Are you looking for information on how to find a mesothelioma lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts? If you, a family member or a friend have been exposed to asbestos, you are at risk of contracting mesothelioma. If you have not done so already, you should see your doctor for a thorough examination and assessment. If you have already received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, it is time to find an attorney.
Massachusetts has the ninth highest incidence of mesothelioma cases in the nation, and ranks eighth for mesothelioma-related death.http://www.asbestos.com/states/massachusetts/ Deaths from mesothelioma specifically didn't start being documented until 1998. However, from the information available, it is estimated that as many as 409 people have died from mesothelioma in the Boston, Massachusetts area since 1979. Of those, 56 were in Essex County, 152 in Middlesex County, 91 in Norfolk County, 53 in Plymouth County and 57 in Suffolk County. If you include all forms of asbestos-related deaths, as many as 972 people have died from asbestosis or mesothelioma in the Boston area since 1979.
If you or somebody else living has mesothelioma, a lawyer may file a personal injury suit. If a family member has died from mesothelioma, a wrongful death suit may be filed. In the state of Massachusetts, the statute of limitations for filing either personal injury or wrongful death suits is three years.http://www.asbestos.net/state-resources/massachusetts.html The clock starts running when the problem is first discovered. So, it is very important to consult with a lawyer as soon after your diagnosis as possible.
Disclaimer
The content on this page is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or legal advice. Speak with a qualified lawyer to ensure that you get the most accurate information regarding any potential claim that you might have.
Featured Video: Should You Hire a Mesothelioma Lawyer?
In this video interview with Mary Hesdorffer, a nurse practitioner and Medical Liaison for the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, she advises patients with mesothelioma to get a lawyer. As she points out, mesothelioma is a very expensive disease to treat. Settlement money can help to pay for medical bills not covered by insurance, travel expenses to visit doctors and the day-to-day expenses of daily living for the patient and his or her family.
Step 1: Were You Employed in an At-Risk Industry in the Boston Area?
Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding areas have a number of potential sources of asbestos exposure. As in many other areas, asbestos was used in roofing, flooring and insulation materials in most buildings constructed prior to the 1980s when the government began to regulate the use of asbestos products. However, since Boston is one of the oldest cities in the nation, the number of known or suspected exposure sites is even greater than in many other cities. Asbestos products have been used since the 1850s, so most of the historic buildings in Boston contain asbestos in some form that can be exposed during remodeling or renovations.http://www.asbestos.net/state-resources/massachusetts.html These buildings include foundries, shipyards, schools, banks, hospitals and government buildings among others.
Because of its superior heat resistance and insulating properties, asbestos was widely used in power plants, chemical plants and many other manufacturing industries. At many industrial sites, asbestos was used in the protective clothing worn by workers on a daily basis. Asbestos is extremely heat and fire resistant and undergoes virtually no corrosion when exposed to chemicals. Because of this, it was used for everything from insulation and protective clothing to bearings and gaskets in process equipment. Some sites of particular concern in the Boston area include Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Bingham Memorial Hospital, Boston Independent School District, Boston Naval Shipyard, Brayton Point-Falls River Power Plant, Harvard University, Logan Airport, Peter Bentbrigham Hospital, Port Smith, Quincy Market Center and the State House.http://www.asbestos.com/states/massachusetts/boston.php
Step 2: Did You Work For a Company Where You May Have Been Exposed to Asbestos?
If you think that you, a friend or a family member may have been exposed to asbestos at work or in buildings where asbestos has been discovered, see your doctor for a thorough exam. If mesothelioma or asbestosis is diagnosed, find a lawyer. Be prepared to tell your attorney where you think you were exposed to asbestos. He or she will have to be able to prove what caused your exposure to asbestos and which company was responsible for that exposure.
The companies listed below are sites of potential asbestos exposure in Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding areas.http://www.asbestosnews.com/asbestos-areas/massachusetts.html If you or someone you know worked at any of these sites, you may have been exposed to asbestos. Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of exposure sites. Make sure your lawyer is aware of all areas where you have lived and worked in or around Boston.
