Because benzene-related injuries can be so serious, a toxic exposure victim should hire a completely qualified benzene attorney. We recommend that anyone seeking to hire a lawyer should ask these questions:
1. How many benzene exposure cases have you handled?
A decent toxic exposure lawyer will have handled many cases with success. While a lawyer is bound by privilege to their clients and cannot talk about certain aspects of prior or current cases, they can tell you how many cases they have handled. The lawyer can also direct you to cases that are part of the public record for information on his court filings in various states. The case number doesn’t need to be in the hundreds, as most lawyers cannot successfully manage that many of these cases at one time, but it should be more than one.
2. What portion of your law practice is toxic exposure? Do you mostly handle benzene exposure cases?
The more experience the lawyer or his firm has with handling the complicated aspects of a benzene exposure case, the better. The best attorney for your case will maintain a regular “docket” or caseload of your type of case. For example, if you were exposed to benzene in a refinery, this lawyer should have a current group of cases similar to yours or have handled at least a few of these cases successfully before. If not, you run the risk of ruining your claims and losing the potential financial recovery for your family.
3. What will you do to help me with my disability or medical treatment if I need it?
Our benzene lawyers will help you with your health insurance company issues if we are able to. We can advise you on your long-term disability insurance questions. We can help you find a local social security disability lawyer in your home state if you need one. If you are unhappy with your current medical treatment or need recommendations for a specialist, we can help you track down the best medical provider for your condition.
4. What is my obligation to your law firm if I hire you for my benzene exposure case?
If you want our law firm to review your case, we can read an email or speak to you over the phone at no cost and without any obligation. An initial evaluation should always be free for a toxic tort case and this is in both parties’ best interest. The amount of money, time and effort which must be invested in a benzene case is significant. Both the client and the lawyer need to make sure the case is solid and that their relationship will be a good fit for the long haul.
5. Do I need to hire a local lawyer so I have better access to counsel?
No. If there is a local expert in your case type, it is fine to hire a local lawyer. But for very specific cases like benzene exposure, the best course of action is to research and find out who you feel confident in. While working with a local firm is convenient, they may not have the skill set required to get you the best result for your case. Even if your lawyer lives in another state, chances are they handle cases nationwide and are used to staying in good communication with clients all over the map. Ask your lawyer if they have worked in your state before and if their staff will email and/or call you on a regular basis with updates.
The toxic tort lawyers of Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. have handled injury cases worldwide for over 45 years. We handle our benzene exposure cases with experienced co-counsel so that our clients have the best access to the most qualified lawyers. We are always happy to answer any questions a potential client has about their case. Email us today at benzene@smslegal.com.