Selecting a Mesothelioma Attorney : Consumer Tips

Questions to ask when selecting a mesothelioma attorney.

These pages provide consumer tips for how to deal with the financial aspects of selecting a mesothelioma attorney.   They do not provide any information regarding the medical aspects of this serious disease.

Since so much is at stake, selecting the right mesothelioma lawyer is very important.   According the Wall Street Journal, lawyers say a typical mesothelioma award in a mesothelioma settlement is $1 million, and attorneys get 40% of this amount.   If the case actually goes to trial, the average award was $6 million in 2001, which was triple the amount awarded just two years earlier.

So, mesothelioma attorneys are very eager to find mesothelioma patients.   And it's vital that patients select the mesothelioma attorneys that are best for them.

A Brief Background on Your Legal Rights Regarding Mesothelioma

Companies that manufacture products that contain asbestos have known for over 60 years that asbestos can cause serious diseases.

Unfortunately, because many of these companies wanted to increase their profits, they kept this information quiet, thereby seriously endangering their workers.  

There are now laws that help protect the workers who have been harmed by their exposure to these asbestos-related products.  

However, since representing mesothelioma can be so profitable to attorneys, it is important that people who have mesothelioma be especially careful selecting attorneys who are really qualified to represent them.   Therefore, we have created a list of...

Important Questions to Ask When Selecting a Mesothelioma Attorney

Question #1 to Ask When Selecting a Mesothelioma Attorney:

What is your personal experience in representing mesothelioma patients?   Your goal is to find out how many cases the attorney has actually handled.  

You also want to know: how many of these were settled, and how many of these went to trial?   What were the results of each case?

You should ask the same questions about his or her law firm.   You're goal is to find out about the firm -- is this an area the firm specializes in?

Next, you want to ask if the lawyer intends to actually handle your case him or herself.   Many attorneys simply refer these cases to another law firm and receive part of the fee in exchange.   This may not be in your best interest.

A very important question to ask is how expenses and attorney fees will be handled for the case. The process is not fast -- preparation for the trial and then the trial itself -- will take many months (or even years).

During this time, there will be thousands of dollars of initial costs associated with preparing for the trial, such as travel, hiring expert witnesses, depositions, etc. Ordinarily, the attorney who represents you advances these initial costs that are associated with the preparation and trial.

Most attorney fees in these cases are based on contingency fee contracts. This means that the lawyers receive a percentage of the amount the victim recovers if the suit is successful. If the suit is not successful, then the attorneys earn no fee.

The next thing to ask is what is involved in this kind of lawsuit. You want to get an overview of the process, and what your role will be in it. You also want to get a sense of how good a communicator the attorney is.

Finally, a lot is at stake financially in these lawsuits. Therefore, it is ordinarily a good idea to interview a number of attorneys before you make a final decision about who will represent you. Consider trying to get at least two or three recommendations so you can make the best decision for you..

http://www.mesothelioma--lawyer.com/state/alabama-mesothelioma-lawyer.html

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