If you or a close family member has been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer or any other illness associated with long exposure to asbestos, there are very many decisions that you will be required to make. Of course the first and most important one is taking care of you and focusing on medical aspects. Apart from this, you will also have to deal with an array of issues such as how much your treatment and how this is likely to affect your dependents. Sometimes, you may even have to hire a solicitor because of your pressing medical and emotional concerns. Below are tips to help you identify good Philadelphia asbestos lawyers.
If this is your first time to hire such a solicitor, you need to realize that mesothelioma cases cannot be handled by just any lawyer. Just like auto accident or divorce attorneys, mesothelioma attorneys specialize in a narrow niche of personal injury; with a unique focus on asbestos related injuries. This is a very complex field and requires in depth knowledge of asbestos industry, exposure and treatment methods.
It is common sense that an experienced lawyer would offer you better services than their inexperienced colleagues. Because of this, you should not be afraid to ask your prospective lawyer how long he/she has been in this practice. An ideal lawyer should have been actively involved in asbestos lawsuits for the last ten years and also handled several similar cases as yours.
You should also be concerned about legal charge. In fact, you will need to agree on this with your lawyer beforehand if you do not want heartbreaks. Ask the lawyer how much he/she will charge you for the lawsuit and his/her preferred payment method. Ask for quotes from at least three attorneys before making a choice. However, you must never sacrifice quality of legal services in the name of looking for affordable representation.
If you want to find out how well your prospective lawyer handles his/her cases, you can always ask them for references. Prospective attorneys will provide you with a list of their most recent clients who have cleared them to give out their names and contacts. It would be important to contact these people and find out their opinion concerning the lawyer you intend to hire. You probably will only get positive feedback from the referrals but will also be able to get a feel of how the attorney handled their previous cases.
You must also not ignore the importance of compatibility. Remember that you may be required to reveal very private information to your lawyer. This will be next to impossible if you do not trust your lawyer. This is why you should always go with your instinct when it comes to choosing your lawyer.
You will also need to evaluate the attorneys track record before making a choice. Of course you want the best possible lawyer for your lawsuit. However, you must also bear in mind that there are no guarantees in trials and each case is unique. A solicitor who has a solid success record should be preferred.
With the above tips in mind, you should always be able to find a good lawyer for your asbestos lawsuit. It is also important to start the search early. Otherwise, you will find when all the good attorneys have been taken up.
Read more about Guidelines To The Best Philadelphia Asbestos Lawyers.