News in brief

Two big law firms will get even bigger, as San Fran’s Pillsbury Winthrop and D.C.’s Shaw Pittman agree to a merger.

Singer Britney Spears sue her insurance carriers for nearly $10 million, after they refuse to pay on a policy covering a canceled tour.

The New York Transit Authority issues a $143 million contract to Unisys Corp. for "desktop support services."

The Peruvian government cancels a water-services privatization contract with the French firm Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux.

Roads will stay open in Ohio, as unionized turnpike toll collectors and maintenance workers agree to a new contract.

The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, hoping to "reach out" to GOP senators pushing tort reform, hires a new chief executive—from Howard Dean’s presidential campaign.

A grand jury decides not to indict a man prosecuted for telling really lame lawyer jokes at a Long Island courthouse.

An heir to the Morton Salt fortune and the Gibson Dunn law firm have been hit with a $23 million judgment for a baseless lawsuit against an art expert.