Are you looking for information on how to find a mesothelioma lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio? Past exposure to asbestos puts you at risk of contracting mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that is diagnosed in less than 3,000 people in the United States every year.http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma.htm#about If you think you may have been exposed to asbestos at any time in your life, 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.

Ohio has the 12th highest incidence of asbestos-related death in the nation. A full two-thirds of those deaths are attributed to mesothelioma, making Ohio first in the nation for mesothelioma-related deaths.http://www.asbestos.com/states/ohio/ Deaths from mesothelioma specifically didn't start being documented until 1998. However, from the information available, it is estimated that as many as 168 people in Cuyahoga County in which Cleveland is located have died from mesothelioma since 1979. If you include all forms of asbestos-related deaths, as many as 219 people have died from asbestosis or mesothelioma in Cuyahoga County since 1979.http://www.asbestos.com/states/ohio/cleaveland.php

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 Ohio, the statute of limitations for filing either personal injury or wrongful death suits is two years.http://www.asbestos.net/state-resources/ohio.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.

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.

Cleveland, Ohio and surrounding areas have a number of potential sources of asbestos exposure. As in many states, 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.http://www.asbestosnews.com/asbestos-areas/ohio.html This construction included houses, schools, hospitals, apartments, offices and many other types of buildings. Because of its superior heat resistance and insulating properties, asbestos was widely used in shipyards, power plants, chemical plants, automotive plants and other industrial facilities. At many sites, asbestos was used in the protective clothing worn by workers on a daily basis. In addition to being extremely heat and fire resistant, asbestos undergoes virtually no corrosion when exposed to chemicals. Because of this, it was used in factories for everything from insulation and protective clothing to bearings and gaskets in process equipment. In Cleveland, companies that used asbestos in their facilities, equipment and products included Alcoa, DuPont, Ford, General Motors, Owens-Corning and Union Carbide among others. http://www.asbestos.com/states/ohio/cleaveland.php

In Cleveland, railroads including B&O and the Chesapeake Ohio used asbestos in railcars and equipment, exposing former railway workers to asbestos. However, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that these workers are not allowed to file claims against train manufacturers in Ohio state courts. According to the ruling, federal locomotive safety laws, specifically the Federal Locomotive Boiler Inspection Act, pre-empt state-law torte claims in such cases, effectively making state suits irrelevant.http://www.asbestos.net/state-resources/ohio.html

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 Cleveland, Ohio and surrounding areas within about an hour of the city.http://www.mesotheliomanews.com/asbestos/job-sites/ohio-asbestos-job-sites/ If you or someone you know worked at or spent extended periods of time at any of these sites, you may have been exposed to asbestos. This is not a comprehensive list of potential exposure sites. Make sure your lawyer is aware of all of the areas where you have lived and worked in and around Cleveland.

