A paper, "Understanding Valuation Issues of Gulf Oil Spill Claims," will be delivered by me in Atlanta on Thursday. For those interested in the business interruption and lost income coverage disputes that Michelle Claverol writes about on this blog every Sunday morning, you’ll love the paper. For those of you that simply want to know how to properly present the vast majority of all claims so they will get paid quickly by BP, you will enjoy the PowerPoint presentation I will cover in 12 minutes. I should probably advertise this speech as "how any attorney can make a lot of money by following these simple directions" and fill the room with my colleagues.

The truth is that these claims, like most lost income claims, can be extraordinarily complicated. My conclusion is important and optimistic:

So long as courts continue to interpret the OPA as providing broad theories of recovery, we have a tremendous opportunity to help victims get fully compensated for their economic loss. Attorneys should leave no stone unturned in assessing and valuing claims and pursuing every theory that could restore the livelihoods, property and way of life that have been indefinitely disrupted.

Since these claims will involve so much money, it seems that the following is appropriate for a mid-week break:

 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xl6NfQyNLto%26hl%3Den_US%26fs%3D1%26rel%3D0%26color1%3D0x2b405b%26color2%3D0x6b8ab6