Asbestos claims

Inhalation of, or being exposed to asbestos can lead to damage to the fibrous tissue in the lungs. As a result, you can develop lung or chest problems, sometimes, sadly, resulting in death.

Exposure to asbestos may have occurred at work but can also happen as a result of being exposed to asbestos not confined or disposed of properly. The sorts of industries associated with asbestos exposure include (but not exclusively):

• Industries that produces asbestos cement products such as tiles, corrugated roofing, gutters, water and drain pipes and chimneys
• Insulation and fire Proofing
• Carpenters
• Electricians
• Power plant workers
• Plumbers
• Roofers
• Central heating and/or air conditioning contractors
• Ship workers

The conditions that may develop as a result of exposure to asbestos include lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural thickening and breathing difficulties, all associated with a significant impact on your quality of life.

How to make a claim

You should contact us as soon as possible if you believe you have a claim either for yourself, or you have a loved one who is suffering serious illness or has passed away. We offer an initial free consultation to help you to decide if you want to go ahead with a claim. We can advise you if we think you have a claim, what is involved in making a claim and how much that claim may be worth.

You usually need to start a claim within three years of finding out you've developed an illness due to asbestos exposure or 3 years from the death of a loved one who has passed away. This may well be many years later as some conditions may not become apparent for decades so the earlier the claim is started, the better.

There is no deadline if the Court considers that you are not capable of bringing a claim yourself (i.e. you lack capacity) but whoever is helping you should still contact us to get a claim underway as soon as possible, particularly if there is likely to be any argument about whether you have capacity.

Why choose us?

Our specialist liability team will guide you in a friendly, easy-to-understand way through the process of making a claim for compensation.

Our focus is to ensure you receive the optimum rehabilitation at the earliest opportunity. Through the involvement of industry recognized rehabilitation providers, therapists, support workers and medical experts providing nation-wide coverage, our team will ensure that every aspect of your injuries are considered, and a bespoke rehabilitation package implemented via third party funding.

We have secured millions of pounds for clients whose lives have been changed forever, giving them the opportunity to move forward and regain their independence.

How will my claim be funded?

You may have legal expenses insurance attached to your car or home insurance policy. We can make enquiries to see if any such legal expense insurance exists and can be used to fund your claim. If you do not have existing legal expenses insurance we can enter into a Conditional Fee Agreement and a bespoke policy of after the event legal expenses insurance. Under the terms of a conditional fee agreement, you may be charged a fee for our services.

How long will my claim take?

We endeavour to settle your claim as soon as possible. However, difficulties may be encountered in identifying and tracing all possible defendants (who may have ceased trading if the injury is not apparent until many years later), establishing a means of payment (employers are obliged to have insurance, but it may be difficult to identify the insurers) and establishing that the working environment is responsible for the injury.

How much compensation will I receive?

The consequences of the injuries or illnesses will vary between individuals. The amount of compensation you could receive will be personal to you and will reflect the impact that the illness has had on your quality of life, as well as the type of disease you’ve developed.

If your husband, wife, long-term partner or parent died from an asbestos related illness, you may have a claim for the loss of their income if this helped to support you financially.

In addition, if you or a deceased relative were diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma on or after the 25th July 2014 you can claim under the ‘Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme 2014.