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Learn How to Choose a Camp Lejeune Attorney to Handle Your Contaminated Water Exposure Claim

If you have been diagnosed with a medical condition linked to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, you could be entitled to significant financial compensation under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. To make sure you assert your rights under the law successfully, it will be important to have an experienced Camp Lejeune lawyer on your side.

7 Important Factors to Consider When Choosing a Lawyer for Your Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit

So, what factors should you consider when choosing a Camp Lejeune attorney? Here are seven important factors that should guide your decision:

1. Familiarity with the History of the Water Contamination At Camp Lejeune

The lawyer you choose should be intimately familiar with the history of the water contamination at Camp Lejeune. This is important for several reasons. For example, your lawyer will need to determine if you qualify for compensation based on when you were at Camp Lejeune (and how long you were there), and your lawyer will need to be able to determine if it is “at least as likely as not” that your (or your loved one’s) medical condition is the result of exposure to Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water.

Investigations have revealed that multiple events contributed to Camp Lejeune’s water contamination from 1953 through 1987. These events resulted in four volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—chemicals that present significant health risks to humans in high quantities—entering the base’s water supply:

• Benzene – Benzene is an organic compound that is a known human carcinogen. Exposure to high levels of benzene through contact or consumption can cause various forms of cancer as well as other potentially serious or even life-threatening medical conditions.
• Tetrachloroethylene (also known as perchloroethylene or PCE) – s a chemical that is used in a variety of military, commercial, and consumer products, including cleaning solvents and water repellents. It is extremely toxic in high doses and has the potential to damage the liver, respiratory system, eyes, skin, and other organs.
• Trichloroethylene (TCE) – Trichloroethylene is commonly used as a refrigerant and as a metal degreaser. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), TCE is carcinogenic “by all routes of exposure,” and under no circumstances should it be present in water used for drinking or bathing.
• Vinyl chloride – Vinyl chloride is a type of VOC that does not exist in nature and is only produced through industrial and commercial processes.

These VOCs existed in Camp Lejeune’s water for decades. As a result, it is estimated that more than one million veterans, contractors, family members, and other individuals may have suffered harmful effects. While the federal government was aware of Camp Lejeune’s water contamination at least as early as 1984, the base’s water remained contaminated until 1987.

2. Familiarity with the Diseases and Other Medical Conditions Linked to Camp Lejeune’s Contaminated Water

The lawyer you choose should also be familiar with the types of diseases and other medical conditions linked to Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water. This knowledge will be essential for assessing the long-term financial and non-financial costs of your (or your loved one’s) exposure. Due to the multiple VOCs found in Camp Lejeune’s water, individuals and families can file claims for an extremely broad range of conditions—including (but not limited to):

• Adult leukemia
• ALS and Parkinson’s disease
• Aplastic anemia
• Birth defects
• Bladder cancer
• Brain cancer
• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Hepatic Steatosis
• Infertility
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Lung cancer
• Miscarriage
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Renal toxicity
• Scleroderma

Lawyers who have significant experience handling medical malpractice, dangerous product, vaccine injury and other similar types of cases involving these types of medical conditions will have the medical knowledge required to accurately assess the value of your claim.

3. Understanding of the Unique Aspects of Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claims

Filing a claim under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 is unlike filing a claim for VA or other government benefits. There are specific procedural requirements, and strict deadlines apply. When you hire a lawyer for Camp Lejeune water contamination, you will want to make sure your lawyer has a comprehensive understanding of all that is involved in asserting your legal rights.

4. Understanding of the Latest Developments Under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022

President Biden signed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act into law on August 10, 2022, and the law leaves several important matters to be addressed after its enactment. As a result, the rules and procedures that govern Camp Lejeune water contamination claims are still developing. The lawyer you hire to represent you will need to be up to date on the latest developments so that he or she can handle your claim efficiently and effectively.

5. Experience Handling Claims Against the Federal Government

Since seeking compensation under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 involves filing a claim with the federal government, claimants should choose attorneys who have experience handling similar types of government claims.

6. Experience Handling Challenging Serious Injury and Wrongful Death Cases

Along with experience handling claims against the federal government, the Camp Lejeune attorney you choose should have complex litigation experience handling challenging serious injury and wrongful death cases.

The attorney you choose should also have experience collecting the evidence needed to prove the lifetime costs of a serious illness or losing a loved one too soon. Under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, it is up to claimants (and their attorneys) to prove how much they are entitled to recover. This means that you will need to rely on your attorney to gather evidence that adequately proves your:

• Lifetime medical expenses (past, present and future)
• Other out-of-pocket costs
• Loss of income and future earnings
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of companionship and consortium and other non-financial losses

When it comes to the evidence needed to prove a Camp Lejeune water contamination claim, medical bills and service records are just the start. 

7. Availability to Provide Personalized Legal Representation Focused on Maximizing Your Recovery

You want a Camp Lejeune lawyer who can provide personalized legal representation focused on helping you obtain maximum compensation in your case. To assist with maximizing your recovery, your lawyer should also have:

• Support from a team of experienced and compassionate legal professionals
• Strong reputation in the legal community
• Dozens of Five-Star client reviews
• Offices near the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
• Demonstrated commitment to helping individuals and families recover just compensation regardless of the challenges presented

Contact Us To Speak with a Camp Lejeune Lawyer in Confidence

If you are looking for a Camp Lejeune lawyer who you can trust to help you seek maximum compensation for your medical condition or your loved one’s untimely death, we invite you to get in touch. To decide if a lawyer at Martin & Jones is the choice for you, please call 800-662-1234 or request a free consultation online today.

Hear it from our clients

“We hired Martin & Jones in March 2015 and Steven Corriveau became our personal lawyer. Steven is a true professional who is understanding and easy to communicate with. He clearly explained the legal process to us. We are confident in the specific information, advice and feedback he gives us and know that he always has our best interest in the case. He responds quickly to our questions and concerns being available 24 hours a day. As our legal journey continues we look at the number of contacts we have with Steven. There have been 52 plus phone calls and conversations, 50 plus emails, 3 plus personal meetings, and 18 plus legal documents. We are honored to have such a caring lawyer as Steven in a stressful situation, in which he makes the process less difficult. We highly recommend Steven Corriveau who is great, intelligent, persistent and will deliver to the client. Our expectations are very high and Steven is the best.” 

- Ronnie & Patricia

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- Linda

“I would like to leave a testimonial thanking Steven and Allison for their care and understanding. Steven’s pursuit and success in getting some compensation for our loss. A final closure of our loss of brother Mike. Thanks to Martin & Jones for looking after Mike’s care since his injury in 2005. You have been there for Mike and his family for a long time. Mike passed in 2016 and you stood for the family up to the present (July 2017). Many thanks.”

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- Connie, whose husband Carl worked as a brakeman for CSX Transportation and died of mesothelioma

“Thank you for your concern of my well-being every time I spoke with you. It always meant so much. I hear nothing but awful stories of dealing with attorneys and their offices, but I have had nothing but positive experience. You have many special ways of working with people in need of help. Words can never express the way your support has been so helpful. I pray you will continue to help others. I wish you all the best.”

- Mary

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