Washington, DC-C. Gibson Vance was announced today as the new president of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) at the organization's annual convention.  Vance will spearhead AAJ's mission of making sure people have a fair chance to receive justice through the legal system, even when it means taking on the most powerful corporations.

The defendants' push to stay Gulf of Mexico oil spill cases hit another snag in Mobile, Ala. A second federal judge in the Southern District of Alabama on Tuesday denied requests by BP PLC and Halliburton Energy Services Inc. to delay two proposed class actions over economic losses.

U.S. District Judge Kristi DuBose denied stays in Bon Secour Fisheries Inc., et al. v. BP, filed on behalf of a fishery and a seafood processor, and Deupree Outdoor Guide Services Inc. v. BP, filed on behalf of a charter fishing company. She offered no explanation.

The company that owns the now-sunken drilling rig oozing oil into the Gulf of Mexico is counting on a 150-year-old maritime law to limit its damages. To a mere $26.7 million.

That's how much Transocean Ltd. said it should pay in a motion filed on Thursday in federal court in the Southern District of Texas. Citing an 1851 law aimed at shipping mishaps, Transocean said its damages should be limited to $26.7 million in unpaid drilling fees earned before the April 20 explosion, noting the Deepwater Horizon rig is otherwise worth nothing now.

United States District Judge James V. Selna today appointed W. Daniel "Dee" Miles, III, head of the Consumer Fraud section for Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis and Miles, P.C., to the Liaison Committee for personal injury/wrongful death cases in litigation against Toyota. April 9, 2010, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation selected the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to hear litigation surrounding Toyota sudden unintended acceleration (SUA). Lawsuits include both individual personal injury claims and consumer class actions filed on behalf of Toyota owners who claim the value of their vehicles has been negatively affected by Toyota's SUA problems.

Nine Beasley Allen attorneys were selected for inclusion on the 2010 Super Lawyers list, a designation earned by fewer than five percent of lawyers in the state. Included on the list are the firm's founding shareholder, Jere L. Beasley, as well as shareholders J. Greg Allen, Thomas J. Methvin, J. Cole Ports, Daniel W. "Dee" Miles III, C. Gibson Vance, Andy D. Birchfield, Jr., Rhon E. Jones and Benjamin E. Baker, Jr. Additionally, Beasley earned the additional distinction of being named among the Top 50 Lawyers in the state.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Legal Newsline) - Heavyweight Alabama trial lawyer Jere Beasley is among those filing lawsuits over an explosion and oil spill at an offshore drilling site owned by BP.

Beasley Allen has filed a class action lawsuit against British Petroleum ("BP") and several other companies with ties to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The firm seeks to represent individuals and businesses that have incurred damages related to the disaster, including; real property damages; personal property damages; loss of profits and earning capacity; loss of commercial and subsistence use of natural resources; increased costs of public services; and, loss of revenues.

W. Daniel "Dee" Miles, III has been selected for inclusion in the 2010 edition of The Heritage Registry of Who's Who. Miles is a shareholder with Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C., law firm in Montgomery, and head of the firm's Consumer Fraud Section. Miles was selected in recognition of his accomplishments and achievements attained in the field of Legal Services.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s legal problems aren't limited to the federal multidistrict litigation over unintended acceleration of its vehicles. Scores of lawsuits are working their way through state courts across the nation, and some of those cases could pave the road for the MDL.

The first hearing in the MDL won't take place until later this month, but some lawyers with cases pending in various state courts already have begun deposing Toyota executives.

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange presented a proclamation today to Wendi Lewis of www.myMeso.org declaring April 1-7 as Asbestos Awareness Week in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. The proclamation supports National Asbestos Awareness Week, as established by Senate Resolution 427.