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Asbestos compensation claims

Our specialist asbestos solicitors represent victims and their families from all over the UK and are highly experienced in investigating asbestos claims to track down the responsible parties.

We offer free advice and guidance while we initially investigate your claim without obligation to proceed. We have offices in Cardiff, London and Southampton and with further coverage in Cambridge, Plymouth and Bristol. We can arrange home visits and can help you access, where appropriate, early interim compensation payments and benefit entitlements. All ongoing work is carried out on a no win, no fee basis.

We understand that you are currently going through a difficult time and are here to help and make the process as easy and stress free as possible. If you have any questions, big or small, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Contact us today

Our team is ready to help you. A free consultation will help you find out where you stand and what your options are.

Key contact

Richard Green

Partner

Richard is a Partner and Head of the Asbestos Litigation team. Richard specialises in asbestos-related disease claims and has recovered millions of pounds in compensation for his clients.

Hugh James have been exceptional at a very difficult time. From the onset the procedure was clearly explained and if I had a query it was answered straight away.

Client

The service I have received from Hugh James has been fantastic. I cannot fault anything. The team at Hugh James have always been there for me.

Client

I am really pleased with the way Hugh James is dealing with my claim. They are most helpful and take the time to explain in detail anything I ask; nothing is too much trouble. I am treated with respect. I would like to thank the team; I would not hesitate in recommending Hugh James.

Client

Attentive and tactful at a time that is distressing given the palliative nature of their asbestos-related malignancy.

The Legal 500

Richard Green is a gentleman when in contact with patients/clients and attentive to their individual circumstance.

The Legal 500


Eileen’s story

Eileen Inman, a grandmother diagnosed with mesothelioma 48 years after working at Marks and Spencer, has decided to speak out about the dangers of asbestos exposure. Her story highlights the latent nature of asbestos-related illnesses and the importance of workplace safety. After a legal battle, she received a damages settlement of £285,000 and funding for treatment. Eileen’s advocacy aims to raise awareness and support others affected by asbestos-related cancer.

Read more about Eileen’s story.

Speaking of her experience, Eileen Inman said:

Asbestos was used a lot because it was a good fire material. But, of course, going back all those years, I knew nothing about it. You don’t have to be in the environment where asbestos is. If your partner is out working and comes home with the dust on his clothes, just by washing them, then you’ve exposed yourself and you can actually end up with this cancer. It is slow moving so it can take up to 40 years.

I hope that, by holding Marks and Spencer to account, I might be able to help other people in a similar position to me, if they come forward early enough. It might help them pay for treatment and prolong their quality of life. I don’t know if I’m going to have the time to do that.

Sadly, Eileen’s plight is all-too-common. Cancer has taken Eileen’s health and her future, but her settlement will enable her to support herself and her family through this difficult time. Asbestos Awareness Week is an important initiative that raises awareness of the dangers people have been put through by asbestos exposure. I hope others are helped by learning about Eileen’s experience.

View more stories


Your questions answered

This is personal to you and will depend upon the asbestos condition you suffer from. Many mesothelioma claims settle for sums between £100,000 and £400,000.

Our specialist team is experienced in ensuring that you and your family receive the maximum compensation you are entitled to.

Compensation will include an award for the pain and suffering caused by your illness. In addition compensation can also be claimed in respect of care needs, financial losses, medical care and treatment.

All of our claims are run on a no-win, no fee basis. There will be no charge or financial risk to you by making a claim. If the claim is not successful, there will be nothing for you to pay.

Speak to our specialist team to find out more about the no-win, no fee agreements.

The time it takes to pursue a claim depends on the complexity of the claim, how the defendants respond to the claim and whether we need to issue court proceedings.

Most claims are resolved within 6 months – 3 years.

We will endeavour to trace the employers’ liability insurers of your former employers who will be responsible for paying the compensation you are entitled to.

If your former employer did not have insurance, it may be possible to pursue a claim under the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme if you suffer with mesothelioma.

If you are unsure how you were exposed to asbestos, please speak to one of our specialist asbestos team who will speak to you about your work history to identify areas in which you might have come into contact with asbestos.

It is a good idea to speak to former work colleagues to see whether they know how you might have come into contact with asbestos. We can considering running witness appeals on Facebook and in local newspapers to find former colleagues if necessary.

It might also be useful to speak to family members to see whether they came into contact with asbestos and whether they might have brought asbestos fibres home on their clothes.

You should also consider whether you lived near a site which manufactured asbestos.

You can only pursue a civil compensation in England and Wales if you have been diagnosed with one of the following asbestos conditions:

  • Mesothelioma
  • Asbestos-related lung cancer
  • Asbestosis
  • Diffuse pleural thickening

If you have been exposed to asbestos, we would recommend documenting how and when with your GP if you do go on to develop an asbestos condition in due course. Unfortunately, it is not possible to claim compensation for the anxiety about developing a condition in the future.

Generally, you have 3 years within which to make a claim, from the date on which you were diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition or the date from which you realised that your chest problems might be related to asbestos.

If you were diagnosed over 3 years ago, please speak to one of our specialist solicitors to explain why you have not made a claim previously. There may be some discretion to bring a claim out of time if there is good reason.

You have 3 years from the date of death of someone who passed away to bring a claim. The personal representative of their estate can bring a claim on behalf of their estate.

The difficulty with this is that we will be unable to take any evidence from your loved one about how they were exposed. Instead, we will need to try and take some evidence from their former work colleagues to see whether they know how you might have come into contact with asbestos. We can also considering running witness appeals on Facebook and in local newspapers to find former colleagues if necessary.


Next steps

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