Michael Schafle, Esq. logoMichael Schafle, Esq.
Licensed in Pennsylvania · Reading, PA

Mesothelioma Lawyer Reading

Michael Schafle, Esq. provides Mesothelioma Lawyer in Reading, PA.

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Licensed AttorneyState Bar Member10+ Years of Experience
Mesothelioma Lawyer in Reading, PA
Licensed AttorneyPennsylvania Bar · #94298

What is a Mesothelioma Lawyer in Reading, PA?

A mesothelioma lawyer in Reading is an attorney who represents Berks County workers and families diagnosed with asbestos-related cancer, filing claims against the companies, products, and asbestos trust funds responsible for the exposure.

Why Reading clients choose Michael Schafle, Esq.

  • ✓Mesothelioma legal consultations are available year-round and are not seasonal; a diagnosed worker in Reading can request a case review on any weekday.
  • ✓Pennsylvania sets a general two-year statute of limitations on mesothelioma claims, counted from diagnosis or from a death, under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524.
  • ✓Most mesothelioma cases are handled on a contingency basis, meaning the attorney fee is a percentage of recovery and is only owed if the claim succeeds.
  • ✓Asbestos exposure in Reading traces to older factories, railroad shops, powerhouses, and homes built before 1980, where insulation, gaskets, and pipe wrap commonly contained asbestos.
Licensed in Pennsylvania · Bar #94298
Licensed Attorney
State Bar Member
Practice Areas

How a Mesothelioma Lawyer in Reading helps

Focused representation for Reading & Berks County, each matter handled with the same diligence, discretion, and preparation.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis Claims attorney in Reading, PA

Mesothelioma Diagnosis Claims

Representation for people recently diagnosed with pleural or peritoneal mesothelioma in Berks County. The work starts with a work-history interview that pins exposure to specific Reading-area jobsites, products, and years before memory and records fade.

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Asbestos Lung Cancer and Asbestosis Cases attorney in Reading, PA

Asbestos Lung Cancer and Asbestosis Cases

Legal claims for asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis, not just mesothelioma. A pathology report and a documented exposure history link the disease to asbestos products handled on the job.

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Wrongful Death and Survival Actions attorney in Reading, PA

Wrongful Death and Survival Actions

Claims filed by a surviving spouse, child, or estate after a Reading resident dies of an asbestos disease. Pennsylvania allows both a survival action for the decedent's own losses and a wrongful death action for the family's losses.

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Asbestos Trust Fund Filings attorney in Reading, PA

Asbestos Trust Fund Filings

Preparation and filing of claims against the bankruptcy trusts set up by former asbestos manufacturers. Each trust publishes its own payment schedule and evidence rules, and a single worker's history often qualifies for several trusts at once.

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Navy and Veteran Asbestos Claims attorney in Reading, PA

Navy and Veteran Asbestos Claims

Guidance for veterans exposed to asbestos aboard ships and in boiler rooms, who may pursue both a VA benefits path and a separate civil claim against the product makers. The two tracks run independently and do not cancel each other.

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Industrial and Construction Exposure Claims attorney in Reading, PA

Industrial and Construction Exposure Claims

Cases built around exposure at powerhouses, steel and metal shops, rail yards, and job-site construction where pipe insulation, joint compound, and gaskets shed asbestos fibers. Trade histories for pipefitters, boilermakers, electricians, and laborers are documented in detail.

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Secondhand and Household Exposure Claims attorney in Reading, PA

Secondhand and Household Exposure Claims

Representation for spouses and children exposed to asbestos carried home on a worker's clothes and laundered at home. Household exposure claims are recognized in Pennsylvania and do not require the claimant to have worked around asbestos personally.

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Credentials

Licensed, admitted & ready to represent you

You deserve to know exactly who is handling your case. Verify our credentials for yourself.

Bar Admission

Admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania · Bar No. 94298. Pennsylvania (January 12, 2005)

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JD

Temple University Beasley School of Law · 2004

The essentials

What Reading couples should know about a prenup

  • Mesothelioma legal consultations are available year-round and are not seasonal; a diagnosed worker in Reading can request a case review on any weekday.
  • Pennsylvania sets a general two-year statute of limitations on mesothelioma claims, counted from diagnosis or from a death, under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524.
  • Most mesothelioma cases are handled on a contingency basis, meaning the attorney fee is a percentage of recovery and is only owed if the claim succeeds.
  • Asbestos exposure in Reading traces to older factories, railroad shops, powerhouses, and homes built before 1980, where insulation, gaskets, and pipe wrap commonly contained asbestos.
  • Compensation can come from lawsuits against product makers and from asbestos bankruptcy trust funds, which held an estimated $30 billion in combined assets as of recent court filings.
The Michael Schafle, Esq. standard

What working with us is like

01

A free, confidential consultation

Tell us what happened. You'll get a straight answer about your options in Reading, no cost, no obligation, and nothing leaves this office.

02

You work directly with your attorney

Not a call center, not a hand-off to a paralegal. The Reading attorney who takes your case is the one who handles it.

03

No fee unless we win

On contingency matters you pay nothing up front, our fee comes out of the recovery only if we win. If we don't, you owe us nothing.

