a broad fee shifting clause.
This development underscores the same warning sounded years ago in a prior HHMR blog post titled,
Attorney Fee Clauses Are Engraved Invitations to Sue. If prevailing party fee provisions already encouraged litigation, the Munras decision supercharges that incentive.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
David McLain, Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLCMr. McLain may be contacted at
mclain@hhmrlaw.com
Newark Team Obtains Appellate Ruling Affirming Summary Judgment for Lawyer and Firm in Professional Negligence Lawsuit
April 14, 2026 —
Lewis Brisbois NewsroomNewark Partner Meredith Kaplan Stoma and Associate Anthony Doss recently secured a decision from the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, affirming summary judgment for their clients, a lawyer and her firm, in a lawsuit alleging professional negligence in connection with the administration of a commercial loan.
The circumstances giving rise to the lawsuit date back to September 2020, when the plaintiff was approached by members of a real estate investment company regarding a short-term loan opportunity whereby he would loan the company $200,000.
The company provided the plaintiff with a “bridge loan package,” which stated that the requested funds would be held in the escrow account of their counsel and her firm (Lewis Brisbois’ clients), and returned to him with interest within six months once the company was “capitalized” by a senior lender. The company subsequently prepared two notes, each for $100,000, in connection with the agreement.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Lewis Brisbois
2026 Southern California Super Lawyers Recognizes 14 Snell & Wilmer Attorneys
March 03, 2026 —
Snell & WilmerLOS ANGELES AND ORANGE COUNTY – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that 14 attorneys in its Los Angeles and Orange County offices have been selected for inclusion in the 2026 Southern California Super Lawyers publication. Of those 15, six were recognized as Rising Stars.
Super Lawyers is a listing of lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. The final published list represents no more than 5 percent of the lawyers in the state.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Snell & Wilmer
Deck Built, Towers Stalled: $1B Fenway Center Air-Rights Project Hits Turbulence
December 15, 2025 —
Bryan Gottlieb - Engineering News-RecordBoston finds itself with a nearly completed, two-acre deck built over the Massachusetts Turnpike without vertical construction rising from it—an uncommon and consequential stall for one of the city’s most complex air-rights undertakings.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Bryan Gottlieb, Engineering News-RecordMr. Gottlieb may be contacted at
gottliebb@enr.com
New California Law Requires Real Estate Agents and Brokers to Disclose AI Alterations in Listings
January 21, 2026 —
Brian Slome - Lewis BrisboisSan Diego, Calif. (December 19, 2025) - Artificial intelligence and digital marketing have become ubiquitous in real estate advertising. The widespread use of AI creates risk for consumers who don’t know whether images shown online or on the multiple listing services are real. A new California law that goes into effect in January 2026 tries to draw a clear line: innovation is welcome but deception is not.
The state’s new law requires licensed real estate brokers and salespersons to disclose when images used in advertisement and promotional materials have been digitally altered and to provide access to the original, unaltered images. The law is intended to enhance transparency in real estate advertising and to reduce the risk of consumer deception arising from image editing, virtual staging, or other digital modifications.
Who Is Covered
The law applies to real estate agents, brokers, developers, and marketing staff involved in property advertising. It encompasses advertisements including those in print and online.
