There is a limit on the amount of time a person can file a lawsuit for any kind of case, including for an injury caused by a toxic substance. The time limits for filing a lawsuit differ from state to state.  For example, in some states, you only have one year from the date you knew or should have known of your injury or disease to file suit.

Because you only have a limited time to file suit, you should talk to an attorney familiar with these types of cases about your legal rights as soon as you discover your injury, symptoms, or diagnosis.  Do not delay.  Any delay could prevent you from being successful in your claim.

Most states allow lawsuits for the wrongful death of a spouse or other family member, even if he/she did not file a lawsuit while he/she was alive. There is a limit on the amount of time you have for filing such a suit, so if you are interested in pursuing a case you should speak with an attorney about your legal rights as soon as possible after your loved one's death.

If Gordon McKernan and McKernan Law Firm represent you in your lawsuit, you do not have to worry about having to come up with the money to pay for legal fees and expenses. Gordon McKernan and McKernan Law Firm represent clients on a contingency fee basis.

Contingency fee contracts allow people who deserve justice, but do not have the money to pay for legal expenses to seek compensation for their injuries. Under our contingency fee contract, Gordon McKernan and McKernan Law Firm only gets paid if you get paid.  You pay no money upfront or while the case is ongoing.  Once we recover money for you, we receive a percentage of your total recovery plus the reimbursement of our case costs.  If your lawsuit is unsuccessful, we do not get paid anything and we lose our case costs.

If you have any questions regarding contingency fee contracts, feel free to contact us for more information.

This is a very hard question.  Many lawyers fall into the trap of answering this question without knowing all of the facts and issues.  Worse, some lawyers intentionally exaggerate the value of the case to the potential client so that client will retain the lawyer.

Gordon McKernan and McKernan Law Firm recognizes that each case is unique.  We believe that it is difficult for any attorney to determine how much compensation a person might expect from a lawsuit for a personal injury before your case has been fully investigated and litigated. Our ability to obtain compensation for you will depend on many factors such as the nature of your injury or disease, the causation connection between your injury or disease to the person or thing that caused your harm, the financial condition of the person or companies responsible for your injury or disease, and the laws of the state or jurisdiction governing your claims.

Choosing an attorney to represent you in your lawsuit is a personal decision.  You should feel good about the people at the law firm that you deal with and be satisfied with any answers to your questions before you hire an attorney.

When deciding to hire an attorney for any kind of legal service, you should feel confident that they have the experience and knowledge to represent you well. You might ask the following questions of attorneys who would represent you in an asbestos or toxic tort case:

• How long has your law firm been in active trial practice?
   
• How many cases has your firm tried?  How many cases like mine has your law firm actually handled?  Have you taken any to trial? What kind of verdicts have you obtained in such cases?
   
• Will your law firm actually work on my case, or will you refer my case to another law firm? If you are likely to refer my case elsewhere, what is the name of the law firm(s) that you might send my case to?

Because we are prepared to take any client's case to trial, have lawyers who are seasoned trial lawyers and have been very successful in winning major trial victories, we believe that we are in a position to obtain an optimal outcome for our clients. Even if you prefer to settle out-of-court, our strong trial record helps us negotiate a good settlement for us clients. Do not be afraid to ask a potential law firm interested in your case about their trial record.

As a law firm that has over 100 years total legal experience, Gordon McKernan and McKernan Law Firm has the knowledge and ability to represent almost any type of case which would require a skilled advocate.  Not only will your case be handled by a great legal team, it will also be handled with compassion, conviction and care.  You will always be able to speak with a lawyer about your case.

When deciding on a law firm to hire, we invite you to consider Gordon McKernan and McKernan Law Firm. We believe that you will be favorably impressed by our experience, track record, reputation in the legal community, and the caring, friendly attention you will receive from our attorneys and staff. For more information about our firm and our attorneys, please visit the About McKernan Law Firm page.