Mesothelioma Attorney

These pages provide consumer tips for how to deal with the financial aspects of selecting a mesothelioma attorney. They do not provide any information regarding the medical aspects of this serious disease.

Since so much is at stake, selecting the right mesothelioma lawyer is very important. According the Wall Street Journal, lawyers say a typical mesothelioma award in a mesothelioma settlement is $1 million, and attorneys get 40% of this amount. If the case actually goes to trial, the average award was $6 million in 2001, which was triple the amount awarded just two years earlier.

So, mesothelioma attorneys are very eager to find mesothelioma patients. And it's vital that patients select the mesothelioma attorneys that are best for them.

A Brief Background on Your Legal Rights Regarding Mesothelioma

Companies that manufacture products that contain asbestos have known for over 60 years that asbestos can cause serious diseases.

Unfortunately, because many of these companies wanted to increase their profits, they kept this information quiet, thereby seriously endangering their workers.

There are now laws that help protect the workers who have been harmed by their exposure to these asbestos-related products.

However, since representing mesothelioma can be so profitable to attorneys, it is important that people who have mesothelioma be especially careful selecting attorneys who are really qualified to represent them. Therefore, we have created a list of...

Important Questions to Ask When Selecting a Mesothelioma Attorney

Question #1 to Ask When Selecting a Mesothelioma Attorney:

What is your personal experience in representing mesothelioma patients? Your goal is to find out how many cases the attorney has actually handled.

You also want to know: how many of these were settled, and how many of these went to trial? What were the results of each case?

You should ask the same questions about his or her law firm. You're goal is to find out about the firm -- is this an area the firm specializes in?

Question #2 to Ask When Selecting a Mesothelioma Attorney:

Next, you want to ask if the lawyer intends to actually handle your case him or herself. Many attorneys simply refer these cases to another law firm and receive part of the fee in exchange. This may not be in your best interest.

Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the mesothelial cells of the serous membranes in the body. The most common form of mesothelioma, affecting the lining of the lung, is pleural mesothelioma. Two to three thousand new cases of malignant mesothelioma are diagnosed each year.

The mission of All About Malignant Mesothelioma is to provide a one-stop resource for comprehensive, up-to-date mesothelioma information. We cover the full scope of malignant mesothelioma issues including background, history, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. Please recommend the site to someone who may benefit from mesothelioma information.

Introduction to Malignant Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma affects the lining or membranes of certain large cavities in the body. These cavities, called the serous cavities, house certain major organs in the body including the heart, lungs, abdomen and others. The membranes that surround these cavities are called the serous membranes. They serve to protect these major organs from the friction and abrasion that occur as the organs move against each other during typical daily functioning, such as breathing and heart beating. The serous membranes derive from specialized cells called mesothelial cells. These cells form to create the mesothelium, which is the major tissue layer of the serous membranes. Cancer that occurs in the mesothelium tissue is called mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma takes on three forms:

• Peritoneal mesothelioma, in the peritoneum or membrane surrounding the abdomen. A rare form of peritoneal mesothelioma can also affect the male testicles, because the lining around the scrotum is an extension of the peritoneum.
  
• Pericardial mesothelioma, in the perdicardium or lining surrounding the heart.
  
• Pleural mesothelioma, which is the most common form of malignant mesothelioma and affects the lining of the lung cavity.
  

All mesotheliomas are now considered to be malignant, or cancerous. They start as a localized tumor and spread rapidly to include most of the surrounding tissues and organs. Originally, fibrous cists and other non-cancerous growths that appeared in the serous membranes were thought to be mesotheliomas and were termed "benign fibrous mesothelioma" and "multicystic mesothelioma." These conditions are now known not to originate in the mesothelial cells, but other cells within the serous membranes. These conditions are typically localized, non-cancerous and do not spread rapidly.

Etiology of Malignant Mesothelioma

Most cases of malignant mesothelioma are associated with a previous exposure to fibrous minerals, of which asbestos is the most important. There is now indisputable evidence of the role of these fibers in the development of this disease. This has been demonstrated in animal experiments and many other experiments. Not everyone who is exposed to asbestos fibers has developed malignant mesothelioma, suggesting that other factors may also be involved.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is an extremely rare condition. Only 100 to 500 cases are diagnosed in the US each year, making up less than 30% of all mesothelioma cases.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer affecting the abdominal lining, or peritoneum (paira-tin-e-um), which is why is is sometimes referred to as abdominal mesothelioma. This membrane supports and covers the organs of the abdomen.

The peritoneum is made of two parts, the visceral and parietal peritoneum. The visceral peritoneum covers the internal organs and makes up most of the outer layer of the intestinal tract. Covering the abdominal cavity is the parietal peritoneum.

Cells in these linings secrete a fluid which allows organs to move against one another. For instance, as the intestines move food through the body. The cells of the mesothelium are designed to create fluid, but the cancer causes them to overproduce, creating a build up of excess fluid in the abdominal cavity.

Because pleural mesothelioma is more common and often spreads to the peritoneal cavity, it is important to determine if pleural mesothelioma is the primary cancer.