Akron General Medical Center, Akron, OH; Akron Towel Supply, Akron, OH; Akron University, Akron, OH; ALCOA Aluminum Plant, Cleveland, OH; Allied Chemical Plant, Painesville, OH; American Shipbuilding Co, Lorain, OH; American Steel & Wire Co, Cleveland, OH; Atlantic Foundry, Akron, OH; Avon Lake Powerhouse, Avon Lake, OH; B.F. Goodrich, Akron, OH; B.F. Goodrich, Avon Lake, OH; Babcock & Wilcox Foundry, Barberton, OH; Bailey Meter Company, Cleveland, OH; Bailey Wall Paper Company, Cleveland, OH; Bearfoot Sole Co Inc, Wadsworth, OH; Bonner Vawter Inc, Cleveland, OH; Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH; Chase Brass & Copper Company, Inc, Cleveland, OH; Chrysler Stamping Plant, Twinsburg, OH; Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Electric & Illuminating Plants (CEI), Avon Lake, OH; Cleveland Electric Illumination Plant, Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Hopkins Airport, Cleveland, OH; Crile Hospital, Parma, OH; Diamond Shamrock Oil Refinery, Painesville, OH; Dupont Chemical Plant, Cleveland, OH; Eaton Axle Plant, Cleveland, OH; Empire Plow, Cleveland, OH; Fairview Hospital, Cleveland, OH; Fanner Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, OH; Fenway Hall, Cleveland, OH; Ferro Foundry, Cleveland, OH; Ferro Machine & Foundry – Oglebay Norton, Cleveland, OH; Firestone Tire & Rubber Co, Akron, OH; Fisher Body Plant, Cleveland, OH; Ford Motor Company – Brook Park Plant, Cleveland, OH; Ford Motor Company Plant, Lorain, OH; Ford Motor Company, Walton Hills, OH; Ford Motor Foundry, Brook Park, OH; Ford Motors Plant, Lorain, OH; Forest City Foundry, Cleveland, OH; Foseco Minsep, Inc, Berea, OH; General Electric, Cleveland, OH; General Electric, Euclid, OH; General Motors – Fisher Body, Euclid, OH; General Motors Plant, Cleveland, OH; General Motors Plant, Elyria, OH; Goodyear Aerospace Corp, Akron, OH; Goodyear Tire & Rubber Plant, Akron, OH; Harshaw Chemical Plant, Cleveland, OH; Harshaw Chemical Plant, Elyria, OH; Illuminating Company, Cleveland, OH; Industrial Rayon Corporation, Cleveland, OH; John Carroll University, East Cleveland, OH; Joseph & Feiss, Cleveland, OH; Kent State University - Science Building, Akron, OH; Kinsman Street Yard, Cleveland, OH; Lake Shore Electric Corp, Cleveland, OH; Lakeside Hospital, Cleveland, OH; Lakewood Industries, Cleveland, OH; Lamson & Sessions Co, Cleveland, OH; Lincoln Electric, Cleveland, OH; LTV Steel – Republic Steel), Elyria, OH; LTV Steel – Republic Steel, Cleveland, OH; Marymount Hospital, Garfield Heights, OH; Master Metals, Inc, Cleveland, OH; McGean Chemical Plant, Cleveland, OH; Mercy Hospital, Anderson, OH; Metrohealth Medical Center – Cleveland Metropolitan Hospital, Cleveland, OH; Midland Ross Corp – Midland Steel, Cleveland, OH; Morton Salt Company, Rittman, OH; Mount Sinai Medical Center, Cleveland, OH; NASA, Cleveland, OH; National Castings, Cleveland, OH; National Malleable Plant, Cleveland, OH; Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH; Ohio Bell Telephone Co, Cleveland, OH; Ohio Edison Power Plant, Lorain, OH; Ohio Edison Substation, Cleveland, OH; Ohio Edison, Akron, OH; Ohio Match Co, Wadsworth, OH; Packaging Corp. of America, Rittman, OH; Painesville Light & Power, Painesville, OH; Park Drop Forge, Cleveland, OH; Perfection Stove Manufacturing Plant, Cleveland, OH; Pfaudler Co, Elyria, OH; PPG Industries, Barberton, OH; Republic Steel Mill, Cleveland, OH; Ric Wil Fabrication Shop, Cleveland, OH; Sawyer Research, Willowick, OH; Southern Chemical Corp, Barberton, OH; St. Johns Hospital, Cleveland, OH; St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Cleveland, OH; Standard Oil Co Corporate, Cleveland, OH; T.O. Murphy Fabricating Shop, Oberlin, OH; Thompson Products Co, Euclid, OH; TRW Plant, Cleveland, OH; TRW, Euclid, OH; U.S. Steel Corp, Lorain, OH; U.S. Steel Mill, Cleveland, OH; United States Steel Corp - Cleveland Coke Works, Cleveland, OH; University Hospital, Cleveland, OH; Warner & Swasey Company, Cleveland, OH; Wellman Dynamics Corp, Cleveland, OH; West Steel Casting Plant, Cleveland, OH; Western Electric Company, Solon, OH; Whiskey Island Marina, Cleveland, OH; White Motors Co, Cleveland, OH; Yoder Brothers, Inc, Barberton, OH; LTV Steel]] – Jones & Laughlin, Cleveland, OH;

Before consulting with a lawyer, make sure you have a firm diagnosis of mesothelioma. Also, 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. 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.

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.

1. 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
2. Will the attorney handle your case personally?
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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?
6. What other resources does the attorney have at their disposal to investigate, build and prove your case?
7. Will your case be handled as a standalone case, or will your claim be part of a larger case with more than one plaintiff?