Beaumont and its reputation

Lawyers and judges in Beaumont, Texas are far from pleased to hear their city called a “judicial hellhole” and “the Barbary Coast for class-action litigation.” “Defense lawyer James R. (“Jay”) Old Jr. says the county has unfairly gotten a reputation as a place where ‘the plaintiffs and defense bar work together to combine for the […]

Lawyers and judges in Beaumont, Texas are far from pleased to hear their city called a “judicial hellhole” and “the Barbary Coast for class-action litigation.” “Defense lawyer James R. (“Jay”) Old Jr. says the county has unfairly gotten a reputation as a place where ‘the plaintiffs and defense bar work together to combine for the greatest amount of billables for the defense lawyers and the greatest recoveries for the plaintiff'”. Why, sir, the very idea is preposterous! Besides, there’s a silver lining in the city’s reputation as a forum-shopping destination for lawyers around the state and country: “In fairness, it represents to us an industry. It puts a lot of people to work here,” says Jim Rich, who heads the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce. However, things might be changing: recent elections have shifted the three-member appeals court that oversees Beaumont to a 2-1 Republican edge, from 3-0 Democratic. (Terry Maxon, “Beaumont known for torts”, Dallas Morning News, Jul. 20).

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