Mesothelioma Lawyer

For over three decades, the mesothelioma law firm of Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney and Strauss has specialized in asbestos litigation. In that time, ELSS has helped thousands of mesothelioma victims get the financial compensation they deserved for the injuries they sustained from asbestos products made and sold by negligent asbestos companies.

Choosing a good mesothelioma lawyer is imperative to ensuring that you will be awarded the highest settlement dollars for your case.

In this section, you can learn more about our firm, our experienced legal team and the outstanding results that we have achieved for our clients. We are confident that after you learn more about us, the clients we serve and our past track record, you will see how we can put our decades of experience winning mesothelioma settlements to work for you and your family.

Initial consultations at Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney and Strauss are always free of charge and are designed to help us evaluate your case and measure your chance for a viable, successful lawsuit. In addition, because Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney and Strauss operates on a contingency fee basis, the client pays nothing unless we succeed in your behalf and money is recovered.

Filing a Mesothelioma Lawsuit

To start the process of seeking compensation for a mesothelioma client, ELSS begins with a brief introductory meeting. During this meeting, an attorney from ELSS will outline the various steps of the legal process; address any questions or concerns you may have related to the legal process; and discuss the ways in which a mesothelioma client has been exposed to asbestos.

After this introductory meeting, ELSS will work on your behalf to collect all diagnosing medical reports from the medical facilities where you were treated. Before a mesothelioma lawsuit is filed, ELSS performs a thorough work history investigation of the diagnosed party. ELSS will collect work history records, including, union records, military service records and other documents to substantiate employment history. In addition to interviewing the mesothelioma client, ELSS will also identify any potential family members, co-workers, and other product identification witnesses who can assist in providing details about the work history and potential asbestos exposure in the case.

After we have completed a thorough product identification and work history investigation, our next step is to identify potential recoveries through asbestos trusts. A number of companies have admitted past asbestos liability and have set up asbestos trusts to compensate mesothelioma clients who present qualifying claims. ELSS is familiar with these asbestos trusts and their requirements for successful claims submission. For the most part, compensation through these trusts happens relatively quickly assuming your particular case meets each trust’s exposure criteria.

After your case has been evaluated for recovery through the asbestos trusts, ELSS then begins investigation of your case against viable companies who have yet to fully admit their asbestos liability., After an investigation period of about 30 to 60 days, ELSS will determine the proper venue to file the legal action. Venue selection is extremely important and is determined based on a number of factors including: a thorough understanding of scheduling, process time-frame, settlement history, and local laws, ELSS can file a lawsuit in any forum where a mesothelioma client has resided, worked, served in the military. ELSS can also fiel your lawsuit in “open forum” states that are agreeable to allowing non-resident / non-exposure claimants to file.

As soon as the proper forum is determined, ELSS will file a formal Complaint on behalf of the mesothelioma client. The Complaint will typically assert various legal causes of action against the asbestos companies likely responsible for causing or contributing to a mesothelioma client’s diagnosis. The number of asbestos companies or defendants named in the Complaint will vary based on the specific type and amount of exposure a mesothelioma client may have had during his/her lifetime.

After filing of the Complaint, the Discovery phase commences and usually lasts 3 to 4 months . Discovery allows ELSS to present information to the Defendant asbestos companies which document where, when and how the mesothelioma client was exposed to particular asbestos products. ELSS can present this information via written documents (interrogatories) and/or oral testimony (deposition) to the Defendant asbestos companies. The Defendant asbestos companies will also be entitled to present information and/or document to your attorney during this period. ELSS will also file appropriate motions in Court during the Discovery phase on the mesothelioma clients behalf. Additionally, ELSS will likely try to reach some financial settlement(s) during the Discovery phase.

Most mesothelioma lawsuits will not end up going to trial, but rather will resolve in settlements well in advance of the trial date. Throughout the entire process, ELSS will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of seeking trial resolution vs. settlement with the mesothelioma client. ELSS values continued client input and respects the client’s right to decide what may be in his/her best legal interests. Should a matter proceed to trial with your approval, ELSS is experienced, qualified and prepared to do so.

Source: http://www.mesothelioma.com/lawyer/

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Effects of mesothelioma injury

Though mesothelioma usually starts in the lungs, the cancer can occur anywhere in the abdominal or chest cavity.1 The effects of mesothelioma depend on the location of the tumor and vary by patient, but the most common symptoms of mesothelioma injury mimic other, less serious, disorders.

