Although many law firms that represent patients suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases are ethical firms, there are alarmingly deceptive tactics on the rise in the quest to find mesothelioma plaintiffs. These developments come at a time when asbestos victims and their families have plenty to worry about. From testing and treatments to worrying about the future, the last thing a mesothelioma patient and his or her family needs when attempting to gain asbestos compensation is an unscrupulous lawyer. But sadly, such individuals exist.
Unscrupulous mesothelioma lawyers buying high ranking websites
In an unprecedented maneuver, free-wheeling just-concerned-with-profit mesothelioma lawyers are now able to buy high-ranking asbestos and mesothelioma related websites from a webmaster who claims to have created the sites to give victims free case evaluations. Moreover, the purchaser will have their law firm name and number put on one of the sites, which rank on the first page of Google inquiries for the highly searched terms “asbestos lawsuit” and “mesothelioma lawsuit.”
Unsuspecting victims and their families performing online research to find the best, most reliable firm for representation are often misled into believing that the unscrupulous lawyer or law firm has “earned” their high ranking due to their professionalism, legal expertise, and competent representation in a court of law. Often times nothing is further from the truth.
Unscrupulous asbestos case brokers
Competition among law firms for asbestos cases often leads to practices that are more beneficial to the law firm while ignoring the plaintiff’s best interests. Some of the reasons why case brokers are not the best choice:
- Case brokers are lawyer(s) who are not trial lawyers. They do not actively go to trial.
- The main focus of case brokers is to generate leads by luring veterans in and signing them up.
- Case brokers sell a case to another lawyer who performs the legal work.
- Case brokers sell a case to the highest bidding lawyer rather than the law firm that is most qualified to do the best job.
Unscrupulous lawyers disguise their identity
During a mesothelioma patient’s research into mesothelioma and asbestos, the need for information about representation becomes critical. Unfortunately, that online search can be swamped with misleading websites. In today’s online world, many law firms disguise their identities. Examples of these practices include:
- Websites with .org designation originally intended and universally perceived as non-profit organizations are being utilized by lawyers pretending to be non-profit organizations and public interest groups.
- Attempts to loosely associate, through knock-off logos meant to deceive, their site with government associations.
- Hiding links to disclosures of a law firm’s identity and involvement, often referred to as sponsorship, in faint color, small font text at the bottom of site pages.
- Closely misspelled domain names set up to capture veterans who misspell a name in a search query.
- Attempts to create the perception, through landing pages branded with VA Medical Center addresses, information and VA hospital listings, that the site is somehow connected to or sponsored by a Veterans’ Administration hospital.
Military veteran legal rights
Although military veterans cannot file a lawsuit against the government for damages incurred during service in the Armed Forces, there is an opportunity to file an asbestos lawsuit against the company or companies that manufactured or installed the asbestos products which caused eventual development of asbestosis, asbestos lung cancer or mesothelioma.
Asbestos victims have filed hundreds of thousands of lawsuits against asbestos companies for product liability compensation. Military veterans are entitled to take legal action and have a good chance of prevailing.
If you are a military veteran and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be eligible to receive compensation. If you want to talk to an asbestos attorney about the nature of asbestos legal action, please contact us today.