Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana, and is located in the southeastern part of the state. Baton Rouge is home to about 431,000 people which come from a diverse mix of cultures. Baton Rouge’s population increased dramatically after Hurricane Katrina, when residents fled inland to escape the hurricane’s destruction. However, Baton Rouge’s population has since stabilized as hurricane-affected residents have begun returning home.
Baton Rouge’s location along the Mississippi River has made it a major industrial, petrochemical, and port center of the South. ExxonMobil built the United States’ second largest refinery in Baton Rouge, and Dow Chemical has a major plant in Baton Rouge too. The largest employer in Baton Rouge, however, is the government, which houses all branches of the Louisiana government in the downtown area Capital Park.
Recently, Louisiana residents and businesses filed a $5 million class-action suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against several shipping companies in response to a large oil spill that resulted from a collision between a ship and a barge on the Mississippi River. Plaintiffs claim that toxic gases from the oil have spread from the collision site to the French Quarter and New Orleans’ business district, and as a result businesses have suffered decreased revenue. According to the Coast Guard, no one aboard the barge held a valid license. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages based on negligence and violations of the Oil Pollution Act, 33 U.S.C. § 2701.
Baton Rouge lawyers handle personal injury law, divorce law, bankruptcy law, and real estate law cases, among others. About 2,000 lawyers are licensed to practice law in Baton Rouge, and over 1,800 belong to the Baton Rouge Bar Association, which provides volunteer opportunities and continuing legal education classes to its members and the community.
How should you choose amongst these many Baton Rouge lawyers? Describe your legal problem to LegalMatch, and they will connect you with a pre-screened Baton Rouge lawyer, free of charge. Moreover, LegalMatch offers an extensive online law library for those who wish to research their legal problems independently. If you would like to learn more about how LegalMatch works, please visit our How it Works Page.
The websites below will provide you with more information about Baton Rouge’s legal procedures and practice:
- Baton Rouge Bar Association info
- Louisiana State University Law Library
- Tulane University Law School Library
- Southern University Law Center