The way to choose a mesothelioma lawyer is to ask specific questions and check the answers against public records. Ask whether the lawyer has handled cases on a dedicated asbestos docket, who will actually work on your case, whether the fee agreement goes in writing before you sign anything, and whether the firm has tried cases. Every one of those answers can be verified through bar records and court dockets, and a lawyer worth hiring will not mind you checking.
This page walks through the questions and where to verify them. The same standard applies to this firm, and the section near the end shows you how to apply it to us.
What to ask before you sign anything
Bring a short list to the first conversation. A good lawyer answers each of these directly, without hedging:
- Have you handled mesothelioma cases on an asbestos docket? Not personal injury generally. Asbestos litigation has its own procedures, its own defendants, and its own case law, and a lawyer who has worked inside that system starts from a different place than one who has not.
- Who will actually handle my case? The lawyer in the advertisement and the lawyer doing the work are sometimes different people. Sometimes they are different firms.
- Will I get the fee agreement in writing before I sign? Pennsylvania requires contingent fee agreements to be in writing and signed by the client (Pa. Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(c)). If a firm resists putting terms on paper, that tells you something.
- Have you taken cases to trial? Ask for specifics: which court, what kind of case. Defendants know which firms will actually try a case and which will not.
- How will you investigate my exposure history? The answer should involve work records, union records, ship or plant records, and co-worker witnesses, rather than a form you fill out on your own.
Why asbestos docket experience matters
Mesothelioma cases turn on exposure that happened decades ago. The National Cancer Institute reports that the latency period between asbestos exposure and illness typically runs 20 to 50 years (NCI asbestos fact sheet). That means the evidence is old, the employers may be gone, and the defendants are usually the companies that made or supplied asbestos products, not the places where you worked.
Philadelphia has run a dedicated asbestos program in its Court of Common Pleas since 1986 (In re: Asbestos Litigation, No. 1986-00001). A lawyer who has appeared on that docket knows its scheduling, its defendants, and how these cases actually move. When you interview a lawyer, ask where they have filed asbestos cases and how recently.
Who will actually handle your case
Some heavily advertised firms sign clients and then refer the case to another firm that does the real work. That arrangement is legal, but Pennsylvania’s professional conduct rules require your written consent before a fee is divided between firms. Ask plainly: are you my lawyer, or are you intake for someone else? If the case will be referred, ask to speak with the firm that will handle it before you sign anything.
How to verify what any lawyer tells you
You do not have to take a lawyer’s word for any of this. Three checks take a few minutes each:
- Bar records. The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania publishes every attorney’s record: admission date, current status, and any public discipline. Search by name and confirm what you were told.
- Court dockets. Court records show which lawyers actually appear in asbestos cases. If a firm claims deep asbestos experience, its name should be on real dockets.
- Awards. Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers publish their selections. If a lawyer cites an award, look up the listing and confirm the years and the practice category.
Check us the same way
Here is what those checks show for this practice. Michael C. Schafle was admitted in Pennsylvania in 2005, Bar ID 94298, verifiable at the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He is a founding partner of Green & Schafle, LLC in Philadelphia and counsel in the Philadelphia asbestos docket (In re: Asbestos Litigation, No. 1986-00001). He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America annually since 2017 and in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers from 2021 through 2026. He resolved two multi-million-dollar mesothelioma settlements in 2023. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
His full background, including how he came to this work, is at the Michael Schafle profile. Case results, each with its provenance, are at our results page. Bring the questions above to us the same way you would bring them to anyone else.
What this means for your family
Choosing counsel feels like one more burden at the worst possible time, but it comes down to a short list of questions and a few record checks you can do in an evening. What happens after you hire a lawyer, from filing through resolution, is laid out in our mesothelioma lawsuit guide, and the fee side is explained in plain terms in what a mesothelioma lawyer costs.
When you are ready to put these questions to us, start with a free case review.