Being diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease is distressing and usually life-changing. As well as impacting your health and wellbeing, it can have a serious financial effect on you and your family.
At Ashtons Legal we understand what a difficult time this will be for you. If you decide to bring a claim for compensation for your asbestos-related condition, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis or pleural thickening, we will do all we can to support and advise you throughout your case.
Our specialist asbestos-related disease solicitors Sylvia Phillips and Andrew Wilson have successfully represented many clients in this area of law, winning substantial sums in compensation. If you are considering bringing a mesothelioma claim in Bury St Edmunds, they will be happy to speak to you about the process involved.
Martyn and Andrew are part of our recognised personal injury team which has been listed consistently in leading legal guides The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners for more than 20 years. Our firm is also a Law Society accredited for personal injury law.
We understand that the cost of bringing legal action can often be a concern for clients. We want the law to be available to everyone, so we offer ‘no win, no fee’ type arrangements that mean there will not be any initial cost to you in commencing a claim and there is no financial risk to you should your claim not succeed.*
*Subject to entering into a conditional fee agreement in conjunction with a suitable insurance policy to cover any unrecovered disbursements and complying with your responsibilities under the terms of both.
Book a free no-obligation chat about starting your mesothelioma or other asbestos-related disease claims
We know that you and your family will probably have a number of questions that you would like answered before you take on a personal injury claim, such as the following:
- Do I have sufficient grounds to make a successful claim for asbestos compensation?
- How much compensation will I be entitled to?
- How exactly do I make an asbestos claim?
- What will happen if the individual or business responsible for exposing me to asbestos cannot be traced?
- How long will the compensation claim process take?
- Will I be able to get an interim payment to fund private treatment or rehabilitation?
- Can I make a claim if my asbestos-related disease was caused by washing my partner’s dust-covered clothes rather than being directly exposed in the workplace myself?
- Can a spouse or partner bring a compensation claim after the death of their loved one from mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease?
Our expert asbestos claims solicitors will be happy to speak to you and answer these and other questions during a free initial consultation. We can come to your home to speak to you if this is easiest.
We have offices in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge and we also act for families in other areas including Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and Leicestershire as well as places where there has been a strong industrial presence in the past.
We are able to offer meetings in the way that suits you best, so if you would rather speak to us virtually, we can arrange a consultation via Microsoft Teams or another digital platform of your choice. You are also welcome to arrange a face-to-face meeting in our offices in Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds, Norwich or Ipswich.
To arrange a free initial consultation with one of our asbestos claims experts, please contact our Bury St Edmunds office.
Our mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease claims expertise
Our team have an excellent track record in bringing successful claims in respect of the following diseases:
- Mesothelioma
- Asbestosis
- Respiratory injury
- Pleural thickening
- Lung cancer caused by asbestos
Our personal injury specialists also have in-depth expertise in various other types of industrial diseases and workplace injuries.
How we can help you to claim asbestos and mesothelioma compensation
Working out if you can bring a claim and who is responsible
If you ask us to represent you in your claim for compensation, we will start by collecting relevant evidence together and reviewing it. We will discuss what happened with you and we may also speak to your colleagues and former colleagues about your workplace and the conditions there.
We recognise that many workers such as carpenters, plumbers, painters and decorators, construction workers, shopfitters, electricians, joiners and building surveyors may have worked at different premises over the years and so could have been exposed to asbestos dust in a variety of locations. For this reason, when dealing with asbestos-related diseases, we will also often create a timeline of different employments.
When we put together a mesothelioma claim or a claim for another asbestos-related disease, we will look at the following:
- Duty of care – what was it that your employer could and should have done to protect you from asbestos?
- Statutory duty – what did the law at the time require your employer to do to protect you?
- Was there a breach of duty of care or statutory duty by your employer?
- How did your exposure to the substance which caused your illness happen?
