represent you in a mesothelioma or asbestos lawsuit are important
decisions that should be made carefully. I have seen some families
receive $500,000 and others be awarded nearly $30 million. I have seen
some lawyers reject a case only to have another firm accept it and
make a big success of it. And I have seen some families wait nearly
three years to receive their first check while others received large
checks within three months of filing a claim. The main reasons for
these differences are the facts of the patient's situation and the law
firm chosen.The Facts of Your Situation
Some mesothelioma patients cognize they worked around asbestos, but
many do not know how they were exposed or how often. In fact, many
individuals are not sure if they were ever near this carcinogen.
Unfortunately, there have been thousands of products that contained
asbestos - cigarette filters, hair dryers, brakes, basement and roof
materials, pipes, boilers, insulation, and many other products found
throughout the house and at work. If you were diagnosed with
mesothelioma it is more than likely that you were exposed to asbestos
multiple times in your life and that this happened decades before your
diagnosis.
In general, the value of your case depends on how many asbestos
containing products you were exposed to, the number of identifiable
defendants that still exist (many have declared bankruptcy), your age
and earning capacity. And the speed of your case able to depend on a
number of variables including the state where you worked and lived
when you were exposed to asbestos.
The Law Firm You Choose
When you have been given the news about this terrible disease, you
might not feel that you have the time to deal with the legal questions
- Should I talk to a lawyer? Should I file a claim? However, you
should not wait too long to learn about your legal rights for at least
three reasons:
1. Statutes of Limitations - There are statute of limitations which
means you exclusively have a limited time to file your case after
diagnosis. The statute of limitations time period is set by individual
states and varies. The clock usually starts ticking on the day of
diagnosis.
2. Financial Pressure - A mesothelioma diagnosis can bring financial
stress, less income, more expenses, and treatments that are not
covered by insurance. Knowing that money may be on the way from filing
a claim can bring financial relief.
3. Lawyers Can be Excellent Resources - The more experienced
mesothelioma lawyers and law firms can often be excellent sources of
information about various physicians and treatment options accessible
for this disease.
But, picking a lawyer is severe business and you should not use TV ads
as the reason to hire an attorney. Actual credentials are what counts.
For example, what type of accomplishments has the law firm achieved?
How committed are they to mesothelioma/asbestos cases? Are these cases
a substantial part of their practice or just a small piece? How many
other cases like yours have they handled?
Also, make sure you understand the fees being charges. Contingency is
the term that means that the lawyer gets paid only after they collect
money for you. The amount of the contingency fee that your lawyer can
charge varies and is usually between 33% and 40%. It is essential to
discuss fees openly, consult what services they cover, how they are
calculated, and whether there'll be any extra charges.
Finally, for something as important as a mesothelioma lawsuit, your
attorney should not only be experienced,
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