Asbestos Lawyer

What Does An Asbestos Lawyer Do?

Asbestos has been a known carcinogen since the 1930s, but this did not keep companies from producing and using the substance until the information became public. Years later, people are still exposed to and suffering from asbestos and its associated disease, mesothelioma. This has prompted many people to take action by hiring an asbestos lawyer, who is well-versed in the field of this material and disease. Though many people have won legal suits with an asbestos lawyer assisting them, it still does not remove the disease, and many people must suffer for the rest of their lives.

Technically there is no such thing as an asbestos lawyer; this does not mean that lawyers do not or cannot specialize in asbestos cases, but this is not an official lawyer branch. In reality, most asbestos lawyers are personal injury lawyers who are very knowledgeable about mesothelioma. This involves knowing how long it takes for the disease to manifest, how to investigate the business and disease to recover the most money for clients, and how to assign blame to the appropriate parties.

A special task for any asbestos lawyer is assigning blame. Unlike most personal injury cases, where the injury and harm manifest immediately or within several months or years, mesothelioma typically does not appear for decades.

Since it takes so long for mesothelioma to appear and cause any damage, finding and suing the responsible party can be difficult. Many of the business close, leaving no one to seek legal retribution from. Other businesses change their name, or are acquired by other business. This business may even move out of the country. Without a lawyer, this may leave a business invisible or invulnerable.

After finding the responsible party, the lawyer must then investigate how the company conducted business, and how terribly the victim has been affected, to arrive at the best retribution price. Aside from looking into the victim’s medical records to see how much he or she spent on medical care, and procedures were done to the victim, the lawyer must also comb through old records and legal documents concerning the responsible party. The lawyer needs this information, because he or she does not want to sue a company without proof that asbestos was used and that it harmed employees.

A lawyer is not a medical expert, so some business may try to get a case dismissed because there is a lack of medical evidence that the victim is truly suffering, or truly has mesothelioma. Because of this, another important task charged to the asbestos lawyer is seeking out a medical expert that is willing to offer a testimony.

Seeking legal retribution without a lawyer is possible, but often very foolish. A lawyer will know exactly where to look for this information, and will know exactly how much to sue a company for, and one should always be used in this type of case.