When a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma, their main priority is to take care of their health and look for possible treatment options. Hence, they often operate in survival mode. But as time passes, reality dawns on them, and they may start to think about their family’s survival as well. A person diagnosed with mesothelioma is already going through the worst time of their life. The financial difficulty due to prolonged medical treatment and loss of a job makes matters worse for the victim and the family.
Feeling a range of emotions from denial to anger to helplessness or sadness are typical to all the victims diagnosed with mesothelioma. The treatment can only improve a person’s prognosis but does not entirely cure them. But, the earlier you and your family come out of this state, the better for your survival.
Mesothelioma has a prolonged latency period, so you might have been exposed to asbestos 10 to 15 years ago but started showing the symptoms now. Hence, there is no way to prepare for it in advance. The only chance of betterment is to think about the future. One option is to file a personal injury claim against the person or company responsible for their injuries. If a person dies of mesothelioma, their family can also seek compensation by filing a wrongful death claim.
You might wonder about the fees an asbestos attorney might charge to represent you. They don’t charge a few the way other lawyers do to give a sneak peek. You can learn more about your options to file a claim for the money it will cost below. You might be astonished to learn that regardless of your precarious financial situation, you might still be able to afford a mesothelioma attorney.
Is hiring a mesothelioma attorney very costly?
Many victims shy away from filing a lawsuit because of the general perception that court proceedings cost a lot. While this might be true in other cases, it certainly is not the case with a mesothelioma claim. In most cases, mesothelioma lawyers work on contingency fee plans.
It means that they do not ask for any out-of-pocket charges from the complainant or their family, adding no financial burden on them. Instead, the lawyer gets a proportion of the compensation amount at the end of the case.
Difference between client costs and attorney fees
Apart from the attorney fees, there is the issue about the client costs. Client costs are those expenses you might be responsible for paying, including the photocopy costs, court case filing expenses, etc. They are different from the attorney fees. Because the law company invoices a mesothelioma claim client, you must also clarify the distinction between client charges and attorney fees.
The law firm pays for all of your court costs upfront in some situations. The attorney will charge you as part of their contingency mesothelioma charges regardless of how they bill you. You must ensure that you will pay only after winning the compensation amount. Although a portion of the compensation amount will go to the attorney, you must see that you receive more compensation than you could have without an attorney. Make sure all these details are spelled out in the agreement.
Cost of a legal consultation
Often people don’t hire an attorney and file the case before getting legal advice and discussing their options with your potential lawyer. In most mesothelioma cases, the attorneys offer free legal advice to their prospective clients. While in other instances of litigation, the lawyers charge for the consultation before meeting their client. Many lawyers also demand a retainer fee before working on a case. Depending on the type of case, the retainer fee can range from $2000 to $10000. However, not in mesothelioma cases as patients already have a considerable burden of medical costs of their patient’s treatment.
With this consultation, you can develop a comfort level with your attorney and gauge your chances of working with them. During this consultation, you will learn if you are eligible to file the case and whether you have passed the statute of limitations to file a legal claim. Mesothelioma claims are time-sensitive, which means you are legally allowed to file the claim within a certain period. This time window is also called the statute of limitations, which varies from state to state. Often, you have one to six years to file the claim, starting from the date of your mesothelioma diagnosis. Most experienced lawyers will hook their clients by discussing their potential to get the compensation and available options.
Distribution of mesothelioma payout
The division of asbestos payouts is determined by your attorney’s fee percentage as well as payments for your case’s operational and administrative expenditures. The expenses include the court filing cases, interviews, videotaped depositions, payout to the potential witnesses, investigators fees, evidence gathering, and payments to the staff and salaries of the attorney. All these costs are eventually paid from the compensation amount received by the client. Attorneys’ fees vary based on the state of the case, and it’s time to resolve the case. In general, the fees for a case that goes to trial are 33.335 to 40% of the compensation amount.
In comparison, the attorney may charge around 25% of the total amount received for trust fund claims. So, for a mesothelioma court verdict, your attorney will get $333 for every $1000 received. The same calculations go for the asbestos trust fund claims.
Is hiring an attorney beneficial for your case?
An attorney will get a percentage of your compensation. However, the remaining amount is still enough to fulfill your expenses in most cases. Therefore, despite the costs incurred in hiring an attorney, it is much better than not pursuing the case. An attorney will handle your case more efficiently and compassionately, considering your financial burden. Filling a case is a pretty daunting process. Still, a mesothelioma lawyer will go through the case smoothly without even needing the plaintiff to go to the court to attend motions and hearings, owing to their illness and inability to travel.
Conclusion
Filing a mesothelioma claim to hold the offenders responsible and get compensation for your loss is your right. The resulting compensation can help fulfill your medical expenses. However, you may need an experienced lawyer to take your case forward and look after the legal proceedings. In most cases, lawyers charge their fees through a contingency payment plan. This arrangement makes it easy for the victim to file the claim because it does not require paying out-of-pocket expenses. One more advantage is that the plaintiff only pays the cost if they win the compensation through a settlement or court verdict.
