I am a solicitor in the Asbestos Diseases Litigation team in Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office.  My blog will follow two mesothelioma sufferers 'William' and 'John' through the compensation process in real time to show how claims work and to highlight some of the issues that may arise.
 
I have been instructed by William and John in the last few weeks.  Both have mesothelioma, are in their 60s and have instructed me to bring claims against their former employers.  The first step in any case involving a living mesothelioma sufferer is the home visit.  We always go out to see our new clients at their home to discuss their work history and to advise them about their claim. 

I went out to see William and John to talk them through their work history.  Both men have been given their diagnoses in the last few weeks and fortunately seem to be in good health at the moment.  William was able to give me lots of detail about his work in a formerly nationalised industry.  Not only was he able to talk me through his exposure to asbestos when pipe-fitting during the 1950s and 1960s, he was also able to teach me a lot about the workings of that industry generally.  William talked for hours about his work and it was a pleasure to be able to spend so much time with someone who, 40 years on, still has such passion for what he did.

John’s claim was more difficult because his exposure to asbestos was more unusual.  He and I talked through his work history over several cups of tea to clarify where he worked and when.  He worked in private industry for many years for several different companies. I knew one of his employers where he had from another client’s case and we were able to talk about that company for some time.  He told me about asbestos removal work that he did for them in the 1960s.  Coincidentally John had worked with my other client and has agreed to give a statement to help that case.

In both cases, the witness statements they have provided will be of enormous value to the case.  For those of you reading this who are considering making a claim, I would suggest that you speak to a specialist solicitor as soon as you can.  It is certainly possible to bring a claim after a sufferer has died, the occupational history taken from him/her is the best evidence we can get to support a claim.