BP trial teams fill New Orleans hotels

Hotels in downtown New Orleans report banner business from the army of lawyers preparing to clash over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Trial begins Monday in federal court over damages from the 2010 offshore well blowout, but various legal teams set up shop in the Crescent City weeks ago in upscale hotels where conference rooms have been customized to act as lawyer "war rooms." "None of us wants the trial to settle out of court," said Martin Driskel, general manager of the InterContinental New Orleans, told the (New Orleans) Times-Picayune. "It is definitely good for business." The Times-Picayune said Sunday Driskel would know about accommodating attorneys working on huge cases. He previously managed an InterContinental in Los Angeles that was the base for a complex case involving gasoline prices and BP and was also where the O.J. Simpson jury was sequestered. Driskel spent $20,000 outfitting a conference room with extra phone lines, a flat-screen television and video-conferencing hardware. There is also a full-size refrigerator and work areas for paralegals and other support staff. Other hotels have followed suit while real estate brokers report some law firms renting out temporary office space near the courthouse.