Top 5 Questions to Ask Your Mesothelioma Lawyers
1. How old is your firm?
Mesothelioma lawyers did not really exist until Kazan Law helped create this vital legal specialty in the 1970s. Although asbestos exposure had long been known to cause illness and death, many companies continued to ignore the health hazard they caused. Because of the long latency period before asbestos exposure emerges as mesothelioma, many people exposed to asbestos may not have realized what had caused their lethal illness. In 1974, as a recent Harvard Law School graduate, I started my own law practice, seeking justice for workers injured or killed on the job . I soon received a plea for help from labor union representatives who noticed death certificates piling up for workers from the Lompoc, CA Johns-Manville plant. The landmark cases that we brought to court and resolved against the company and its doctors helped launch the field of asbestos litigation.
Today Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood has 22 mesothelioma lawyers including me. As we build on our 40 plus years as top mesothelioma lawyers, our firm continues to excel at pursuing justice for mesothelioma victims and others exposed to asbestos. Kazan Law continues to put its decades of experience in pioneering asbestos lawsuits into practice for our clients.
- We win precedent-setting verdicts for our clients. An $27.3 million verdict was achieved last year by our mesothelioma lawyers in a wrongful death suit on behalf of a mesothelioma victim, his wife and Family.
- Our firm’s mesothelioma lawyers have played a major role in winning precedent-setting rulings in the California Appellate and Supreme Courts.
- We continue to receive recognition from our colleagues in law journal polls for being among the top mesothelioma lawyers in the nation
Since 1974, we have represented thousands of people – those suffering from mesothelioma and their families. We treasure our reputation as pioneers in asbestos litigation who are among the most experienced mesothelioma lawyers in the United States.
2. How do I know if I have an asbestos disease?
Mesothelioma lawyers worthy of that designation will not waste your time or make empty promises to you. Reputable mesothelioma lawyers like those at Kazan Law will only take your case if you have an official diagnosis of asbestos-related disease from a medical doctor.
You should schedule an appointment to be tested for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases if:
You know you have been exposed to asbestos if you currently are having symptoms that suggest you might have mesothelioma or another asbestos-caused illness. This could include trouble breathing, a persistent cough, tiredness, chest pain, loss of appetite among others. The tricky part is that these symptoms could be caused by many other conditions or illnesses such as the flu, an allergy or some other type of cancer or infectious disease. The truth is you cannot or should not try to determine on your own what is causing these symptoms. If any of these symptoms have lingered for more than two weeks, you need to pursue being tested for a number of diseases. That should include being tested for mesothelioma whether or not you recall being exposed to asbestos. Then an experienced mesothelioma lawyer can help you discover how you were exposed to asbestos if you receive an official mesothelioma diagnosis. Mesothelioma is a silent killer that slowly but steadily destroys your lungs over decades without you even knowing you have it. By the time the disease has caused enough damage for symptoms to emerge, it is nearly always fatal. Any level of exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma. If you recall being in a situation where you may have inhaled asbestos dust whether at work, on the clothes of a family member who worked around asbestos or in a structure that was being demolished or renovated, tell your doctor. X-rays taken of your lungs can look for any scarring caused by tiny sharp asbestos fibers , and will help your doctor evaluate your situation.
3. How soon after I am exposed to asbestos should I file a lawsuit with mesothelioma lawyers?
Expert mesothelioma lawyers like those at Kazan Law have a keen understanding of how time sensitive asbestos lawsuits can be. Time, to paraphrase the saying, is not on your side when it comes to asbestos lawsuits and mesothelioma, the lethal cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
By the time mesothelioma symptoms emerge, anywhere from ten to thirty years or more after the initial exposure to asbestos, it usually means the disease is in an advanced stage. Although progress in medical science is improving mesothelioma treatment and some patients with mesothelioma are living longer with the disease, most mesothelioma cases are fatal within one to two years after diagnosis. It is difficult for even the best mesothelioma lawyers to overcome the challenge of not having the mesothelioma patient present as a plaintiff able to provide testimony in an asbestos lawsuit.
Also, every state has its own statute of limitations, a time limit on initiating certain types of legal actions, for asbestos cases. In California, the statute of limitations for filing an asbestos case can run out one year after receiving an official medical diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease.
Asbestos exposure alone does not mean you will develop mesothelioma or any other asbestos-caused illness. It increases the chance that you could. If you know you were exposed to asbestos, it is crucial that you tell your doctor and discuss having regular lung screenings.
If and when you receive a diagnosis of mesothelioma – and we absolutely hope that you won’t – it is imperative that you retain mesothelioma lawyers who should file a lawsuit for you as soon as possible.
4. How much will it cost me for you to investigate my claim?
When you are struggling with mesothelioma, you should not have to worry about attorney fees. We do not charge you anything while we investigate whether or not you have a claim that will stand up in court. If we agree to take on your asbestos litigation case – and we only take cases we think we will win – you will not have to pay us anything until we win or settle your case. That means we work on a contingency fee basis. Our fee is contingent on us getting you money. Kazan Law will never make you pay up front or ask you to pay for a preliminary investigation.
5. How large a settlement or judgment can I expect to recover?
Mesothelioma lawyers who are reputable and reliable should not promise you any specific amount or even guess at an amount that they will be able to secure for you either as a settlement or as part of a trial verdict when you first meet. There are too many variables to consider.
Variables that will help determine the financial outcome of your asbestos lawsuit will include the extent of your illness, the strength of the evidence you can produce to prove that you were exposed to asbestos and what companies may have knowingly caused this exposure. Also what financial resources, including insurance, a company or companies you claim are responsible may possess. Another factor is whether a company you want to name as a defendant has already been taken to court so many times that they have declared bankruptcy and set up a bankruptcy trust. This limit the amount you may receive.
Because of Kazan Law’s well-known reputation as top mesothelioma lawyers, most defendants we sue and their attorneys will settle out of court with us rather than go to trial. We will not take your case unless we believe we can win it, and we take very few cases. We do not disclose the amounts of the many settlements we handle out of respect for the privacy of our clients.
When our cases have gone to trial the amounts our clients have been awarded by juries are a matter of public record. The amounts range from $27 million to $5.4 million. You can read more about these and other specific jury verdict awards we’ve won for our clients.