1 Beacon Street, Boston, MA; A & P Corrugated Box Corp, Lawrence, MA; A T & T Co, Boston, MA; A.C. Lawrence, Peabody, MA; Acands, Inc, Brighton, MA; Acands, Inc, Dedham, MA; Acands, Inc, Dorchester, MA; Acands, Inc, South Boston, MA; American Shoe Shank Co, Avon, MA; American Sugar Refinery, Charlestown, MA; Aquinas College, Newton, MA; Armstrong Cork Company, South Boston, MA; Atlantic Gelatin Division, Woburn, MA; Atlas Insulation Co, Waltham, MA; B & M Railroad, Chelsea, MA; B & M Railroad, Somerville, MA; B & M Siding, Medford, MA; Badger Corp, Cambridge, MA; Bechtel Corporation, Charlestown, MA; Berkshire Frocks Inc, Malden, MA; Bethany Convent, Framingham, MA; Bethlehem Shipyard, Quincy, MA; Bethlehem Steel, Quincy, MA; Bethlehem Steel Boston MA Beverly Hospital, Beverly, MA; Boston Edison Co, Brighton, MA; Boston Edison Co, Charlestown, MA; Boston Edison Co, Boston, MA; Boston Edison Company, South Boston, MA; Boston Fuel Transportation, Inc, Boston, MA; Boston Gas Co, Boston, MA; Boston Gas Co, Dorchester, MA; Boston Latin School, Boston, MA; Boston Naval Shipyard, Boston, MA; Boston Naval Shipyard, Charlestown, MA; Boston Sand & Gravel Co, Boston, MA; Boston University, Boston, MA; Braintree Light Co, Braintree, MA; Braman, Dow & Company, Boston, MA; Brandeis University, Waltham, MA; Brayton Point Power Plant, Boston, MA; Brookline Police Station, Brookline, MA; Burlington Mall, Medford, MA; Burr Elementary School, Newton, MA; Cambridge City Hospital, Boston, MA; Cambridge Electric Light Co, Boston, MA; Cambridge Electric Light Co, Cambridge, MA; Cardinal Spellman High School, Brockton, MA; Champion Lamp Works, Lynn, MA; Charles P. Blouin, Inc, Cambridge, MA; Chelsea Naval Hospital, Chelsea, MA; City Of Boston – Municipal Auditorium, Boston, MA; Continental Baking Co, Natick, MA; Domino Sugar Corporation, Charlestown, MA; Eastern Refractories Inc, Belmont, MA; Eastman Gellatin, Peabody, MA; Eckel Corp, Cambridge, MA; Edgar Station, Brighton, MA; Emmanuel College, Boston, MA; Fore River Railroad, Braintree, MA; Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, MA; Fort Devons, Ayer, MA; General Dynamics - Electric Boat Division, Quincy, MA; General Electric Co, Cambridge, MA; General Electric, Everett, MA; General Electric, Lynn, MA; Gillete Razor Plant, Boston, MA; Hanscom Air Force Base, Bedford, MA; Harris Refrigeration Co, Cambridge, MA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School Cambridge MA Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; Harvard University, Boston, MA; Harwood Engineering Company, Inc, Walpole, MA; Hinman Corporation, Cambridge, MA; Hinman Corporation, Somerville, MA; Humble Oil Refining Co, Everett, MA; Insulation Specialties, Inc, Boston, MA; International Paper Co, Boston, MA; International Paper Co, Canton, MA; J. E. Curry Co, Inc, Lowell, MA; JFK Federal Office Building, Cambridge, MA; John Hancock Building, Boston, MA; John Hancock Tower, Boston, MA; John L. Ray Oil Co, Braintree, MA; John W. Hoff Co, Malden, MA; Kendall Co, Walpole, MA; Koppers Co, Inc, Everett, MA; Kraft Foods, Inc, Woburn, MA; Lever Brothers Company, Cambridge, MA; Liberty Mutual Insurance Co, Cambridge, MA; Logan International Airport, Boston, MA; Lowell Tech Institute, Lowell, MA; M D C Police Station, South Boston, MA; M.I.T. Refrigeration Plant, Boston, MA; Maine Yankee Fitting Stock, Canton, MA; Malden Hospital, Boston, MA; Mass Institute Of Technology, Boston, MA; Mass. Correctional Inst. For Women, Framingham, MA; Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge, MA; Massachusetts State Hospital, Dorchester, MA; Metro Insulation Co, Somerville, MA; Metropolitan State Hospital, Waltham, MA; Middlesex Turnpike, Bedford, MA; Millstone Fittings, Boston, MA; Milton Hospital, Boston, MA; Mitre Corp, Bedford, MA; Monsanto Chemical Co, Everett, MA; Montville Power Plant, Canton, MA; N.E. Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA; Negea Canal, Boston, MA; New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA; New England Insulation Co, Boston, MA; New England Insulation Co, Cambridge, MA; New England Insulation Co, Canton, MA; New England Insulation Co, Chelsea, MA; New England Merchants Bank, Boston, MA; New England Power Co, Boston, MA; New England Telephone and Telegraph Co, Dorchester, MA; Newton Wellesley Hospital, Boston, MA; Noges Insulation Co, Quincy, MA; Northeastern University, Boston, MA; Noyes Insulation Co, Braintree, MA; Osgood School, Lawrence, MA; Oxford Paper Company, Boston, MA; Oxford Paper Company, Lawrence, MA; P. J. Riley, Charlestown, MA; P. S. Thorsen Company, Boston, MA; Park Square Building, Boston, MA; Perrini Corp, Boston, MA; Phoenix Urban Inc, Boston, MA; Pilgrim Power Station, Canton, MA; Piping