It is sometimes the case that an individual with an asbestos-related illness cannot pinpoint where they were exposed to asbestos dust. It is possible that they have suffered secondary exposure, for example, by breathing in dust from their partner’s work clothes or living near industrial premises where asbestos is present and dust is escaping into the outside air.
Why asbestos-related disease claims are different to other personal injury claims
Most people who develop mesothelioma, asbestosis or any other asbestos-related disease do so decades after exposure to the asbestos dust. This can mean that it is not always easy to recall where the exposure took place.
Our asbestos solicitors in Bury St Edmunds understand this and will take you through a series of questions to work out exactly what may have happened so that we can ensure your case is based on sound evidence.
Valuing your asbestos compensation claim
As experts in asbestos claims, we can calculate for you how much compensation you may be entitled to receive. We will base our calculations on an assessment of your injuries and their impact on your financial situation and your lifestyle.
The amount paid out in compensation for asbestos claims varies extensively depending on the severity of the illness, what time of life you became ill and your financial situation.
By way of example, below are a number of recent cases where we have won asbestos-related disease and industrial disease settlements for our clients:
- Six figure settlement secured for mesothelioma sufferer’s family – Ashtons Legal
- £50,000 obtained for former Norfolk carpenter – Ashtons Legal Solicitors
- Six-figure sum obtained for family of mesothelioma sufferer – Ashtons Legal
- Substantial settlement for a Norfolk man diagnosed with Mesothelioma (ashtonslegal.co.uk)
- Rapid £50,000 initial payment obtained for Suffolk mesothelioma sufferer – Ashtons Legal
- £175,000 obtained for family of Cambridgeshire mesothelioma sufferer – Ashtons Legal
- Five figure sum obtained for family of Norfolk metal worker – Ashtons Legal
- Over £100,000 obtained for family of mesothelioma sufferer – Ashtons Legal
- £40,000 obtained for family of asbestos-related lung cancer sufferer – Ashtons Legal
Obtaining interim payments for asbestos-related disease claims
We almost always apply for an interim payment for our clients during the early part of the claims process. This is money that is paid out prior to the final settlement to support you in the meantime.
The money can be used for private treatments, to cover lost income or to allow you to enjoy the best possible quality of life for the rest of your life if your condition has been diagnosed as terminal. It should at the very least mean that you will not suffer any financial difficulty while your claim is being dealt with.
The process of an asbestos disease claim
Most personal injury claims are settled without the need to go to court, and this includes claims for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Our team are expert negotiators and we will put your case robustly to the other side to obtain the best possible settlement on your behalf.
If we can obtain compensation for you by negotiating with the other side’s solicitors, this will mean that your claim is likely to be completed faster and without the need for a court hearing.
If your case does need to go to court to make sure that you receive adequate compensation, we will ensure that you have the strongest possible case as well as expert representation. We understand how stressful a hearing can be and we will ensure that you are fully prepared, as well as providing support and guidance throughout.
Our team will make sure that they are available to speak to you as needed during your time with us to discuss progress and to answer any questions you may have.
If you have mesothelioma and the source of your exposure to asbestos cannot be traced as the damage was done a long time ago, we may be able to make a claim on your behalf to the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme.
Claiming for an asbestos-related disease when someone has died
Unfortunately, some people may not receive the diagnosis of their asbestos-related disease until it has reached an advanced stage. This can mean that they die before their claim is completed. In this case, we can still bring a claim on behalf of their estate and their families.
Some of our clients have needed palliative care in their local hospice. There are some excellent options available throughout East Anglia and beyond. We will always include the cost of hospice care in our claim for compensation and, when this is successful, we request a separate cheque so that your family can present this to the hospice.
Book your free initial consultation with our specialist asbestos claims solicitors in Bury St Edmunds
If you have questions about bringing a mesothelioma compensation claim in Bury St Edmunds and you would like an initial consultation, please get in touch.
You can contact our Bury St Edmunds office or use our online enquiry form to request a call back and we will be happy to arrange a meeting for you with one of our expert asbestos claims lawyers.