admin

March 8, 2023

Safety, Batteries, and You: Reminders About High-Capacity Battery Safety

Every device used to read this article contains a battery. Batteries are essential to our lives. They help us connect with friends and even make video calls during power outages. As devices have become more powerful, the batteries inside have become denser, with higher outputs and quicker charge times. This growth has resulted in less expensive batteries capable of powering even high-performance sports cars. But there is a human cost to these batteries’ increased power and capacity because the energy stored inside a battery can be hazardous—and sometimes fatal. News reports about the dangers of batteries are nothing new but are becoming increasingly common. While we must follow certain limitations when using batteries, such as during air travel, when mailing items, and throwing them away, there are many hidden dangers. Just in January, a multi-family home was burned down in Brockton, NY, after a lithium-ion battery caught fire as a […]
January 11, 2023

DISCHARGE UPGRADES: A Path to Honor and Earned Benefits

Other than an Honorable Discharge According to the most recent U.S. Census statistics, approximately 16.5 million veterans live in the United States. When service members leave the armed forces, they receive a formal discharge of duties and a D.D. Form 214 that spells out the character of their service. Statistics regarding this process vary widely from year to year based on a variety of factors, including the active or peacetime climate of the Department of Defense at the time.   500,000 veterans are currently living with an “other than honorable discharge.”, according to The Department of Veteran Affairs (V.A.). Current statistics found that 16% of veterans discharged from service received a discharge characterization that did not meet the honorable threshold. Approximately 1% of discharges result in the most severe form of separation, a punitive discharge, labeled as a “Dishonorable” or “Bad Conduct” discharge.  Why “Bad Paper Matters” Bad Paper is […]
August 23, 2022

Best Lawyers recognizes four Bluestein Attorneys in 2023

Best Lawyers in America® recognizes four Bluestein Attorneys in 2023, with two named “Lawyer of the Year” COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Best Lawyers in America® has, in its 2023 edition, once again recognized three partners at Bluestein Attorneys, two of whom received “Lawyer of the Year” distinction in their respective practice areas. Only one lawyer is recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” for each practice area and location. The three partners who again have been honored on the Best Lawyers list for Columbia, and the practice areas in which they are named, are: Margaret Miles Bluestein – Workers’ Compensation Law-Claimants Clarke Newton – Product Liability Litigation-Plaintiffs and “Lawyer of the Year” Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs Allison Sullivan – Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs and “Lawyer of the Year” Workers’ Compensation Law-Claimants Also, Timothy Mercer has been listed among “Ones to Watch,” for his work in Administrative/Regulatory Law. “Ones to Watch” recognizes attorneys who […]
August 3, 2022

Exposure to Contaminated Water at Camp Lejeune

Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 Congress recently passed a bill that clears the way for many veterans and their families who were stationed at the Camp Lejeune military base in North Carolina to seek compensation for medical conditions likely caused by contaminated water. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 eliminates a legal barrier prohibiting these victims from suing the government for benefits related to the illnesses related to the toxic water exposures at Camp Lejeune. The Act is under the umbrella of the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022. Toxins in water likely to blame for multiple health problems Exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during a 30-year period is blamed for various health conditions, including several types of cancer, fertility problems, Parkinson’s disease, and more. Victims were exposed to the contaminated water by drinking it, cooking with it, cleaning with it, […]