Get the justice you deserve

Being diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness is difficult for all those affected, with asbestos exposure often having a significant impact on your health, personal life and financial circumstances. 

Filing an asbestos compensation claim can help you get the justice you deserve, and our specialist solicitors can help guide you through every stage of the process. Smith Partnership's personal injury team offers extensive experience dealing with cases relating to asbestos, so don't hesitate to get in touch with us to see what we can do for you

Who is most at risk?

Many of those suffering from an asbestos-related disease have been exposed to asbestos at work, for example due to their occupation. Some of the most common occupations that bring along a particular risk of asbestos exposure include:

  • Construction workers
  • Industrial and power plant workers
  • Firefighters
  • Shipyard workers

The above list is not exhaustive. There are many other scenarios in which a person may come into contact with asbestos, including at home or through secondary exposure.

Examples of asbestos related illness

Exposure to asbestos can lead to the development of numerous health issues, common examples of which include:

  • Asbestos-related lung cancer
  • Mesothelioma
  • Pleural thickening
  • Asbestosis

Our legal team can help ensure you are justly compensated if you have developed a health problem relating to asbestos. Contact our dedicated asbestos lawyers to find out more.

What are the requirements?

In order for your claim to be successful, you must have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease in the last three years. On rare occasions, it may still be possible to pursue a claim once the three-year time limit has come to an end.

You may also be able to claim for compensation on behalf of someone else. If a loved one dies having been unaware that their illness is related to asbestos, the same time limit applies from the time of death or the moment at which you could reasonably be expected to have known they died from an asbestos-related condition.

The asbestos claims process

We understand that dealing with asbestos-related illness can be stressful and upsetting. For this reason, we focus on offering peace of mind that your claim is being handled with the utmost care, attention and expertise.

Our team of specialists offers first-rate support, legal advice and guidance throughout every stage of the claims process. Whether it concerns accessing valuable support, gathering evidence, preparing matters for court proceedings or agreeing a settlement, we're with you every step of the way.

What We Offer

Smith Partnership draws upon an extensive track record in guiding your asbestos compensation claim towards success. Apart from being members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), our expertise is also recognised by the Legal 500, which describes our work as follows:

Smith Partnership fields a ‘well-respected’ personal injury team that ‘provides excellent client care’ under the leadership of practice head David Clark, who has particular strength in asbestos claims. (...) Associate partner Anna McLeod and ‘very experienced’ solicitor Patrick Booth, who ‘is meticulous in his approach to cases’, are also noted. Recent stand-out instructions include advising the widow and beneficiaries of the estate of a former client who died of mesothelioma and whom the team had advised on a compensation claim.

Legal 500

Dedicated to providing an exceptional legal service free of legal jargon, our team takes a no-nonsense approach to securing compensation from the responsible party. That client-focused approach also extends into the funding options available, which includes the option of pursuing your asbestos claim on a No Win No Fee basis depending on the specific circumstances. 

Contact our team today

To find out how our expert team of solicitors can help you, contact us today on 0330 123 1229, send us an email via info@smithpartnership.co.uk or complete our contact form.

FAQs

Yes, we will always offer you a free initial interview and free initial advice, even if we then conclude that we are unable to take your case on a ‘no win no fee’ basis. It will never cost you anything to seek initial advice from us and you have nothing to lose in doing so.

No, your compensation is tax free, although you can only recover loss of earnings net of income tax and national insurance.

This varies considerably depending on several factors, including how cooperative the defendant and their insurers are, and whether they are prepared to admit liability for your claim at an early stage, but also depending on your recovery period and length of time that it takes to obtain the full medical evidence to support your case. On average, and depending on these factors, most cases take anything between six months and three years to conclude, although complex cases can take longer than this if they proceed all the way to a court hearing.

A success fee is the element of legal costs that we are entitled to charge if we win the case, to compensation us for having taken a risk that we would not be paid if we had been unsuccessful, as not all of our costs are recoverable from the Defendant. It is the success fee that you are asked to contribute out of your compensation as we are no longer able to recover that element of legal fees from the defendant, even if we win the case, because of legal changes made by the government in 2013. The Success fee is capped at 25% but may be less depending on the risks associated with your claim and/or the amount of work we do to finalise it. 

Your claim will cost you nothing at all if we are unsuccessful as you will be protected from having to pay any legal costs in those circumstances. If we are successful with your claim, you will be asked to make a contribution towards your legal costs out of your compensation, but this deduction will be 25% (the Success Fee, see below for more information) and is to compensate us for the risk that if your claim was unsuccessful then we would not be paid at all. Your basic legal costs, if we are successful, are recovered from your opponent, but are capped dependant on the complexity and value of your claim.  If there are any legal costs not paid by your opponent, then they may be deducted from the compensation that you receive. We will discuss this with you beforehand, so that you know what to expect at the conclusion of your claim and will always strive to keep any deductions to your compensation to a minimum.