Asbestos Compensation Claims

Exposure to asbestos can cause a range of illnesses, including:

• Mesothelioma
• Lung cancer
• Asbestosis
• Pleural thickening

You can claim compensation for all of these illnesses if you have been diagnosed, or you know someone who has, as a result of the exposure.

People who have worked in industries where asbestos was heavily used are more at risk from asbestos exposure. These industries include construction, plumbing and shipbuilding, but claims can also be made by people who have been exposed because of:

• Working in a building with asbestos (such as schools and hospitals)
• Secondary exposure – i.e. washing a partner’s overalls
• “Environmental” exposure (such as growing up near an asbestos factory)

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease in the last three years, you may be able to claim. We can also help you make a claim on behalf of a loved one who has already died from an asbestos-related disease or continue their claim if they die while it is ongoing.

If you have previously made a claim and your condition has since worsened, we may also be able to help you get the justice you deserve.

You usually have three years from the time you were diagnosed to make an asbestos claim. If a loved one has died from an asbestos-related disease, you have three years from when you found out that asbestos was the cause.

Don’t worry, it doesn’t matter how long ago the asbestos exposure took place—we can help you even if:

• Your former employer has since ceased trading
• You are not sure when you were exposed
• You didn’t work for the company you believe is responsible
• Your asbestos exposure took many years to have a detrimental effect on your health

Our solicitors have extensive experience in investigating these claims and recovering compensation from those responsible.

A no win no fee agreement means that you don’t have to pay any upfront fees when you make an asbestos claim. If your claim doesn’t succeed, you won’t have to pay anything at all.

What happens if your claim does succeed depends on what type of claim you make:

• For mesothelioma claims – you keep 100% of your compensation.
• For asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, pleural thickening, and pleural plaque claims – we don't ask you to make any contribution to your legal costs, but you will need to pay the litigation insurance premium from your compensation if you win the case.

This is because the UK government decided in 2012 that mesothelioma is so serious that the normal no win no fee rules shouldn’t apply.

How much you can claim for asbestos related disease will depend on a few different things. Your personal circumstances will be taken into account, for example, how the disease has affected your quality of life, as well as the type of disease you have developed.

If your spouse, long-term partner or parent died from an asbestos-related illness, you may be able to claim as a ‘dependant’ to account for their loss of income.

In 1995, we represented June Hancock in the first ever environmental asbestos case. It extended a company’s duty of care to those affected by secondary exposure to asbestos, not just its employees. Adrian Budgen successfully represented June and secured £4.37m compensation for her, which was the highest ever award for an industrial disease or fatal injury case at the time

We can secure hospice care costs as part of your compensation settlement, too—we have recovered over £600,000 for hospice care since 2018.