Common symptoms of mesothelioma

Not everyone experiences the same (or all) symptoms of mesothelioma. But some common symptoms2, 3, 4 seen in patients with the disease are:

-Shortness of breath

-Fatigue

-Chest or abdominal pain

-Unexpected weight loss

-Fever

More specific mesothelioma symptoms

More specific symptoms occur based on where the tumor is growing, though many patients can experience any of the symptoms listed below.

Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma,4 the most common form of the disease, are caused by the growth of the tumor in the chest cavity, which can compromise the function of the lungs. The symptoms include:

-Persistent cough

-Difficulty swallowing

-Hoarse voice

-Pain under the ribcage

-Fluid in the chest cavity

Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma4,5 are caused by the growth of the tumor in the abdomen:

-Swelling of the abdomen

-Nausea and/or vomiting

-Loss of appetite

-Intestinal blockage

-Anemia

Additional symptoms seen with the rarest form of the disease, pericardial mesothelioma,6 include heart palpitations and extreme fatigue.

Diagnosis of mesothelioma

Mesothelioma symptoms can develop 30 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos.1 If you have a history of asbestos exposure and start to develop some of the above symptoms, a doctor will conduct various tests to determine whether you have mesothelioma. Tests may include lung function tests, blood tests, X-ray, CT scan, MRI and biopsy.7 Once the diagnosis is made, your next steps can be determined.

Stages Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Stages

How is mesothelioma staged?

Mesothelioma stages are the assessment levels that doctors utilize to determine the extent of the cancer within the body. Mesothelioma is staged between 1 and 4, depending on severity. Stage 1 mesothelioma, for instance, is highly localized disease, with the tumor affecting only a limited area and organ tissue. Stage 4 cancer, on the other extreme, is extensive disease, which has spread far beyond the tumor’s origin, affecting other organ tissue and even blood or bone cells.

Given how rare mesothelioma is, a formal staging classification exists only for pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lung and chest cavity. Staging is determined at diagnosis, using any number of diagnostic procedures. Basic staging can be determined through the use of imaging scans, which will provide cancer specialists a visual representation of the extent of the tumor within the body. If the results of imaging scans are inconclusive or it appears that the disease is not localized, a physician may request the patient to undergo a needle or surgical biopsy, which can determine if the malignant cells have metastasized to the blood or lymph nodes through laboratory testing.

Mesothelioma Staging Systems

Today, there are three primary staging systems used to assess how far mesothelioma cancer has spread and each system uses four stages to describe the progression of the disease. It is the definition of each stage within the various systems that can vary slightly.

Butchart Staging System

The Butchart staging system is the oldest and most commonly utilized staging system for mesothelioma. This system is focused on defining the location of the primary tumor mass in the body for each stage. The system doesn’t address how many cancer cells are present, how big the tumor is or the level of cancer present in the body overall.

TNM Staging System

The TNM Staging System, developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), is similar to staging systems used for other types of cancer. It considers the characteristics of the tumor (T), whether or not lymph nodes are involved (N) and if the cancer has metastasized to other locations in the body (M).

Brigham Staging System

The Brigham Staging System also has four stages of progression and is very similar to the TNM Staging System. The primary difference between the two is that in addition to defining the location of the tumor, and assessing lymph node involvement and the presence of metastatic disease, the Brigham System also helps assess the possibility for and effectiveness of surgical intervention at each stage.

The Stages of Mesothelioma

The four stages of mesothelioma, as noted above, vary slightly within each system but can be generally characterized as indicated below. Please click into the individual pages to get more information about each stage in general and as is it defined within each staging system:

Stage 1 Mesothelioma

In Stage 1 the tumor is localized, there is no lymph node involvement, and the cancer has not spread to other organs or tissues. In this case, the cancer is likely restricted to one side of the pleura and surgical removal is typically feasible.

Stage 2 Mesothelioma

In Stage 2, the tumor is larger and has invaded the lung or diaphragm. Lymph nodes may also be involved. In this case, surgical resection may be possible though the cancer has likely spread to both sides of the pleura.

Stage 3 Mesothelioma

In Stage 3, mesothelioma has invaded a single region or area such as the chest wall, esophagus, and/or lymph nodes, and surgical resection is generally ruled out as a potential beneficial treatment.

Stage 4 Mesothelioma

In Stage 4, mesothelioma has invaded multiple regions such as different areas of the chest wall, the diaphragm and/or the pericardium. Lymph nodes are also involved and the cancer has spread to other organs. Surgical removal provides no value in this case as the disease has likely metastasized well beyond its origin.

Source: http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/stages/