In most cases, an accident victim’s family is not prepared to deal with the consequences of an accident, whether in legal, psychological or financial terms. This is most often seen in those particular cases when the affected person is a victim of mesothelioma.
In these cases, the family and relatives of the affected person ask themselves: What is mesothelioma? How dangerous is it? Where can I hire a lawyer specialized in mesotheliomas? Can these lawyers be located in California? What should I do? And so on.
The saddest thing is that the emergence of these questions is accompanied by the emergence of emotional afflictions. In other words, it is not easy for families to seek information (the answers to their questions), while at the same time dealing with feelings of helplessness, pain, sadness, depression, frustration and much more.
It is impossible to ignore the cost of medical care required for a mesothelioma patient. It is quite logical that the patient’s family members opt to hire a lawyer with expertise in mesothelioma cases, since this type of legal professionals can provide the necessary assistance so that the family members can obtain fair compensation to cover all medical expenses.
In addition to medical expenses, a victim’s loved ones often seek compensation for the natural impulse that those guilty (if any) assume responsibility for the damage that resulted from their negligence. Mesotheliomas can be caused by asbestos exposure, so there are usually culprits who must compensate and repair the damage.
There is the possibility of more than one affected person. While there may be a person with mesothelioma cancer, it is possible that others may have been exposed to asbestos, thus at risk of developing mesothelioma in the future., the compensation must be quite substantial.
In order to obtain a fair amount of compensation, it is essential that the victim’s family and/or relatives obtain high-level legal advice, as we noted a few paragraphs ago.
Unfortunately, finding this legal advice will not be an easy task, but neither is it impossible, as long as certain aspects are taken into account. Here are 3 questions that the victim’s family members should ask any mesothelioma lawyer. These questions will be helpful in determining the quality of the attorney being questioned. Specifically, these questions are aimed at knowing the lawyer’s professionalism, his experience (the result of each mesothelioma case in which he participated) and his suitability depending on the amount of compensation.
These questions are essential for locating high-level legal advice. On the other hand, we want to point out that these questions are universal, that is, they can be used to find a good personal injury lawyer, for example, or a defective product lawyer. They are not only useful for finding legal professionals who specialize in mesothelioma cases.
1) How long have you been working as a mesothelioma lawyer? How old is the firm you work for?
There are two scenarios: the first is that the lawyer in question is working individually and in a personal capacity; the second is that he is working for a specialized firm (a buffet). In either case, it is important to inquire how long he or she has worked as a mesothelioma lawyer and/or how old is the firm is that she or he is working for.
The more time they have, the better. A lawyer and/or firm that has a considerable amount of time working on mesothelioma cases is more familiar with the aspects and elements that are taken into account in such cases.
On the other hand, if it is a firm that you are contacting, it is advisable to ask if the firm has been practicing since 1970. The importance of this issue is that the asbestos prohibition law was enacted in 1970. If so, it is also advisable to ask the firm if it helped to enact this legal instrument (in effect, the creation of this law was supported by many law firms).
It is also essential to know if the lawyer and/or firm are specialized in mesothelioma cases. In other words, whether they are solely and exclusively dedicated to such cases. Otherwise, the attorney and/or firm will not have the knowledge required to successfully handle your case. These lawsuits are extremely complex due to the number of legal elements that are handled; specialization is a necessary requirement.
2) Will you or your firm sit on a jury with me and defend me? Will you or your firm settle the amount of compensation with the defendants?
Appearance and image is the motor of today’s society. People focus more on the look, image, aesthetics, or simply on the appearance of others. And this is something that has been taken advantage of by law firms (and individual lawyers as well).
Some legal firms are not properly so but are “case brokers”. They are just organizations that invest large amounts of money in advertising, promotion and marketing. They are promoted as the best law firms in order to be hired. Being well positioned, there are many people who come to them.
What is the problem if a law firm just invests in advertising and promotes themselves in order to get cases? The problem is that these “case brokers” capture clients and then resell their cases to other law firms. The law firm that is the recipient of your case may not be the company you chose, but in fact, the highest bidder when your case was sold out.
“But maybe they will sell my case to a specialist law firm,” you could argue. Perhaps you could get lucky, and the highest bidder will end up being a good choice. The law firm you chose does not sell your case based on what is best for you and your case, they sell to the highest bidder, money for them, not for you.
So, if you hire a case broker, you can’t be sure that the people who are handling your case meet the necessary requirements. When hiring a case broker, you will not be able to ask the law firm to which your case has been sold these questions: you will not be able to know their experience, their level of professionalism, the time they have been working, if they are specialized, and so on.
Now, in order to avoid hiring such organizations, you should ask the lawyer or firm these questions: Will you or your firm sit on a jury with me and defend me? Will you or your firm settle the amount of compensation with the defendants?
If the answer is yes, then you have nothing to worry about. On the contrary, the concern should arise within you if the answer is no. If an attorney and/or law firm will not defend you in a jury, then it is not a law firm. It’s a case broker. So be very careful.
3) What will be the price of the service? How much will I be charged for taking my case?
The economic cost of a law firm’s service is a concern for the families of any victim, whether it is an accident (personal injury) or mesothelioma. This is why it is one of the questions you need to ask any lawyer or law firm you wish to hire.
A law firm should not charge you for a consultation. Consultations are usually free of charge, so you should rule out anyone who charges you.
In fact, most lawyers or law firms work with contingency fees. But what exactly are contingency fees? Basically, lawyers take care of your case and only charge once they have won the case., if they are not able to secure an indemnity agreement, then they do not charge for the services.
In free consultations, the lawyer or law firm will ask you questions about your personal, work and family life. While this information is sensitive and should not be given to anyone, the law firm guarantees confidentiality. In addition, it is important for you to know that such information is crucial for legal professionals to be able to advise you properly and to point out the next steps you should take.
We have mentioned only three questions here, but there really are many more. These 3 questions, are not the only ones, but we do consider them to be the most important. We recommend that you write them down on a piece of paper or notebook, so that you have them on hand in case you need to seek legal advice.
Although we do not specialize in mesothelioma cases, we recommend that you also write down our contact numbers. We offer high-level advice on personal injury cases: automobile accidents, bicycle accidents, defective products, dog bites, and so on. We also provide legal advice to anyone who needs it.
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