Transocean fights victims in Houston law firm’s own backyard

In the more than three weeks since 11 workers perished in the Deepwater Horizon explosion, Brian Beckcom has urged survivors and victims’ families to practice patience  before making any legal decisions.

But now, Transocean Ltd, the rig’s owner, has taken the fight to Beckcom’s backyard.

The Houston based maritime attorney’s office is literally a few minutes walk from the U.S. District Courthouse where Transocean filed a petition to limit their liability to $27 million.

“There are three reasons it’s a major deal,” Beckcom said about the petition. “First, it will potentially limit claims by shortening the statute of limitations to six months. Second, it may cause some Transocean crewmembers who otherwise have struggled to decide whether or not to stand up for their legal rights to get angry. Third, on a personal level, they are filing the petition only three blocks from my office.”

Along with being in the heart of the legal action, Beckcom has represented several Transocean workers in the past, including a young person on a platform that exploded six years ago that killed one person and injured several others off of Galveston.

“I still urge victims and their families to think carefully about decisions regarding seeking legal representation,” he said. “But with Transocean’s petition, the clock may be ticking and it is important that people at least research carefully to find qualified offshore representation instead of grabbing the first lawyer’s pen handed to them.”