Read the full story...Reprinted courtesy of
Brian Slome, Lewis BrisboisMr. Slome may be contacted at
Brian.Slome@lewisbrisbois.com
One Industry, One Goal: Construction Safety Week 2026
May 05, 2026 —
Maggie Murphy - Construction ExecutiveConstruction safety has long been a top priority across the industry. Yet fatality rates have remained stubbornly flat for more than a decade. Steven Carter, global health and safety director at
Gilbane chair company for
Construction Safety Week 2026—believes the industry has reached a pivotal moment. This year’s theme—”
All In Together: Recognize. Respond. Respect.”—is a unified call t
Construction Up in Northern OhioInsurers Refuse Indemnification of Subcontractors in Construction Defect SuitFederal Energy Regulator Approves Rule to Speed Clean Energy Grid LinksNorth Carolina Should Protect Undocumented Witnesses to Charlotte Scaffolding Deaths, Unions SayStructuring Water Resilience for Data Center Development: Water Rights, Reuse Incentives, and Emerging Disclosure RiskClose Enough Only Counts in Horseshoes and Hand GrenadesAirbnb Declares End to Party!South Carolina Legislature Redefining Occurrences to Include Construction Defects in CGL PoliciesCalifornia Supreme Court Rejects Insurers' Bid for Horizontal Exhaustion Rule in New Montrose DecisionFacts about Chinese Drywall in ConstructionA New Statute of Limitations on Construction Claims by VA State Agencies?Subcontrator’s Insurer Must Reimburse for Defense of ContractorAnti-Fracking Win in N.Y. Court May Deal Blow to IndustryGet Creative to Solve Your Construction Company's Staffing ChallengesCourt Strikes Expert Opinion That Surety Acted as a “De Facto Contractor”Construction Worker Dies after Building CollapseConflicts of Laws, Deficiency Actions, and Statutes of Limitations – Oh My!Vancouver’s George Massey Tunnel Replacement May Now be a Tunnel Instead of a BridgeGot Licensing Questions? CSLB Licensing Workshop November 17th and December 15thRCW 82.32.655 Tax Avoidance Statute/Speculative BuildingLast Parcel of Rancho del Oro Masterplan Purchased by Cornerstone CommuntiesUnlicensed Contractors Nabbed in Sting OperationSupply Chain Delay RecommendationsNew Jersey Judge Found Mortgage Lender Liable When Borrower Couldn’t PayGary Bague Elected Chairman of ALFA International’s Board of DirectorsThe Unwavering Un-waivable Implied Warranty of Workmanship and Habitability in ArizonaOne Nation, Under RenovationWhite House Hopefuls Make Pitches to Construction UnionsInsurance Company Must Show that Lead Came from Building MaterialsArizona Is the No. 1 Merit Shop Construction State, According to ABC’s 2020 ScorecardJust Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should. The “Retained Control” Exception to the Privette DoctrineConstruction Delays for China’s Bahamas Resort ProjectCalifornia Appeals Court Says Loss of Use Is “Property Damage” Under Liability Policy, and Damages Can be Measured by Diminished ValueSummary Judgment in Favor of General Contractor Under Privette Doctrine Overturned: Lessons LearnedPreventing Common Electrical Injuries on the JobsiteInsurers' Motion to Determine Lack of Occurrence FailsCoverage Rejected Under Owned Property and Alienated Property ExclusionsUS Proposes Energy Efficiency Standards for Federal BuildingsOH Supreme Court Rules Against General Contractor in Construction Defect Coverage DisputeSmart Home Products go Mainstream as Consumer Demand IncreasesWant a Fair Chance at a Government Contract? Think AgainCoverage for Faulty Workmanship Found In South DakotaKahana Feld Partner Eran Forster Obtains a Motion for Summary JudgmentTraub Lieberman Attorneys Named 2019 Super LawyersBrookfield to Start Manhattan Tower After Signing SkaddenContracts and Fraud Don’t Mix (Even for Lawyers!)Outcry Over Peru’s Vast Graft Probe Prompts Top Lawyer to QuitBeing deposed—not just for dictators! Depositions in the construction lawsuit (Law & Order: Hard Hat files Part 5)New Jersey Strengthens the Structural Integrity of Its Residential BuildsSavera Sandhu Joins Newmeyer Dillion As PartnerThe Advantages of Virtual Reality in ConstructionUnderstanding Entitlement to Delays and Proper SupportCalifornia Supreme Court Raises the Bar on Dangerous Conditions on Public Property ClaimsCan an Architect, Hired by an Owner, Be Sued by the General Contractor?Contractors: Revisit your Force Majeure Provisions to Account for Hurricanes 
