Dwyer & Collora names new managing partner

THE REGION

The Boston law firm Dwyer & Collora has named a woman managing partner, making it one of the city's few firms with a female at the helm. Jody L. Newman, a litigator who heads the 23-lawyer firm's employment law practice, will replace William Kettlewell, who is stepping down after 11 years. He will continue to practice at the firm. Newman began her legal career at Dwyer & Collora and became a partner in 1993. She concentrates in employment disputes, primarily representing plaintiffs, and specializes in sexual harassment and sex discrimination cases. (Sacha Pfeiffer)

Comcast said that starting Feb. 1 , cable service bills in New England will increase by 3 percent. The average price for standard cable will rise from $48.63 to $50.84. Digital cable prices will increase on average by $1.25, but will be offset by a decrease in the cost of the digital box and remote. (Carolyn Y. Johnson)

One-third of Massachusetts drivers won't see a change in their auto insurance premiums next year, despite a newly approved rate cut of nearly 12 percent. About 1.3 million of the state's 4 million drivers won't get the reduction next year because of a change lawmakers made two years ago, switching to an April-to-March annual rate cycle to give insurers time to calculate bills. That will cost drivers whose policies come up for annual renewal from January through March. Those drivers won't see the lower rate kick in until they renew in early 2008. (AP)

Two charges of unfair labor practices filed by International Association of Machinists Local 933 against Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson have been dismissed by the National Labor Relations Board. The charges alleged that Raytheon improperly conducted surveillance of the union negotiation committee and threatened to fire probationary employees. The union has a week to appeal the decision. A separate surveillance complaint remains under investigation. (Dow Jones)

Abt Associates has agreed to pay $2.9 million to avoid prosecution after admitting to overbilling the United States Agency for International Development for contract work it performed in Egypt, South Africa, and Zambia, US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said. Sullivan and Donald A. Gambatesa , the USAID inspector general, said officials at the Cambridge consulting firm failed to adjust costs it charged USAID after local labor costs dropped due to currency fluctuation. Abt admitted to filing more than 110 false invoices between May 1999 and April 2002.

THE NATION

AT&T Inc. completed its $86 billion buyout of BellSouth Corp., the largest telecommunications takeover in US history, shortly after the Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved the deal. FCC action came one day after AT&T offered new concessions for consumers and competitors. AT&T promised to observe "network neutrality" -- not to favor Internet content providers who pay the company more money -- and to offer $19.95 per month stand-alone digital subscriber line service. AT&T will also divest some wireless spectrum. (AP)

MetLife Inc., the largest group life insurer in the nation, will pay $19 million and change some of its business practices to end an investigation of payments it made to brokers to steer clients its way, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said. The settlement came as part of a multiyear investigation of bid-rigging and price-fixing in the insurance industry. Spitzer has argued that "contingent commissions" paid to brokers and agents to steer business to insurance companies are the equivalent of kickbacks that unfairly increase the prices paid by insurance clients. (AP)