Insulators Inc, Canton, MA; Polaroid Building, Waltham, MA; Procter & Gamble, Quincy, MA; Prudential Center, Boston, MA; Public Service Co, Boston, MA; Refractories & Building Specialties, Cambridge, MA; Regis College, South Boston, MA; Robert Gair Co, Haverhill, MA; Samuel Cabot Corp, Chelsea, MA; Scotia St. Station, Boston, MA; Sears, Roebuck & Co, Dorchester, MA; Senior High School, Framingham, MA; Sensata Technologies, Inc, Attleboro, MA; Sherington Institute, Cambridge, MA; Shriners Hospital, Boston, MA; Somerville Hospital, Somerville, MA; South Postal Annex, Boston, MA; Squares Packing Co, Somerville, MA; St. Josephs Hospital, Lowell, MA; St. Mary's Parish, Lynn, MA; State House, Boston, MA; Stauffer Chemical Co, Woburn, MA; Stone & Webster Engineering Corp, South Boston, MA; Stop & Shop Bakery Division, Boston, MA; Suburban Electric Co, Cambridge, MA; Suffolk Downs, East Boston, MA; Swift & Co, Somerville, MA; Texas Instruments, Attleboro, MA; Thermal Insulation Corp, Somerville, MA; Tubular Rivet & Stud, Boston, MA; U. S. Naval Shipyard, Boston, MA; Veterans Administration Hospital, Boston, MA; Veterans Administration Hospital, Brockton, MA; Walter J. Ballou Co, Medford, MA; Walworth Company, Boston, MA; Ward Process Inc, Natick, MA; West End Development, Boston, MA; Westinghouse Electric Co, Boston, MA; Westinghouse Turbine, Boston, MA; White Fuel Co, South Boston, MA; Winch Park School, Framingham, MA; Woolworth Building, Boston, MA; Worcester Gas Light Co, Framingham, MA
Step 3: Finding a Mesothelioma Lawyer
Before consulting with a lawyer, make sure you have a firm diagnosis of mesothelioma. Learn all you can about the disease from your doctor, current literature and online resources such as the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute and Mayo Clinic. You don't have to become an expert. But, the more you know, the better equipped you will be to assess the knowledge of a prospective attorney.
When looking for an attorney, use all of the resources available to you. Phone books and internet directories can be used as starting points. But, it is important that you find someone experienced in cases involving mesothelioma and with whom you feel comfortable. Ask for referrals from anybody you know who has been through a similar case or who works with or is familiar with the attorneys in your area. Search public records for mesothelioma cases that went to court and note the attorney and the outcome of the trial.
Once you have a short list of prospective attorneys, make a list of questions that you want to ask each one. Some suggestions are listed in the next section on this page. You may also have specific questions of your own. Make sure to write your questions down so that you don't forget to ask any of them. Also, take notes when speaking with each attorney so that you can compare their answers later. When reviewing the answers of each lawyer, consider not only how knowledgeable they were, but how comfortable you felt when speaking with them.
After comparing notes and considering each attorney you spoke to, choose one and make an appointment to get started. Because of the statute of limitations on personal injury and wrongful death cases, it is imperative that you be make a decision and get things moving as quickly as possible after your diagnosis.
Questions to Ask a Prospective Attorney
When speaking with prospective attorneys for your Mesothelioma case, you'll want to ask a lot of questions. Here are some important ones to get you started. You may also have some of your own to add to the list.
- How many Mesothelioma or asbestos-related cases have they handled? How many were settled? How many went to trial? What was the outcome?http://www.scambusters.org/mesothelioma-attorney.html
- Will the attorney handle your case personally?
- Will they be reasonably available to speak with you when you have questions? How quickly can you expect calls to be returned?http://www.asbestos.net/asbestos-legal-issues/mesothelioma-asbestos-and-other-asbestos-diseases-lawyers-and-attorneys.html
- What role will you play in your case? Will you always be consulted before any legal decisions are made?http://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma-lawyer/attorney.php
- Will the lawyer require payment up front or as the case proceeds? Or will they accept the case on a contingency basis and receive payment from the final settlement. If so, what percentage of the final award will they take to cover their fees and expenses?
- What other resources does the attorney have at their disposal to investigate, build and prove your case?
- Will your case be handled as a standalone case, or will your claim be part of a larger case with more than one plaintiff?
