Mark Freel, a litigation partner in Edwards Wildman’s Providence office, was recently named a recipient of the William G. McLoughlin First Amendment Award, which will be presented by the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union in November. The award is named for a former chair of the Rhode Island ACLU who was also a historian and faculty member at Brown University. Freel holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of New Hampshire, and received his law degree from the University of Connecticut. more

The Obama administration tried last week to convince the U.S. Supreme Court that the federal government can deny landowners the use of their property for years – decades if need be – without ever paying compensation. more

BOSTON – Claim forms are being sent to Massachusetts residents who lost their homes to foreclosure and who may be eligible for payment under the $25 billion national mortgage settlement, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced last week. more

A relatively new program for installing alternative energy systems increases financial incentives for municipalities, industries and commercial users across the Ocean State. more

Partner at Posternak, Blankstein & Lund LLP talks about bank mergers and acquisitions. more

PROVIDENCE – Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced last week that approximately 5,500 Rhode Island residents who lost their primary residence due to an improper foreclosure processes between Jan. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2011, should expect to receive notice by mail with information about how to file a claim for funds under the $25 billion National Mortgage Settlement. more

BOSTON – An auto-insurance company will pay close to $345,000 to consumers and $50,000 to the commonwealth as the result of an investigation alleging that policyholders with clean driving records were subject to improper “nonrenewal,” Attorney General Martha Coakley announced last week. more

To the Editor: I am writing this letter in response to an article by Patrick Anderson that ran in Providence Business News recently (“Twenty years on, court ruling changes condo law,” Sept. 10, 2012). more

To the editor: Your Morning Call e-newsletter (“Legal fees mounting in 38 Studios case,” Sept. 18, 2012), prompts several observations. I hope there is enough money for potential recovery to justify the large legal fees involved. Before the state spends any more of our money on this, I think they have an obligation to tell the public how much we might be able to recover. more

While storms such as 2011’s Tropical Storm Irene and the April-May 2010 flooding are memories, albeit painful still for some, such climactic weather events are becoming more frequent. Because of the damage they can cause property, a new state law was designed to provide additional protection to homeowners who have hurricane insurance. more