Asbestos
Lawyers
Asbestos lawyers deal with mesothelioma
cancer cases, in which a person has contracted this rare and harmful
disease because of the negligence of willful intent of another
person or company.
Asbestos lawyers are often called mesothelioma
lawyers as well since most asbestos illnesses center on this aggressive
and non-curable form of cancer. The first lawsuit against an asbestos
manufacturer was in 1929 and asbestos was one of the first hazardous
pollutants named in the Clean Air Act of 1970.
Since this time, asbestos lawyers have been bringing suits against
manufacturers who have used asbestos in brake linings, construction
applications such as insulation, shipbuilders and mining companies.
Asbestos lawyers are very familiar with
asbestos dangers and the aggressive disease process of mesothelioma
and know that time is of the essence in pursuing the case. Most,
who are diagnosed with mesothelioma are in the later stages of
the disease with only weeks or months to live. Cases that are
started by the injured party are often finished by the family
members of the deceased and settlements help to pay large medical
bills from the mesothelioma
treatment necessary to first try and save the patient's life
or second to extend the life as much as possible.
In order to choose a qualified asbestos lawyer, it is important
to note:
1. How much experience do they have with asbestos cases (cases
handled and tried)?
2. How much knowledge do they have of the disease process of mesothelioma?
3. Does the asbestos lawyer work on contingency only or what are
the other fees involves?
4. Does the lawyer recommend you become a part of a larger class
action or file a lawsuit independently?
5. How does the attorney see the lawsuit process taking place
and what is your role in it?
6. Does the lawyer know the statute of limitations in your state?
Once the decision has been made to hire a certain asbestos lawyer,
then the real work begins. So that the asbestos lawyer may give
top notch legal advice it will be important that they receive
a full medical history and a history of the clients contact with
asbestos. The asbestos lawyer will want to know names, dates,
employment history, witnesses and any other relevant information
that ties the client's contact with asbestos to the current medical
illness. The asbestos lawyer may even hire a private investigator
to fill in the memory gaps if the exposure to asbestos was, for
instance, 30 or 40 years ago.
Asbestos lawyers typically work with clients who come from particular
industries who have been specifically affected by exposure to
asbestos. Power plant and industrial plant workers, construction
workers, autoworkers and Naval servicemen top the list. Those
who handled or were around insulation materials made with asbestos
and products such as brake linings make up most of the cases.
There are also a significant amount of second-hand asbestos inhalers
that make up an asbestos lawyer's caseload. These are mostly family
members who handled the clothing ripe with asbestos dust of someone
in one of the aforementioned professions.
If the client was in the military, then most asbestos lawyers
will not sue the government, but instead will go after the product
manufacturers for damages. This is an important point to find
out upfront when interviewing a prospective asbestos lawyer to
take on a case.
Asbestos lawyers who are experienced in mesothelioma
lawsuits give out specific legal advice to their clients and
pursue litigation in order to help recover the considerable medical
expenses that accrue in treating the disease. Many asbestos lawyers
will also persuade juries to award punitive damages to discourage
companies from continuing to act in a negligent or willfully malicious
manner. Often times the punitive damages will far exceed the actual
damages in mesothelioma cases.
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