Greetings from USLegal, and welcome to our June Newsletter.
In this edition of our Newsletter, we’ll highlight two new handbooks, update you on our customer service upgrades, and continue to inform you on the BP Oil Spill still unfolding on our gulf coast.
At USLegal, customer satisfaction is our greatest asset and goal. If we’ve made your legal life easier, please tell your friends and family about us. If you have a routine legal need, make us your first stop. And now, our news:
Law & Legal Services and Preparing for Divorce/Dissolution: New USLF Handbooks
USLF is will soon offer a free guidebook discussing law and legal services in the United States, with a special focus on self-help services, a section detailing each service offered by USLegal, a section on preparing for court, and our decade’s worth of links to the best self-help/legal sites on-line. We’ll announce the publication of this new Guide in the coming months.
Our just-published Preparing for Divorce/Dissolution Guide provides helpful insights on how to prepare for a divorce, allowing a spouse to protect his or her position and minimize liabilities during this transition period. Being prepared can increase the odds of obtaining what you want in a divorce settlement, as well as reducing litigation expenses.
Our Customer Service Upgrades: A Follow-Up
In April we told you about our efforts to improve our already world-class customer service, and here’s an update. We’ve increased the technical capacity of our on-line chat, including the ability to include clickable links (which they tell me is not basic to on-line chat), and added flexibility with direct access to your shopping cart from chat. Our customer service phone lines and chat are now staffed weekdays 8am-7pm central time, and on Saturdays 8am-5pm. You can of course complete your order on-line at any time.
The BP Oil Spill: Our Continuing Thoughts
As the oil continues to creep east along the Florida panhandle’s “Emerald Coast,” BP has agreed to a government-administered $20 billion escrow fund to pay cleanup costs and economic damages. That’s a big number, and it can only be considered a good thing. In addition, $20 billion is not a cap. It remains to be seen when BP will turn to litigation to fight pay-outs. We’ve been using the USLegal Blog to post our thoughts and useful links regarding the BP Oil Spill. If you have a business in the Gulf Coast region suffering or about to suffer a substantial economic loss attributable to the oil spill, we suggest you contact a local attorney to discuss your options.
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Featured Product of the Month
Dave Ramsey Recommends a Last Will & Testament from USLegalForms
Protect your Heirs with a valid Will. A Last Will and Testament is essential for everyone. A state-specific Last Will and Testament form from USLegalForms, with instructions for people with children, without children, divorced individuals, married couples, singles, widows, widowers and others - is just a click away. Mutual Wills and Wills with trusts for minor children are also available. Go to our Last Will and Testament page to hear radio host Dave Ramsey’s recommendation.
Legal News In Brief
We track breaking legal news at the USLegal Reporter. Check in regularly to stay updated on top national legal stories. The following are snippets from some of the items of interest we’ve spotted in the last month. Check the above link for our full reports:
BP Was Warned of Problems Before Deepwater Horizon Disaster
Government investigators, lawsuits and a law firm’s internal investigation have revealed a history of problems with maintenance and noncompliance with regulatory requirements at BP facilities at multiple United States locations. Allegations of safety issues include lack of maintenance, falsifying records of compliance with regulatory standards and pressure on workers not to report problems. A lengthy Pro Publica article report published by the Washington Post details the allegations, based in part on internal company documents from 2001, 2004 and 2007 that were provided by an unidentified source. … (continue reading at the Reporter)
Oil Rig Owner Tries to Use 1851 Law to Cap Damages at $27 Million
Transocean Ltd., which owned the Deepwater Horizon rig that sank in the Gulf of Mexico, has requested a cap limiting their liability to $27 million in damages and to consolidate all lawsuits against it in federal court under the 1851 Shipowner’s Limitation of Liability Act. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has called for a repeal of the law, which limits liability to the value of the ship and its cargo. … (continue reading at the Reporter)
9th Circuit to Decide First Amendment Right to Run Tattoo Business
Hermosa Beach, California has a ban on tattoo businesses. Johnny Anderson owns the Yer Cheat’n Heart tattoo parlor in Gardena, California and wants to relocate to Hermosa Beach so much he’s taking his fight to the federal appeals court. Anderson argues that the ban on tattoo businesses violates constitutional free speech rights. A federal judge ruled in 2008 that Anderson’s tattooing was “not sufficiently imbued with elements of communication” to qualify as constitutionally protected speech. At issue in the case is whether tattoos are classified as art. … (continue reading at the Reporter)
Check out controversial legal issues of all stripes with us at the USLegal Blog. As noted above, we have been following the BP Oil Spill, a disaster hitting close to home for us here at USLegal. Please share your views in the comment section (your comment will be posted the following morning if made at night, or later in the day if posted during the day.)
Have a Legal Question? Ask a Lawyer
If you want to find out more information about a certain area of law, consider USLegal’s Ask a Lawyer service. The service enables you to submit your question to a lawyer who will provide you with legal information.
The charge for this service is $15.95 per question.
Legal advice is not provided. If your question cannot be answered without providing legal advice, you will not be charged. In the event you desire to retain an attorney, you will be provided with sources for choosing an attorney for you to consider.
Request a Legal Definition
We’ve been building a database of legal definitions that has reached thousands of entries - all from your requests. Browse the database or ask for a legal definition (a free service) at USLegal’s free online legal dictionary.
