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.

Richard Green

Partner

Email: richard.green@hughjames.com

Contact number: 0808 501 6606

Expertise:

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.

View full profile

How can we help?

Our specialist asbestos team can help pleural thickening patients to claim financial support from the government, where thickening is both diffuse and bilateral (link to our benefits specific page), as well as looking into a legal claim for compensation. Any legal claim would be brought against the entity responsible for exposing you to asbestos dust, which is most commonly a former employer. If your former employer is no longer trading, then claims can be brought against their insurers, instead.

Why choose us?

We offer:

A ‘no win no fee’ service
An obligation-free initial consultation to discuss your case
Ongoing meetings via phone or in person at a location to suit you. We have five offices across England & Wales, and so wherever you’re based, we can arrange to come out to see you where you wish
Research on your behalf to establish how you may have come in to contact with asbestos
A highly experienced team of specialist solicitors who practice solely in the field of asbestos litigation

We are experts in dealing with pleural thickening claims and will ensure that you and your family get the help you need. Our lawyers have been successfully handling industrial disease and asbestos cases for individuals and families for over 50 years. We understand that a pleural thickening diagnosis is worrying, so we provide on-going support for our clients and their families and make sure the process is as straightforward as possible.

We are relentless in the pursuit of justice. Our specialist team will provide expert legal advice to ensure you receive the best care and the highest level of compensation.

Pleural thickening is a thickening of the lining of the lung (also known as the ‘pleura’). There are two layers around the lung and pleural thickening can affect both the inner and outer layer. Pleural thickening does not usually cause breathlessness or chest pain until it is diffuse and bilateral, which is once it affects both layers on both lungs. Typically, the extent of the thickening is linked with the levels of asbestos dust to which someone has been exposed and pleural thickening usually takes 20 years or more to develop after exposure to asbestos.

Patients with pleural thickening are also at an increased risk of developing other asbestos related illnesses. This risk arises from the exposure to asbestos rather than the presence of pleural thickening itself. Where appropriate, our specialist team will endeavour to settle pleural thickening claims with an agreement in place to ensure that patients can return to court for a further payout in the unfortunate event that these risks materialise.

This is personal to you and will depend upon a number of factors which are unique to your individual situation. Compensation includes an award for the pain and suffering caused by your illness, together with sums claimed in respect of any care needs, and any financial losses arising from your diagnosis.

As a ballpark figure, the majority of pleural thickening claims settle for five figure sums and as detailed above, the settlement agreement reached often includes provision for patients to seek a further payment if they develop an additional asbestos disease. Our specialist team is experienced in ensuring that you and your family receive the maximum compensation to which you are entitled.

Your claim will be dealt with on a ‘no win no fee’ basis, and so if we are unsuccessful then the claim will not cost you anything.

You have three years from the date upon which you were diagnosed with pleural thickening in which to make a claim. There are exceptions to this, and it is worth contacting us even if you are outside this time period. If a loved one has died with pleural thickening, then you have three years from the date upon which they died in which to claim.

Pleural thickening