Asthma FAQs

Frequently asked questions about asthma claims

Questions to ask a solicitor

You want to be sure that the solicitor you instruct is the right one for you and has the knowledge, dedication and experience to deal with your asthma claim.  Make sure you ask them these questions:

• how many asthma claims have you and your firm settled?
• how many claims is your firm currently dealing with for people who have developed asthma?
• what are the difficulties in settling asthma claims and how do you deal with them?
• will you be my primary contact or will I have to deal with other people in your firm?

Why instruct Pannone?

Pannone is a leading law firm with a national reputation in the field of personal injury claims. Our specialist asthma claims solicitors will seek the maximum amount of compensation for you as quickly as possible.  We will ensure that you keep 100% of the compensation you are awarded.

How long do I have to bring a claim?

There is a three year time limit for bringing a claim for compensation.  That is three years from the date that you knew that you had a significant injury caused by work.

Please note that in exceptional circumstances these time limits can be set aside by the Courts. If you are unsure whether or not you would be able to make a claim please contact us for free, unequivocal advice.

How long will the case take?

We are dedicated to doing our utmost to getting the case finished as soon as possible after being instructed.

Sometimes claims can be slowed down, for example, if we are having trouble tracing the insurers of past employers, but no efforts will be spared to get the case finished as quickly as possible.

What will my case cost?

We offer a free initial no obligation consultation. If we are able to assist with your claim we will make sure that the claim does not cost you a penny. There are various ways to fund your claim.

• legal expenses insurance

It is unusual for policies such as home insurance to cover asthma claims but occasionally they will cover the costs of your claim. If they do not, we will enter into a 'no win, no fee' agreement with you.

• 'no win, no fee' agreement

The most common way these claims are funded is through a 'no win, no fee' agreement. This means that if your claim failed you won’t have to pay us anything. If you win your claim your costs will be recoverable from your opponents. This means you keep 100% of the compensation awarded.

• Membership legal assistance

This applies if you are a member of a trade union, a membership organisation or a friendly society.

What information will my solicitor need from me?

• a list of past employers with dates and names of employers from the date you left school. Do not worry if you cannot remember them all as the Inland Revenue will have these details from 1961
• any documents you have relating to your past employments, for example wage slips or your contract of employment
• any letters from doctors or hospitals which relate to your illness
• if you were employed at the time the illness was diagnosed and you had to have time off work due to the illness and/or subsequently were forced to give up work due to the illness we will require documents relating to your loss of earnings such as P60s and wage slips
• any documents and receipts relating to financial losses caused by your illness, such as receipts for equipment.

What happens during a compensation claim?

• we will obtain witness statements from former colleagues and or family members which will support your claim
• we will also obtain expert reports from doctors and, if necessary, chemists/occupational hygienists
• in order to bring your case to a conclusion swiftly we will write to the other side to tell them about your claim as quickly as possible
• we will start court proceedings as quickly as possible
• once Court proceedings are started, the court will set a timetable for how the case is to progress. If your opponents dispute the claim, we will have to exchange documents, statements, engineers and medical reports, calculate your losses and get a trial date

What if my employer has gone out of business? How can I claim?

• even if your employer closed down many years ago, it is often still possible to trace their insurers. Thousands of claims are pursued in this way. The law says that it is possible to bring an employer back into legal existence in order to claim against them if their insurers can be identified
• this is a problem which we are experienced in overcoming and you should not be put off making a clam by the fact that you think your employers are no longer around
• we have a database of insurance information for defunct companies and we may already have details of your employer’s insurers. We also have unrivalled expertise in investigating and tracing insurance companies of defunct companies

What if I die before settlement?

The claim does not die with you. It can be continued by your estate’s legal representative (the person named as executor in your Will if you leave one, or otherwise by a family member).

Occupational asthma claim

To arrange a free 'no obligation' discussion with an occupational asthma solicitor click here or call us on 0800 0384 384. We are available to take your call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.