Know your options

Choosing a Mesothelioma Lawyer in Reading

If a worker is still living and able to give a statement, a personal injury claim fits, because the exposed person can describe the jobsites and products firsthand. If the diagnosed person has already passed, a surviving spouse or adult child files a wrongful death and survival action instead, and the trade-off is that proof of exposure then relies on co-worker testimony and records rather than the worker's own account. If the responsible company still operates, the claim runs as a civil lawsuit; if that company went bankrupt, the claim is filed against its asbestos trust fund, which usually pays a fixed scheduled amount faster but often less than a jury verdict.

If exposure happened at several sites over a career, naming every product and employer matters, because each solvent defendant and each trust fund can add a separate source of recovery.

Fees

Mesothelioma Lawyer cost in Reading

No confusing rate sheets. Your first conversation is always free.

Free Consultation

Every case starts with a free, confidential consultation. No cost and no obligation, just a clear answer about where you stand and what your options are.

No Win, No Fee

On contingency matters you pay nothing up front. Our fee comes out of the recovery only if we win your case, if we don't, you owe us nothing.

Free, confidential consultation

Let's talk about your case.

Tell us what happened and we'll get back to you quickly, usually the same day. Everything you share is confidential, and there's no cost to speak with a Reading attorney.

(610) 851-8780
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Who we serve

Areas we serve in Reading & Berks County

Michael Schafle, Esq. attorneys in Reading, PA

Reading's asbestos history sits in its industrial spine, the rail shops, the brickwork row homes, and the factories along the Schuylkill where insulation and pipe lagging were everyday materials well into the 1970s. Many of the row houses in the Centre Park Historic District, Millmont, and the 18th Ward predate 1980 and were built with asbestos pipe wrap, floor tile, and furnace cement, which still matters when a renovation disturbs old material. Case reviews can be done close to home near the Berks County Courthouse or wherever treatment keeps a family tied, so a sick worker in Mount Penn or Pennside does not have to travel to an out-of-state office.

Centre Park Historic DistrictHampden HeightsGlensideRiversidePennsideNorthmontMillmontMount Penn18th WardWyomissing Hills
Questions

Mesothelioma Lawyer in Reading, answered

How long do I have to file a mesothelioma claim in Reading, PA?
In Reading and across Pennsylvania, a mesothelioma claim generally must be filed within two years of the diagnosis, and a wrongful death claim within two years of the death, under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524. Pennsylvania's own guidance on the civil limitations period is published through the state's unified court system at pacourts.us. Starting a case review early protects the deadline and preserves records and witness memory.
What did asbestos exposure in Reading, PA actually come from?
Asbestos exposure in Reading came mainly from industrial and construction settings, rail shops, powerhouses, metal and steel work, and buildings constructed before 1980 where insulation, gaskets, floor tile, and joint compound contained asbestos. The U.S. Occupational Safety and our team documents these job-site asbestos hazards at osha.gov, and the EPA explains common asbestos-containing building materials at epa.gov. Many pre-1980 homes in neighborhoods like Glenside and Hampden Heights still contain asbestos pipe wrap and floor tile.
Does a Reading mesothelioma lawyer cost money up front?
No. Mesothelioma cases in Reading are handled on a contingency basis, so there is no attorney fee up front and the fee, commonly 33% to 40% of any recovery, is owed only if the claim brings in money. The National Cancer Institute explains the asbestos-to-mesothelioma link at cancer.gov, which is the medical basis these claims rely on. A family focused on treatment does not pay out of pocket to find out whether a case exists.
Can I still have a case in Reading if the plant where I worked closed decades ago?
Yes. A mesothelioma case in Reading can still be built even when the old employer or plant is gone, because liability often falls on the companies that made the asbestos products rather than on the employer itself. Many of those manufacturers set up bankruptcy trust funds that still pay claims today, a system the Government Accountability Office describes at gao.gov. Co-worker statements, union records, and product identification are used to reconstruct exposure from jobs worked 30 or 40 years ago.
Can the family of someone who already died of mesothelioma file a claim in Reading?
Yes. In Reading, a surviving spouse, child, or estate can file wrongful death and survival actions after a loved one dies of an asbestos-related disease, and these claims can still reach asbestos trust funds. The American Cancer Society outlines mesothelioma risk and diagnosis at cancer.org, and the Centers for Disease Control's NIOSH tracks occupational asbestos disease at cdc.gov. The two-year filing window generally runs from the date of death, so gathering medical and work records early keeps the claim open. Call (610) 851-8780 to arrange a case review at home or bedside.

You don't have to face this alone.

Free, confidential consultations for Reading & the surrounding area.

For standards, safe disposal, and service guidance on law firm Mesothelioma Lawyer in Reading, PA, useful references include American Bar Association, Legal Information Institute, Justia, Nolo, LawHelp.org, and Google Maps. General consumer and small-business resources are available from USA.gov, Better Business Bureau, FTC Consumer Advice, U.S. Small Business Administration, and Ready.gov.

mesothelioma lawyer guides

How Much Does a Mesothelioma Lawyer Cost in Reading? →Do mesothelioma lawyers in Reading work on a contingency fee? →How do I file a mesothelioma claim in Berks County? →Asbestos Job Sites in Reading, PA →