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Bryan's Story

"In the summer of 2005 I had 4 litres of fluid drained from my chest and was told my condition was non-malignant.  But on Sep 5 that changed and I was diagnosed as having mesothelioma.  It came as a real surprise - and knocked the stuffing out of me.

A specialist Macmillan nurse got me leaflets and various documents.  One was a booklet with a list of contacts of people who were familiar with the disease, if that's what it is.  Thompsons Lawyers was mentioned in that and I noticed they had offices in Leeds, not too far away from me in Scunthorpe.

Again, a few days later, I was talking to a Department of Work and Pensions man, and he knew of Thompsons, too.  So I phoned them and asked someone from there to contact me.

They phoned back within a couple of hours - and within another hour of that I was called by a Thompsons representative, asking if she could visit me.  It was impressive.

The Thompsons representative came and stayed a couple of hours and after that, took control of the situation.  She was brilliant - she wrote and phoned me regularly and kept me in the picture.

She was like a Jack Russell with a rat - she may not find that flattering but I mean it to be - she wouldn't let go.  Her name was Helen Tomlin and she handled my claim throughout.

I'd heard rumours of what settlements were in my circumstances, but I also heard about a House of Lords debate where it was suggested such settlements should be cut back by 50%.

Eventually, a court date was set for April 19 this year - but I wasn't going to go, I was too ill.  As it worked out it didn't matter.  Neither of my 2 old employers contested my case and they settled in line with my original expectations.  In fact, they even added a further amount to compensate for the same amount deducted from such settlements by the government.

I am satisfied with my settlement, which will go to my estate and children and, again, grateful for the efficiency and dedication of Thompsons Solicitors."